Mental Health Awareness Week – My Story

Its #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and I have been really inspired by the number of people sharing very personal stories. It only seems right that I share mine.

Working in the world of charity you are aware of mental health, the challenges people face and the incredible services on offer however if I am being honest I never gave it a second thought until I gave birth.

I was a determined fundraiser, full of confidence and self-belief. I had never before suffered from mental health issues so when various professionals mentioned postnatal depression I dismissed it as something I would never have to worry about. I dismissed it so much so I couldn’t see what was staring me in the face.

I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and marvelled in the miracle he was. I felt overwhelmed by the love I felt and a bit teary but I am sure that is normal?

When my husband returned to work and the visitors thinned out the loneliness was deafening and the sleep deprivation crippling. I did what I always do and through myself into things however my emotions were a boiling pot capable of exploding at any moment.

I would wake feeling exhausted and anxious, a growing knot in my stomach as the day progressed. The slightest thing made me cry, not necessarily of sadness but overwhelmed by the love I felt for my gorgeous boy. Was I really good enough to be his mum?

The uncertainty, anxiety, crying, extreme highs and desperate lows steadily got worse every day until my mum pointed out I had postnatal depression. A lightbulb moment when I realised this rollercoaster wasn’t normal and it wasn’t going to be forever.

It no way became smooth sailing. I had a doctor who told me the cure was to change less nappies and walk more. I had a health visitor who made it her mission to get me through it and got me medication. I searched for support but there was nothing out there without spending money we didn’t have whilst living on maternity pay but then someone in baby class had the courage to say “I have PND”. My journey changed that day.

I had met someone who knew exactly what I was going through, and gradually more and more people started talking about their experiences. My confidence creeped back, the anxiety faded and I started to forget I even had PND. You don’t get cured but you do move on. I now do so much more to improve my health and wellbeing, I talk openly so others don’t feel alone and I am proud that I followed the light and got to the other side; I was so lucky in comparison to others.

Its #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and the one thing that is profoundly clear is that you are not alone.

My Mail Mission

Today I made a pledge to myself that I am hoping will get people thinking…

I am rather fed up with reading press coverage etc criticising how charities interact with donors, particularly around direct mail. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely room for improvement but as a sector I don’t believe we are unique or of sole blame.

My poor husband constantly hears my moans about the amount of unsolicited mail we receive – this I would guess is 90% commercial mail. I get roughly a tree a month posted through my door. To me this is more harassing and frustrating than a charity letter (and it is inconveniently filling my recycling bin).

So from today (Monday 25^th April 2016) for four weeks I am keeping every piece of unsolicited mail I receive. I will keep both commercial and charity mail to prove the sector is very much a lesser perpetrator of harassing mail.

Just in case anyone is interested in my mailing mission I will update here and via Twitter. Yip, I have hit an all-time low of frustration…..

Week 1

Relatively quiet in comparison to what I expected. 12 pieces of unsolicited commercial mail and not one piece from a charity. 12 companies sending me stuff because five years ago I bought my dad a present from a similar retailer or simply because we live in a new build and must be in need of gardening products.

Week 2

22 pieces of unsolicited mail so far and all commercial! Where have all the charities gone? I think this is confirming my fears that as a sector we are now scared to use our data just in case…..

Week 3

This weeks mail has been quite shocking to me. I normally bin junk mail without reading it, if I’m being honest. But this little challenge has peaked my interest. My life insurance is clearly up for renewal as I am receiving mail promoting deals. A company I have never had any involvement with wrote to me this week – “are you sure your safeguarding your son’s future?” Where to start….. how do they know I have a son and also the media said the charity sector emotionally blackmail donors.

Anyway My Mail Challenge has hit 35 and final 1 (yes 1) letter from a charity.

 Week 4

My recycling bin will be glad to be back in use now I think I have made my point. In the past four weeks I have kept every piece of unsolicited mail I received and the total was 45 pieces – more than one a day. Only one of these letters were from a charity requesting support; I do think it is unfair that as a sector we are receiving so much blame for direct mail when really we are the smallest offender.

6 Tips to Core Funding

Being a consultant I speak to a lot of charities, whether small grassroots or large international organisations, and it always amazes me how we all have the same issues when it comes to fundraising. A key conversation theme over the last few weeks has been core funding, and more so the struggle to cover core costs.

For some charities funders only want to fund projects and for others staff automatically go into “restricting” mode without really checking what the donor wishes or what the organisation needs.

So how do we secure core funding?

