The future of

fundraising Challenges, issues and ideas

December 2015

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“There’s too

much larking

about in

today’s

fundraising”

“Just give me the

money and no

one gets hurt...”

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EVERYBODY STAND UP

Sit down if...

You reckon this is all going to blow over

You’ve written 3 or more papers for

trustees on the crisis in fundraising

Gone to 2 or more meetings about...

You’re forecasting individual income to

be down next year

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“The Olive Cooke story ran and ran, not because it

was true, but because people believed from their

own experiences that it could be. They empathised

with feeling hounded by fundraising. We need to

minimise the aggravation.”

Joe Saxton NFP Synergy

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The world has changed around us “The web is the biggest evolution in communication since

the invention of print. It is not merely a new

communication vehicle but represents a fundamental

change in the rules of engagement...In the old marketing

world a business would pay money to interrupt what we

were doing and shout its message at us...Previously, we

were prepared to put up with the shouting and unwanted

messages because they often proved to be a useful

source of information.” Stickier Marketing, Grant Leboff 2014

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The world has changed around us “However, today this has changed. We have plenty of

access to information...These communications, therefore,

have become a major inconvenience....because they no

longer provide value, they now, for the most part, have

become irritating...Any form of direct communication – for

example email, direct mail, telephone calls – that can be

considered intrusive by a prospect and has not been

requested, will damage your brand. Of course, there will

always be exceptions to the rule. However, it is an

extremely tenuous marketing strategy to spend valuable

resources attempting to be one of the exceptions.”

Page 8

Trust

with

data

varies

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So, what we have done to respond

to the crisis in fundraising...

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Actions taken include: • Stopped activity - lots of it

• Internal Audit investigation

• Reviewed all telephone agency scripts, fundraiser guidance and

training materials

• Developed a new Fundraising Policy including specific chapters

on

• Vulnerable people

• Solicitation statements policy with clearer more channel-

specific guidance for fundraisers

• Policy and process for third party agency management and

supervision to including: pre-contract checks,

monitoring/mystery shopping and contract review.

• Set new contact frequency rules by channel

• Refreshed sign-off procedures

• Reviewed data protection statements, opt outs and “how to

contact us” in all communications.

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Decline and rise and fall of Oxfam

regular givers

360,000

365,000

370,000

375,000

380,000

385,000

390,000

395,000

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Unrestricted GB

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Actions taken include: • Stopped activity - lots of it

• Internal Audit investigation

• Reviewed all telephone agency scripts, fundraiser guidance and

training materials

• Developed a new Fundraising Policy including specific chapters

on

• Vulnerable people

• Solicitation statements policy with clearer more channel-

specific guidance for fundraisers

• Policy and process for third party agency management and

supervision to including: pre-contract checks,

monitoring/mystery shopping and contract review.

• Set new contact frequency rules by channel

• Refreshed sign-off procedures

• Reviewed data protection statements, opt outs and “how to

contact us” in all communications.

Page 15

Actions taken include: • Changed all contracts with Oxfam fundraising staff to make acting

in line with the IoF code a condition of employment

• Set up formal quarterly reviews of performance of all large

fundraising campaigns

• Commenced a more structured training programme for all

Fundraising staff on IoF codes.

• Completed thorough review of all marketing consents on our

database and put in place rules to ensure that we are compliant in

particular with ICO clarification on TPS

• Reviewed complaints procedure and monitoring especially

involving our external agencies.

• Added compliance related risks to our Fundraising Risk Register

• Put in place 24 hour ‘cool off’ period for all 2 stage fundraising

campaigns

• Checked all web-forms for compliance and briefed all changes.

• Begun re-tender of telephone fundraising agencies

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What do you need to do now ?

1) KEEP FUNDRAISING

2) Are you and your teams clear about how your

organisation – selects agencies, monitors their

activity, how you construct solicitation statements,

manage complaints, establishes TPS consent?.

3) What is your policy on how fundraisers are paid?

4) When did you last return a donation to a vulnerable

person or identify someone who is potentially

vulnerable?

5) Do you have a crisis media plan in place – when was

it last tested? Are you prepared to speak to the

media?

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What does your team need?

1) Resilience – you can be a beacon of positivity but you

have to choose to be so

2) Information – what’s happening, what’s changing,

what don’t we know

3) Supportive organisation – senior management,

trustees, media and PR team

4) Honesty

5) Time to think

Page 18

Be the master of your

own destiny

1) Make an opportunity out of a crisis

2) What is your vision for the future of

fundraising in your organisation?

