Fundraising Bright Spots

After studying fundraising success for nearly two decades, Rob has found that great results rarely come from one stroke of brilliance. Rather, it usually comes from doing helpful (very do-able!) things consistently. In this episode, Rob shares examples of fundraisers who have used habits to create fabulous momentum, as well as an approach he has learned from BJ Fogg’s fascinating book Tiny Habits....

When you hear real examples of your charities’ work, that connection to an important ‘why’ has a powerful effect on your fundraising mojo. But in most charities this doesn’t come naturally. It takes a deliberate decision to search out and share these stories. In this episode Rob is joined by Bright Spot trainer Ben Swart, to share ways that some fundraisers and leaders have improved the way they c...

Ciaran Biggins is an experienced fundraiser and the founder of MindFood, a small London charity which uses gardening to help people improve their mental health. In this episode Ciaran shares tactics that have helped him raise funds for his small charity, including a tool he used to increase their success rate with trusts and foundations – last year 100% of their approaches were successful - and se...

Ciaran Biggins is an experienced corporate fundraiser who over a decade ago decided to set up a social enterprise to help people with their mental health, called MindFood. It later became a charity. In this episode Ciaran tells the story so far, and shares ideas and examples of how he has raised funds for this small organisation, including ways he has adapted techniques from his corporate partners...

This time Rob interviews Martha Awojobi, who two years ago changed the focus of her career from fundraising to anti-racism consultancy for the charity sector. One of Martha’s many achievements is leading the ground-breaking BAME Online fundraising conference. This wide-ranging discussion includes the extra energy you get from becoming clear on your values; tips on how to be brave; and reasons why...

Clearly digital approaches can help your fundraising success, but digital also feels daunting to many charities. So how do make it work in practice? In this episode, the brilliant Emily Casson, Digital Marketing and Fundraising Manager at the Salvation Army, shares her powerful, succinct recipe for digital fundraising success, as well as four powerful principles. At the time of recording, she was...

The first story I share in this episode is of a charity’s appeal raising SIX TIMES more than its (already ambitious) target. How did they do it? I believe the major factor is that they found a way to add consistent value to supporter relationships for months before the appeal. To show you what I mean, I share half a dozen examples of charities inspiring income growth through regular stewardship an...

Sometimes you can build partnerships informally, without needing to pitch, but sooner or later most corporate fundraisers will be asked to pitch formally to a company. When this happens, clearly the stakes are high. So what can you do to increase your chances of winning? This time, Rob talks to Laura Matthews, who recently delivered a pitch that won a ground-breaking partnership worth over £200,00...

Most fundraisers are aware that improving relationships with supporters helps grow high value results. But what can fundraisers do to achieve this in practice? In this episode Rob is delighted to again to talk to Lynda Harwood-Compton, Head of Philanthropy, UK, at Animals Asia. This is the second half of their recent conversation in which Lynda shares things she has done to grow high value results...

When you get the chance to explain your charity’s work, we’ve found that what you choose to say or write makes a big difference to fundraising results. In this episode Rob is joined by long-standing Bright Spot trainer, Ben Swart. Together they share a technique for finding inspiring ideas and messages about your cause. Using examples, they share why including more contrast and stories is usually...

The partnerships and philanthropy team at Shelterbox have achieved fabulous growth in the last 18 months. In Episode 88 Clio Gressani shared their unusual approach, two very practical KPIs and examples of her team’s creativity. In this, the second part of Rob’s conversation with Clio, they explore how the team have improved the way they manage data, focus on conversations and a truly innovative wa...

What you decide to focus your energy on every day makes a big difference to your results. The fabulous growth in high value income achieved by Shelterbox over the last 18 months has been achieved in large part by a deliberate focus on two result areas: creating WOW moments and setting up ‘virtual teas / coffees’ with supporters. In this episode, Clio Gressani, who leads the Partnerships and Philan...