1. Think about your proposition. You need to build more than one case of support – one for each project but also one for your charity in general. Your overarching case for support should be the core theme of all of your mass communication and will be the basis for your unrestricted funding proposition.
2. Think about your audiences and how you approach each donor group. For example Trusts and Foundations are more likely to fund projects, Individual Givers or even employee fundraising partnerships are more open to unrestricted giving.
3. Look at your core costs and spend time analysing what impact they have. Can you build small projects from core activity? A good example is a development project that includes the following; core costs evaluation, the salary of those involved in development e.g. Head of Services, fundraising costs to secure funding for new projects etc.
4. Remember to apportion core costs to your projects. Your core function enables your projects to deliver so ensure it is included in every project budget. However don’t assume 10% or 20% of the project costs should be core (funders don’t like this). Think through the true value e.g. what % of your total benefactors does the project support.
5. Be transparent! Donors want to help and you’re the best person to tell them the true need for funding. If you’re struggling to pay rent or salaries that will affect your benefactors, tell your donors. There is no point having a shiny new minibus if there is no one in the office to get insurance or organise drivers’ shifts.
6. And the dream – generate your own funds! Social enterprises are a superb way to cover core costs with unrestricted income. I have seen some fantastic social enterprises (I actually funded one of Scotland’s first many years ago!).

So this is how you get fundraising for core costs, how do you get staff on the same page? Well that is a whole different issue I will tackle in next week’s blog.

Happy fundraising!

What A Fundraiser Can Learn From Jurassic World

My son is slightly obsessed with Jurassic World; it is on for the second time this weekend alone! A story of greedy capitalists, improbable biology and some impressive graphics got me thinking about fundraising and how we can learn from the story of Jurassic World.

In Jurassic World they worry the visitors are getting bored of dinosaurs (can you imagine!) so they invent a new, ultimate dinosaur. We actually do similar in the third sector; we worry donors are getting bored so we sometimes invent a new project to keep them engaged.

But like the ultimate “Indominus Rex”, inventing a new project to keep donors engaged can be problematic. It can become the beast you cannot tame; ripping holes in your budget, impact statement and organisational mission. Like a hybrid dinosaur, a new project takes up resource and the outcome can be uncertain (Jurassic World destroyed, staff gobbled up, a rather flaky romance and a teary family reunion full of regret).

I am sure we can all agree inventing a new dinosaur to entertain the masses isn’t the best idea so what do we do to engage, excite and inspire donors with our existing work?

1. Share the stories of your service users. Whether it be a case study, a photo diary or a video, the voice of your benefactors is the strongest tool you have to engage donors.
2. Create regular impact reports featuring facts and figures – how many hours of service you have provided, the people you have reached, the outcomes you have seen. An infograph is a great communications tool for this.
3. Be realistic with donors; explain the need to fund existing work and the real impact if funding isn’t secured. Show this with both facts and figures but also quotes from service users explaining where they would be if it wasn’t for you.
4. Know your donors and prospects. You will find a pool of donors and prospective donors who are happy to fund the status quo. Maybe align certain donor types e.g. Individual Giving for existing work and Trust Fundraising for new projects.

You need to secure funding for an existing project but where do you start?

Funders like new activity- this doesn’t need to be new projects it can simply be new outcomes. For example Project X requires £100,000 a year to run, this year we will train an additional 50 young people, develop two new training themes and develop online resources for participants. To us this is natural growth but it is new activity perfect for engaging donors.

So Jurassic World made the fatal mistake we see often in the third sector, they invented something just for the sake of engagement rather than to better the world. Truthfully there is nothing wrong with good old Triceratops.

My Fundraising Superhero

Sometimes life can be bittersweet. On occasion working in the third sector adds to this. We see amazing things working in fundraising; incredible donors, volunteers who give above and beyond and services that change lives. However we also hear horror stories of neglect, abuse and the brutality of your health failing you.

The horror that faced Brussels this week has, I think, made us all question the world we live in. If I’m being honest the influx of social media blaming refugees and calling for refugee support to stop has made me question humanity.

But of course this amazing sector has restored my faith and I finish this week truly inspired by the incredible world of fundraising.

Constance Hall is a blogger. I follow her blog as she says the things about being a mum no one else will say out loud. It makes me laugh but I also find it reassuring; maybe it’s ok not to be a glowing parent 24/7.

Constance has over half a million Facebook followers, followers from right across the globe.

This week she did something incredible. She set up a crowdfund to raise $75,000 for a home in Kenya for girls who are victims of sexual abuse. The page has raised an amazing $167k so far and will fund houses rather than just one.

Constance Hall made the story of the girls in Kenya our story. Her blog always refers to females as Queens and she asked her Queens to fund a house for other Queens in need. She made us all think of these girls as our own and collectively she showed how an army of women can change the world.

The donations are still rolling in and those who have given feel part of something much bigger than themselves. This is, to me, one of the best examples of crowd funding I have seen; a true community forming to raise thousands, feeling a sense of belonging and uniting for the greater good.

