Seven Practical Ideas to Optimise your Charity’s Fundraising

David Hopkins

We are Charities Aid FoundationOur mission is to create a society motivated to give ever more effectively, helping to transform lives andcommunities around the world.

2010/11 2009/10 2008/09 2007/08 2006/07

Total income £38.3 billion £38.3 billion £38.1 billion £39.5 billion £38.9 billion

Voluntary income £14.7 billion £14.4 billion £14.4 billion £16.3 billion £15.9 billion

Earned income £21.4 billion £21.5 billion £20.5 billion £19.6 billion £19.9 billion

Investment income £2.3 billion £2.4 billion £3.2 billion £3.6 billion £3.1 billion

Income from individuals £16.5 billion £16.3 billion £15.5 billion £16.1m billion £16.1 billion

Income from statutory sources

£14.2 billion £14.3 billion £14 billion £14 billion £13.4 billion

Income from National Lottery distributors

£0.5 billion £0.5 billion £0.5 billion £0.6 billion £0.6 billion

Income from other sources £7.2 billion £7.2 billion £8.1 billion £8.8 billion £8.8 billion

Income trends from 2006-2011

2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12

57

58

56 56

54

56

58

55

Proportion of adults in UK giving to charity in a typical month

Who gives?

Men Women

£4

£8

£11 £10 £10

£15 £14

£15

Median donation per month by age and gender

16-24 25-44 45-64 65+

The rise of charity as service provider or “social business”

The sector as a whole earns more income through trading – selling goods and services- than it raises through giving – donations, legacies and grants. In 2010/11 earned income accounted for £21.4 billion, while voluntary income – that given freely in donations and grants accounted for £14.7 billion. This has been the case since 2003/04, when earned income overtook voluntary income to become the largest source of income.

Compared to 2000/01, earned income has increased by 92% in real terms, while voluntary income is only 3% higher, and investment income has fallen by 23%.

This is reflective of the ever-increasing tendency for statutory agencies to commission services, rather than provide them directly – income from statutory contracts more than doubled between 2000/1 to 2010/11 – from £4.5 billion to £11.2 billion.

Charities have also been trading more with the public – while the increase was smaller than that seen from the state, it was still an increase of more than 40% - or £2.3 billion in real terms

ACTIVITY

What changes have you noticed and how have you adapted?

Groups of 2 or 3

Burning feedback

Practical Ideas

Optimise Online

Optimise Online

Keep the donors inside your site

Match the colours and fonts

Show them what their donation ‘buys’

Offer single or regular giving

Immediate thanks and receipt

Obvious donate button on every page

Mobile

Use web on phones 44%

(up 13%)

Smartphone ownership up

to 45% (up 13%)

Mobile ownership

92%

Pay monthly 58% Tablet

ownership 24% (up from

11%)

Source: OfCom 2013, Communications Market

Report (August)

Multi-channel – Online

Help potential donors to

touch, taste and feel your

impact

 140

The total number of people who attended our Welsh and England Conservation workshop

 

100

100% of respondees at the England conservation workshop said that they were more motivated to help Bees

as a result of attending the conference.

 

3,500

The potential hectarage that could be managed for bumblebees through the Bees for Everyone 3 year project

 

2784

The number of hectares of land for which we have provided habitat management advice for bumblebees in

total since January 2011.

 

152

The amount of hectares on north Kent sea walls being managed for bumblebees in conjunction with the

Environment Agency

 

67

The number of enquiries received from landowners outside of our Bees for Everyone regions who wanted to

manage their land for Bumblebees.

 

 

900Potential hectarage gained from giving advice by email/phone to landowners outside of Bees for

Everyone regions

7The number of farm days delivered by conservation

Officers

376The number of farmers and landowners the

conservation team have engaged with in 2013

100%BBCT input into the National Pollinator Strategy

1Memorandum of Understanding signed with the

Ministry of Justice

830Hectares the Sub T reintroduction project has created, advised and assisted in the management of within the

release area of Dungeness and Romney Marsh

6Bombus Sub T workers recorded on Dungeness – the

first in 25 years

BUMBLEBEE CONSERVATION TRUST “BEES FOR EVERYONE” PROJECT YEAR IN NUMBERS 2013

Key facts & achievement

s

Stories

Quotes

Photos

Harness the power of fun

and social giving

Harnessing the power of social

Get your ducks in a

row!

The Fundraising Process

Map your proposition

Develop Case for Support

Prospect Research

Approach strategy

Identifying key “products” & the impact they make

What’s our story that will make donors want to engage?

What are the wider benefits of association to new donors?

Developing the funding hooks, impact messages and likely audiences

Identification of prospective partners, donors and influencers & areas of alignment

Peer research – who is supporting work in this space & what is the relationship?

Which existing contacts and relationships can be leveraged?

Mapping warm & cold leads

Developing targeted pitches

Routes to engagement i.e. the when, how and who in making the ask

Donor cultivation and partnership building

Mapping of resources needed to underpin fundraising

Answers the question,“Why should you support our cause?”

The problem we are solving (or opportunity)

How we tackle this Why charity is perfectly

(uniquely) placed to do so

The resources required (the ask)

The difference this will make

Develop a legacy

proposition

Return on Investment: Average return per £ invested

Legacies £25.50

Trusts £7.00

Corporate £4.43

Committed Giving £3.54

Major Donors £3.17

Events £1.94

Implementing a Legacy Campaign

Phone call followed by letter

Warmest supporters only

8.13% pledge rate

Become an award-winning

charity

Why Awards Matter

“Given our services are in the somewhat controversial field of working with those who commit the most horrendous of sexual offences, to be recognized so appreciatively for what we do through winning a Charity Award was a wonderful affirmation.

“The added ‘credibility’ and respect the award has contributed to our necessarily low profile work has gone a long way to reassure funders and policy-makers that the service is thoroughly worthy of their attention. Being part of the Charity Awards

marked a key milestone in our progress.”Stephen Hanvey, chief executive officer, Circles UK

"We were thrilled to win one of the most prestigious accolades in the UK charity sector. Since winning the award, the profile of our organisation has been heightened locally, regionally and nationally through the subsequent press and media attention and acts as an additional motivator to all people involved in the project, helping us to help even

more young people.”

Karen Edwards, chief executive, Bolton Lads and Girls Club

Your potential hit list

Civil Society Charity Awards Guardian

Charity Awards

Charity Times

Awards

Third Sector Excellence

AwardsNational Lottery Awards

Third Sector Business Charity Awards

Queens Award for Voluntary Service

GSK Impact

Awards

Recognises groups of individuals who are giving their time freely for the benefit of others.

It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE.

Nominations for 2015 close on 30 September.

Your idea here

ACTIVITY

What has been your most powerful fundraising idea or tip?

Questions & Answers

Thank you

David Hopkins

@davidlhopkins

dhopkins@cafonline.org

Charities Aid Foundation

@cafonline

Facebook.com/CharitiesAidFoundation