Fundraising Bright Spots

There are plenty of factors that make fundraising difficult at the moment. Whether it’s the cost of living crisis, the pace of change, the sense of political chaos, shorter attention spans etc…it’s true that connecting with people who care about your cause can feel harder than ever. So what can we do to defy the odds and achieve great fundraising results, in spite of the challenges? For clear answ...

Is silo working inevitable in charities? Or is it possible to create a culture where it’s the norm for the different teams to proactively help each other, so that efforts combine to make a bigger difference? This is the second part of Rob’s interview about integrated working with the brilliant Joe Jenkins. They build on the Team of Teams concept from Part 1, and the amazing difference it makes to...

One of the biggest sources of stress for people working in charities is conflict between teams. Many find that however committed they are, and however hard they work, the default structure and culture often hamper genuine cooperation and progress toward a common goal. Given how difficult this problem can be, Rob was thrilled to talk to Joe Jenkins, who has given more thought and energy to solving...

Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about some of the episodes that most inspired us in 2023. Our discussion of fundraising ideas and examples includes: how to ace your event or media appeal (ie what content makes all the difference to results); ways to beat the Curse of Knowledge – and how one charity did this to raise five times more than...

If you’d like practical lessons and a bunch of encouraging stories from our fundraising podcast in 2023, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode for you! Rob is joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart for this round up of our podcasting year. They pull out key insights from some episodes they’ve found most inspiring to listen...

This time we’re looking at capital campaigns and appeals, and in particular how to make them work if the charity you work for is relatively small. Successful appeals are not an easy undertaking for any charity, but there are at least examples of various famous appeals by well-known charities in books about fundraising. Given how many smaller charities need to raise an extra injection of funding fo...

Just occasionally we (hopefully) have a bigger opportunity to reach more people and raise money. Whether it’s being chosen for a media appeal that reaches thousands or millions; or the chance to tell your charity story at an event in front of hundreds of people…there are a few moments when the fundraising rewards can be HUGE…if we get it right. So what can you do to maximise the potential of these...

Changes in technology over the last three decades mean our supporters’ now have less time, and more demands on their attention, than at any point in history. This makes it tougher than ever to deepen relationships with people who care about our cause. In this environment, what can we do to create effective marketing and communications? To better understand the issues, Rob was delighted to talk to...

Many charities see the advantages of creating strategic, long-term partnerships with companies, rather than applying for those intensely competitive Charity of the Year partnerships. But how do you initially approach companies where there is a good fit? Even after you get that first meeting, how do you inspire them to want to partner? And how do you solve the challenges in bringing your two organi...

Some types of cause are less popular than others. If your charity is relatively less attractive to many people, what can you do to raise funds successfully? Rob talks to the experienced major gift fundraiser, Sarah Jane O’Neill, about things you can do to raise funds in spite of the challenges, whatever cause you serve. They share tips, practical tactics and examples of how fundraisers have overco...

What can you do to build warm, generous relationships with High Net Worth individuals who care about your cause? Rob talks to Paul Davies, who at the time worked for an orchestra and charity named Manchester Camerata. Paul explains a range of ideas from the Major Gifts Mastery Programme that he used to transform his results, including: what he focuses on to feel so confident when meeting supporter...

In just four years, the small UK charity Talk Club has grown rapidly, making an ever bigger difference to the community it serves. There are now 78 talk clubs where men can talk, listen and improve their mental fitness. In this episode Ben Akers (Joint CEO) and Rob Woods discuss the innovative approach that has helped achieve this growth. An important theme is the power of being crystal clear of y...

One of the most difficult challenges for many fundraisers is encouraging colleagues see things from the supporter or partners’ point of view, and to want to do things that would deepen relationships with those supporters and help grow income. And in corporate partnerships fundraising, excellent partnerships are never possible if they’re solely driven by the fundraisers’ hard work. They can only ha...

Artificial intelligence / AI is here to stay and it’s transforming the way many sectors do business. In this episode we explore what difference AI is already making to fundraising, and what do we need to be aware of? The very experienced digital fundraiser, Emily Casson gave a fascinating talk at Bright Spot’s summer Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders event, and we’re pleased to share her talk...

In this episode we look at failure, and why embracing it has a powerful effect on your results. To understand this in the context of fundraising and a charity’s effectiveness, I was delighted to talk to Richard Turner, Director of Fundraising at the international development charity, Solar Aid. For many years Richard and his colleagues have been deliberate about the importance of searching for and...

If your charity aims to win and grow corporate partnerships, then one important asset is a proposition or first step that’s both easy to understand and genuinely enticing to companies. This isn’t easy, so I was really interested to hear how Laura Webb approached it for Leeds Hospitals Charity. In mid-September 2020, she got inspired by the brilliant Snowflake Appeal at Sheffield Children’s Hospita...

The 80/20 Principle states that results will never be evenly distributed. A minority of your donors have the potential to give much more than the majority. Of course, many charities treat major donors differently, but we’ve found that within a file of individual donors giving at lower levels (or event participants), The 80/20 Principle still holds true. If we look for it, this is a wonderful oppor...

Corporate partnerships can make a huge impact on not only your fundraising, but also your mission directly. One of the valuable things they often bring is far greater reach to key audiences than a charity would achieve on its own. Clearly this effect is multiplied if you build not one, but many partnerships, and especially if they are all in a category that is relevant to your cause. In this episo...

We spend so much of our life at work, it clearly makes sense that we should aim to make this time rewarding and enjoyable. But how do you deliberately build a happy, successful career? In this episode Rob Woods talks to Liz Tait, Director of Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity. Liz explains some of the ideas and activities she’s used in developing her career over the las...

This episode with Dr Claire Routley, an expert in expert legacy fundraising, was recorded in early March 2020, when the world felt very different. Nevertheless, in a time of increased home-working, our subjects of culture change and breaking down inter-team barriers now feel more relevant than ever. So I’m really pleased to share the episode again. We talk about a piece of research Claire carried...

What can charities do to better attract younger philanthropists to their cause? Many believe this is now an especially important challenge and opportunity. They cite research suggesting that in the next ten years, millennials and generations X and Z are likely to be in a position to make an especially valuable contribution to causes they care about. In Part 2 of Rob’s recent interview with Victori...

This time we’re exploring how charities can better develop relationships with supporters in their teens, twenties and early thirties. Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations – as charities, how can we respond? Rob speaks to Victoria Roe, a Senior Philanthropy Manager at UNICEF UK about her charities’ ‘Next Gen’ approach. She shares the rationale for why this is an...

This time we are again exploring ways to thrive and make a difference when you’re in a new fundraising leadership role. Rob talks to Tess Nixon Spiller, who is very experienced at taking on interim leadership roles, and as such has become adept at spotting the opportunities and pre-empting many of the pitfalls when you’re new. In particular we explore ways you can create a culture of self-sufficie...

To help us survive, the human brain evolved to be very sensitive to threats in the environment. But if we’re not careful, this negativity bias also causes us to focus too much attention on our weaknesses, and at the expense of our strengths. This tendency to can reduce our energy levels and resourcefulness. Rob’s guest for this episode is an expert in helping fundraisers to identify and take advan...

How can you increase high value income for your charity? In this episode, Rob Woods talks to Tony Gaston about the strategies he feels contributed to the way EMMS International transformed its high value results so dramatically in five years. He talks about how he manages to pause and see the bigger picture and how this habit has helped him focus on solving the most valuable challenges; what he be...