Sometimes we need a superhero, these Queens are today’s superhero.

Great Corporate Partnerships You Need To Know

In a previous role it was my responsibility to identify and develop strategic partnerships. A strategic partnership is where two organisations, in my case a charity and a company, form a relationship that delivers on many levels. It may include service delivery, awareness raising, fundraising or building infrastructure but a strategic partnership delivers key outcomes for both parties. It is so embedded in both organisations it lasts forever (well a long, long time).

Last year the Institute of Fundraising survey highlighted over 80% of those questioned have a Corporate Fundraising Plan and on average this income stream is growing by 12% annually. Today CAF released a report that saw the FTSE 100 maintain high levels of charity support despite a challenging business climate. So Corporate Fundraising remains a great avenue to raise funds and profile.
Here are some of my favourite Strategic Corporate Partnerships –

British Heart Foundation & Flora Pro-activ

Launched in 2014 this partnership has achieved incredible results. The Love Your Heart campaign launched to educate women on how diet, such as reducing your cholesterol, can improve your health. Flora Pro-activ is a product that can help shoppers do just that. The partnership has raised over £750,000 to date.

Cancer Research UK and Nivea Sun

“The Sun has got his hat on..” is the headline on information sheets providing vital sun protection advice which is a key outcome from this partnership. Raising awareness of sun protection and funding skin cancer research has seen this partnership become an award winning success.

Maggie’s and Unum

I am biased as this was developed by my team. Unum and Maggie’s worked in partnership to develop #WorkingBeyondCancer, a series of workshops to train employers to better support employees affected by cancer. The workshops deliver a worthy service, engages new companies in the work of Maggie’s and help raise vital funds.

Yes these are all hugely successful charities but strategic partnerships can work no matter your shape or size. There is a technique I use which helps you build the perfect pitch for potential strategic partners. I call it Cause Creation and it is part of our full day Corporate Fundraising Training Days. Get in touch to find out more.

How Can You Better Support Vulnerable Donors?

Today the Charity Commission are issuing a formal warning to charities, focusing on chuggers and commercial partnerships (e.g. Age UK fundraising via energy suppliers). They talk about vulnerable donors and even go so far as to call some fundraising tactics “hounding”.

Anyone who knows me knows I am beyond frustrated by this media circus, especially as we have taken action as a sector (read my last blog on fundraising regulator changes). We just need some space to implement and improve – let’s not keep going over old ground.

There is however a recurring theme that I do think we may have missed (due to the hectic world of fundraising).

Vulnerable Donors

As a sector we are determined to support and protect vulnerable people but we have potentially forgotten this when thinking about fundraising. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe any fundraiser would set out to approach a vulnerable person for money but with thousands of donors it is likely we have many vulnerable donors on our database.

So what do we do to protect vulnerable donors?

Let’s get ahead of the critics and proactively do something that will have a positive impact quickly. A Vulnerable Donor Policy would ensure every member of your charity is aware of the vulnerability we may encounter when fundraising. It will ensure we identify when a donor is vulnerable, that we act sensitively and that we capture vital information to provide insight to our data and donor management.

What should be in a Vulnerable Donor Policy?

1. For your organisation, who is a vulnerable donor?
2. Where may you encounter vulnerable donors?
3. What triggers will help flag someone’s vulnerability?
4. How do you then make sure as a fundraiser you are giving them what they need and want as a donor?
5. How do you capture this information to ensure they only receive the communications they want?

There are many times I have overheard a receptionist struggling to communicate with a donor. I have watched fundraisers struggle with the complex needs of a donor or volunteer. In these scenarios what is the responsible thing to do?

Do we simply shrug it off as part of the job or do we think about what is in the best interest of those individuals? Should they be included in our next telephone fundraising campaign or should future asks come direct from the fundraiser who knows them best?

A Vulnerable Donor Policy can help you ensure you are always working in the best interests of your donors. For support on how to develop your own Vulnerable Donor Policy get in touch today.

Scotland’s Big Decision

Yes the referendum is old news but a new decision is looming for Scotland, in particular the third sector in Scotland. How should we regulate fundraising moving forward?

 

I attended the SCVO Gathering and found myself surprised at how many people are unaware of the big decision that is facing our profession. Some may feel this is a “big charity issue” or as a relatively small fundraising organisation it will have minimal impact on them, and for this reason I felt it was the perfect theme for my first blog.

 

 

Whether you raise £100,000 or £100million this will impact you, your charity and your future fundraising plans. It is a confusing topic to get your head around; why is change coming, what are the options and what can you do to influence the outcome?

 

Firstly… Why?