When you better understand and improve relationships with supporters, it often follows that people give even more generously. But what can fundraisers do to better understand, engage and inspire? This time Rob welcomes back Lynda Harwood-Compton, Head of Philanthropy, UK, at Animals Asia. Since their last conversation for Episode 20, Lynda’s results have continued to grow. This time she shares her...

One crucial element of successful IG programmes is growing income with existing donors. So being organised in asking supporters if they’d like to give more, and to give again once they’ve stopped, is key. In Episode 82 of this show, individual giving expert Jenny Crabtree shared a range of ideas to help fundraisers with successful upgrade and reactivation campaigns. This included mind-set, story-t...

If you’d like to hear some useful lessons and stories from the podcast in 2021, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we hope this one will help. Rob is joined by the excellent Louise Morris of Summit Fundraising to talk about some episodes she most often recommends to fundraisers she works with. They discuss helpful themes and stories from the show this year, including the power of kindne...

As the environment we raise funds in will continue to bring plenty of challenges in 2022, how can we nevertheless find opportunities for growth? In this episode, which carries on from themes in Episode 83, Bright Spot fundraising trainers Rob and Ben share encouraging examples of fundraisers who have been especially bold and creative in spite of the difficulties they have faced…with fabulous RESUL...

Even major difficulties sometimes bring opportunities. This is the central theme of The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday, a book Rob read in March 2020, and which he has found very helpful during the chaos since. As fundraisers continue to face yet more challenges brought on by the pandemic, Rob and Ben explore ideas to help you succeed in your fundraising, in spite of your challenges. They sh...

An important element of successful individual giving programmes is growing income from those who currently support. To achieve this, being organised about asking people to give more, and re-start once they’ve stopped, is key. Rob recently worked with the very experienced individual giving expert, Jenny Crabtree, to create a new video learning bundle for the Bright Spot Members Club, on How to Impr...

It’s one thing to help your supporters / donors understand important issues intellectually, but some fundraisers find creative ways to help their audience connect at a deeper level too. On his courses and Bright Spot Members Club, Rob describes various ways you can create inspiring WOW moments. Within these, one type of special moment is where you help them gain deeper insight. In this episode Rob...

In Programme 8 of the current series of Strictly Come Dancing, Rose Ayling-Ellis, the programme’s first deaf contestant, did something very powerful. Midway through the routine, the music fell silent… and Rose and Giovanni continued dancing as though along to the music. In this beautiful moment, Rose gave her audience an insight into what she experiences when she dances. In this episode Rob explor...

In his fascinating book The Captain Class, Sam Walker found that not one of the 16 most successful captains in the history of sport, was the teams’ star player, scoring the goals. In fact, all of them shared a less showy style of captaincy. They led from the back. This finding is in contrast to the enticing ‘Roy of the Rovers’ image of what great leaders are like. In this episode Rob explores why...

What behaviours and traits from the leader, help your team raise their game and perform at their very best? To answer this question, leadership expert Sam Walker sought out 16 leaders whose results were outstanding in the highly competitive field of professional sport and studied the traits they shared. He reveals his findings in the fascinating book The Captain Class. Inspired by what Walker foun...

Long before the era of lockdowns, gaming was growing steadily more popular and across all demographics. Tantalisingly, its highly likely that some of the people who care about your cause also play games regularly. Many larger charities have created strategies for fundraising with gamers. If you’ve not thought about this option before, or you want to get some ideas, we hope you find this episode (a...

Under pressure, its all too easy to put most of your energy into the search for new supporters. But if you want to grow fundraising income, a great place to start is to take a careful look at how well you thank and look after people who have already donated. Interestingly, we’ve found that if you go above and beyond what most people would expect, it not only helps your donors feel great, it also o...

This time we’re exploring ways to gather insight and test fundraising ideas. Whether it’s a new event, campaign or product, following a clear path helps you focus your creative efforts productively. There are plenty of tools you could use, but to explore one effective approach, I am joined by the ever-practical Craig Linton of the Supporter Experience Collective. Craig uses examples to explain a m...