3) Where can you diversify and innovate – new

products, new markets, new channels

4) Help your organisation understand and

contribute to new ways of engaging with

supporters

5) From the supporter’s shoes

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What is our new world? “Academic research

suggests that amid a

complex range of internal

motivations and external

influences, asking is an

important part of the

decision to give to

charity... altruism and

reciprocity are motivating

factors, but these

nevertheless require both

awareness of need or the

cause, and the external

trigger to give. The ask to

give that is the core of

fundraising practice is a

necessary one...”

PROUD TO BE A FUNDRAISER

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Thank you

Questions?

Excellent fundraising for a better world

Individual Giving Conference 2015

Headline Sponsor Sponsor

#IoFIG

Improving public trust in

charities Vicky Browning, director CharityComms

@browning_vicky

Our vision

Our vision is for effective and inspiring communications to

be at the heart of every charity’s work for a better world.

Our purpose

We improve the standard of communications and champion

its role in the sector. We represent, support, inspire, connect

and inform our members and the wider charity

communications community.

About CharityComms

Our goal is to secure public support for the charity sector

in the long term based on increased public trust and

confidence in the sector.

Four strands of work

• Narrative

• Media

• Engagement

• Evidence and research

The Understanding Charities Group

How the UK public thinks charities work

How (large) modern charities actually work

There is a disconnect between public perception and reality

• Lack of understanding of the scale, scope and

diversity of the sector

• Lack of understanding of how we operate

• Suspicions about money spent on salaries, admin

and fundraising

• No full appreciation of the contribution charities make

• Polarised media stories: heroes or villains

Why does this matter?

• Loss of trust

• Loss of support

• Loss of income

• A direct impact on our ability

to deliver our vital work

Why does it matter?

• Sort out the issues causing concern

• Improve the way we tell our stories

• Improve our understanding of how the public

engages with and understands charities

• Improve our understanding of what drives trust

and confidence

• Be more transparent and responsive

• Be better at influencing/balancing

media coverage

What can we do?

What does success look like?

Two key areas of work

• Rebuttal

• Improving generic coverage

What is the media strand doing?

We believe in order to have trust and confidence,

people need to have a good knowledge and

understanding of charity

What does the narrative need to do?

Telling a better story about charities

• Charity is about people making a difference to the problems

in the world they care about, and want to help solve.

• Charities can help them do that.

• Why charity exists – the need:

We live in an imperfect world, an unfair world, a world of

problems.

• Why charity happens – beliefs and motivations: There are things we can’t accept and have to act upon.

People share a basic humanity, and have a charitable instinct, to care enough to want to help.

With passion, drive and expertise people can change the

world. They want to join in and be part of it.

We have already changed the world for the better in many ways. But there is still so much to do.

Narrative: key messages

• What charity hopes to achieve – vision and ambition: A fairer and better world, now and for future generations.

• What difference charity makes to individual people –

benefits and impact: Charity touches all of us in many ways, often unseen. It

makes our society richer and warmer. We all benefit from that, though those most in need benefit more directly.

Narrative: key messages

• How does charity make a difference? People with passion and commitment come together to

make things better for others. Charities can harness and organise the passion, skills, voluntary time and professional

expertise of committed people, to make a difference.

Narrative: key messages

• Why us – what makes charity and charities special?

We understand the challenges, and we share a common

humanity. Charity is “of, for and by the people”; an expression of people’s will to come together to make a

difference, to do things that no-one else can or will do.

Charities are the vehicles they choose to do that, fuelled by

the same motivations, and their desire and responsibility to do the best they can makes them want to be professional

and expert at what they do.

• Why you – why should you feel good about charity and

charities? Because you’re part of it: we can only achieve this together.

Narrative: key messages

Our ultimate audience is the British public

We will reach them via the sector:

• Trustees

• Chief executives

• Communications professionals

• Fundraising professionals

• Other charity staff

Who is our audience?

Through our charity audience we will reach:

• Volunteers

• Beneficiaries

• Other supporters

(eg donors, campaigners)

• Media

• Other key influencers (eg politicians)

Who is our audience?

When will our work be done?

What else is happening?

vicky@charitycomms.org.uk

@browning_vicky

charitycomms.org.uk

@CharityComms

Thanks for having me!

Any questions?

Excellent fundraising for a better world

Individual Giving Conference 2015

Headline Sponsor Sponsor

#IoFIG