 

It began in May 2015 when the tragic story of Poppy Collector and generous donor, Olive Cook hit the headlines. This brought a huge amount of media and public attention to fundraising practices and soon we saw more headlines showing terrible telephone fundraising tactics as well as more issues with DM and other fundraising.
Every fundraiser in the country shuddered as these few and uncommon cases came to light, going into overdrive to defend our profession and a sector which contributes a great deal to society.
We agree changes are needed. In England and Wales a new Fundraising Regulator is set to be operational by early summer but for us Scots we have a big decision to make. Do we join our colleagues down south, do we adapt this model to have a Scotland regulator or do we simply build on what exists?
Read the SCVO led consultation here.
So what does this mean for you? The decision will definitely impact you whether it is today or in five years’ time. If you’re not convinced you need to get involved here are a few things to consider…
The England and Wales Regulator includes a new Fundraising Preference Service (FPS); members of the public can sign-up to stop all communications from charities. If you’re too small for a donor database how will you ensure you never contact someone who has signed up to the FPS? How may this affect your procedures and overall income?
Fundraising is soon to become one of the few professions who don’t own our Code of Best Practice, it will be decided elsewhere. How do we ensure changes in Best Practice are informed and don’t over restrict?
Will the Fundraising Regulator for England and Wales understand local challenges and devolved legislation in Scotland?
South of the border any charity with a fundraising spend of over £100k should subscribe to the regulator. This would equate to less than 1% of Scottish charities so how do we ensure Best Practice across the 22,000+ Scottish charities that wouldn’t fit under this criteria? If we choose not to join the new regulator what effect will this have on public perception?

 

 

These questions make me certain every fundraiser in Scotland should engage with the consultation so together we can truly inform what regulatory steps we take in Scotland. So use your voice and join the debate.

 

I don’t have the answer but together we do.

How To Make Your Volunteers Your Biggest Asset

Volunteers are one of the biggest assets the third sector has. This is a fact, or at least it became one for me when I discovered the NVCO’s statistic that an estimated 15 million people in the UK volunteer at least once a month. That, collectively, gives us a voice louder than the last X Factor final!

Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate volunteers can sometimes feel more of a hindrance than a help but with a little investment they can be your strongest ambassadors, most committed supporters and a voice that changes your reach beyond recognition.

Volunteers As Brand Ambassadors

The Kiltwalk, for example, is a Scottish charity that has gone through a time of change. They have a strong volunteer programme that provides training and encourages volunteers to have a voice. During a change in management and the cancellation of a number of events there was a lot of criticism, which was voiced on social media and through the press. The Kiltwalk’s volunteers have been incredibly inspiring, highlighting their positive experiences and helping the charity move forward. Volunteers really can give the best endorsements.

So if a volunteer’s voice can help build your brand, grow your reach and attract more supporters how do you make it work?

• Provide your volunteers with communications training. This can be an en masse face-to-face training session or simply a presentation they read through in their own time. Either way, tell them how you like to talk about your charity and what your key messages are. This provides your volunteers with some light touch guidance on what to say and what not to say about your work.

• Encourage your volunteers to set up a social media account. For example Macmillan Volunteers, utilises Twitter to talk to their volunteers, talk to others interested in supporting their cause and even joining in on relevant conversations and hashtag campaigns.

• If you don’t have a regular volunteer communication such as an enewsletter, start one and make sure you include information about your marketing priorities. What Twitter campaign are you launching? What event is taking top priority? Even include downloadable posters. Your volunteers will get behind your plans, using their passion and story to give you a stronger impact than any celebrity tweet will ever produce.

• Set-up some volunteer-specific campaigns – could your volunteers create, administer and succeed with a crowdfunding campaign? The other week I saw a volunteer close a £2,600 crowdfunding page – her personal story and desire to make change made the campaign a great success.

• Give your volunteers localised lists of Rotary Clubs, Guilds, Church Groups and any other community organisations you would like to target. Having your volunteers approach these organisations to speak about your cause and their experience can increase your reach but also directly bring in funds.

• Micro-volunteering is one of the growing trends in the sector and communication projects are an ideal ask. Could volunteers give 30 minutes to tweet or blog about your cause? Do you have a “Share Your Story” page on your website? Why not use micro-volunteering to build an incredible database of case studies and stories?

I appreciate for some this may create a sense of anxiety – what if they misrepresent your charity?

There is always a risk, as there is with paid staff, however with the right training and guidance they will prove invaluable to your charity. And if they do get it wrong, as they are a volunteer it will be seen as a simple mistake from someone trying to help.

It won’t be rosy all of the time but a few hiccups versus the potential impact makes growing your volunteer voice a must. What better way to raise your profile than through an army of passionate ambassadors that will go above and beyond to make sure your voice is the loudest?

To discuss Volunteer Fundraising support get in touch or visit our new website.