Why the world fell in love with Captain Tom Moore, and six lessons we should learn
On 30th April 2020 Captain Tom Moore celebrated his 100th birthday. With fly-bys, 150,000 birthday cards, a new single and now an honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College, I suspect the day was more elaborate than originally planned. Indeed, Captain Tom has captured the hearts of a nation. Setting out to raise £1,000, his JustGiving page closed with a monumental £32.7M pounds from 1.5 million donors. Take a moment to let that sink in. Captain Tom raised almost £33 million pounds by walking round his garden.
Setting a new campaign record, in this post we explore the six ingredients that saw Captain Tom’s 100th Birthday Walk take its place in fundraising history, and the lessons every charity should learn:
- The perfect story: Every fundraiser knows the value of a good story, and Captain Tom’s is something special. A World War II veteran and NHS beneficiary, he’s a national treasure with a story that captures the heart and respect of generations.
LESSON 1: Stories matter. Fundraising isn’t about nitty gritty programme details, it’s about sharing real stories from real people.
- True authenticity: Captain Tom’s story is beautifully authentic. There is no polish, no production value. Just the image of an older man, dressed in his best and ready to walk his way into our hearts.
LESSON 2: You don’t need to blow the budget to inspire action. There’s value in authenticity!
- The cause: Of course, Captain Tom was fundraising for a cause we all believe in. Timing is everything, and as the country looked out from lockdown, here was an opportunity for us to make a difference - to support our NHS and be part of the change we want to see.
LESSON 3: Moments matter. Keep your campaigns relevant.
- The ask: It might be controversial, but I believe that part of the campaign appeal is that it came from a person, not a charity. It comes back to authenticity again. This isn’t an ask from a fundraising professional, organisation or business. It is one person talking directly to another.
LESSON 4: Give your work a human face. Remember - people give to people, not organisations.
- Digital donations: We’ve talked a lot about ensuring the ease of online giving. A household name, JustGiving made it easy to make – and Gift Aid – your donation to Captain Tom. With an average gift of £20, this campaign is a true example of the power of small. People gave what they could afford, and every pound counted.
LESSON 5: Make it quick and easy for people to donate, and never underestimate the value of small!
- Engage and inspire: As an audience it was easy to connect with Captain Tom. It was all over the news of course, but a new social media account (with a swift 300k followers) created new opportunities for people to engage. That’s if you weren’t checking in on his JustGiving account every few hours like we were!
LESSON 6: Don’t just take the money and run. Make the most of digital channels to engage and connect with your supporters.
Of course, once the media got hold of Captain Tom’s campaign, there was no stopping it. In a world full of COVID-19 horror stories, Captain Tom’s campaign was a welcome relief. A reminder of the power of collective action. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be showy. It has to be real.
Captain Tom has shown us what we can achieve when we all work together. He has inspired people to give. And that is what fundraising’s all about.
Captain Tom. We salute you!
