Legacy giving. It might not be the most glamorous subject, but there’s real potential in the power of a well-tuned programme. Building on several years of strong growth, in 2017/18 Smee & Ford reported legacy gifts topping £3 billion for the first time – with much room for growth (in fact, in their 2019 report, it was estimated that legacy giving could be worth another £10.9 billion to the sector). The picture changed a bit this last year, with the value of legacy giving dropping for the first time since 2011. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth. After all, legacy giving has always been about the long game!
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‘Twas a few weeks before Christmas, and all through the team
Annual targets are looming, and campaigns gather steam.’
Just when you thought 2020 would never end, the holiday season ‘tis finally upon us. Digital fundraising campaigns are launching, direct mails are dropping, merchandise is selling and you’re one virtual Santa dash away from this year’s target. December is a peak time for charitable giving. Now more than ever your website is your shop window to the world. That’s why we’ve put together a few ideas to help yours shine brightly this festive season.
First up, it is important to…
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Giving Tuesday is a day of global giving. Last year, charities in the UK raised £10,000 a minute. That’s £14.4 million in 24 hours. Not bad, huh? But here’s the thing. Giving Tuesday is not just about giving money. No. The sector’s response to the infamous antics of Black Friday, Giving Tuesday is about giving back. In any way that you can. When end-of-year targets are looming, it can be easy to forget this simple truth. But as people up and down the UK grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19, charities need to get creative with their fundraising asks. To encourage giving in every shape and form.
Finding value in non-financial asks
Not every gift has to be financial, so we’ve pulled together examples of fundraising asks that go above and beyond money. This does not mean they don’t have value. Far from it. When you add up the contributions of non-financial gifts, you might be surprised. You might even find you have raised more than you would from a traditional capital request. Non-financial asks can also be a great way to help plug the gap in core funding. To bring in essential skills and resources that funders don’t like to fund.
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Earlier in the year, we reported on the initial impact of the pandemic on regular giving. In March, the first month of lockdown, we saw a high jump in donors cancelling their Direct Debit payments, alongside a drop in new regular giving donation sign-ups. April then saw Direct Debit cancellations drop again to return towards their normal trend line, while new sign-ups remained low with most donor acquisition activity on hold.
Seven months on, we’ve come out of lockdown, only for us to now go back into it this November, with all of its associated challenges.
We have continued our monitoring of charity Direct Debit donation payments throughout and can now share our next update Regular Giving Update & Recommendations: Autumn 2020.
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Did you know there are over 1.7 billion websites online right now? Just like any other business, a charity needs to make sure their website offers a good user experience and converts potential donors into donations.
So if you’re wondering how to create a charity website, our eight checkpoints will get you started on the road to success. How many can you tick off?
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Hands up if you thought the corona crisis would be over by now? We did! But as the second wave rises, and we enter a new phase of restrictions, it seems the coronacoaster is far from over. So we’ve taken this chance to look back over the past six months of blog entries and reflect on what we have learned. Life might be locking down again, but this time we’ve got experience on our side.
So here it is. A fundraising toolkit to help you survive the second wave.
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As we move into lockdown number 2, charities and not for profits will again be looking at their core activities, and how their organisation can still deliver key services and support to beneficiaries.
As someone working a not for profit, you’ll know that your CRM is vital for effectively managing your supporters – creating targeted campaigns to show impact of donations or setting up appeals, measuring performance and income generation.
But what if you had a view all your regular giving, lottery or membership payments, as part of your supporter data, all within one system? Having those capabilities in one place enables fundraisers to have better insight, build greater engagement with supporters, deepen relationships and create more compelling and successful campaigns.
So we’ve put together a quick list of reasons why you should consider integrating your Direct Debits payments with your CRM.
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There are more than 1,000,000 trustees across the UK. You might not be looking forward to your next meeting, but the fact is that trustees are there to do a job. They are the foundation of your charity. Get the mix right and your board can bring a wealth of skills, experience, perspectives and connections - opening new doors and driving organisational growth. Yet across the UK, boardrooms are dominated by middle-aged, white, men. Unless this is your service demographic, your board is going to need a bit of a shake-up. But with charities up and down the country struggling to fill their trustee vacancies, it isn’t always an easy fix.
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Digital transformation is a hot topic for charities, with the emergence of new tools and technologies fast changing the way we give and receive. With coronavirus fundamentally changing the way charities fundraise, the digital world has never been more present, and the need to embrace digital technology more important. Every day, new virtual charity fundraising ideas and tools are emerging. Here is a lo-down of the five techniques we think look set to survive the coronavirus pandemic:
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