Each month, the Critical Fundraising blog presents a digest of the best fundraising-related blogs and articles that have adopted a critical fundraising mode of thought.
An intelligent design for tackling fundraising’s skills gap
We’re told we need to recruit fundraisers who have more passion if we are to reverse the impending leadership crisis. Claire Routley discovers that we might be better off seeking out intelligence.
Choice quote:
“We’re less likely to solve [the people crisis] by – however counterintuitive this may seem – recruiting more ‘passionate’ fundraisers; what we need is an influx of conscientious, intelligent fundraisers.”
How marketing and branding can kill your fundraising
Why do you have marketing, communications and branding for your organization? Gail Perry asks the question.
Choice quote:
“Marketing needs to be a function of fundraising, and not the other way around.”
Innovation – delivering the next small thing in fundraising
Innovation in fundraising is focused on small improvements to existing professional practice. But, argues Ian MacQuillin, there is a paucity of innovative thinking to solve ‘big picture’ problems.
Choice quote:
“One consultant spoke of her frustration at the reluctance of her clients to try ‘innovative’ ideas: ‘They just want to stick with what works,’ she said.”
Donor centricity: how do you measure it?
Angie Moore suggests five metrics to measure ‘donorcentricity’.
Choice quote:
“Donor satisfaction: Yep, I said it. Of all the metrics I have seen and talked about over the years, this seems to be the one that gets the most ‘eye rolls’.”
Building a culture of philanthropy in your organization
Simone Joyaux explains how organisations with an established culture of philanthropy understand three things: the value of organizational culture, the importance of philanthropy, and the inextricable link between philanthropy and fund development
Choice quote:
“Fundraising is considered a means to an end, i.e., enabling mission. Big warning: If that’s how you treat fundraising and your development staff…get prepared for losing donors, losing money, and getting a bad reputation.”
You don’t want charities to be efficient
Donors, funders and fundraisers need to let go of their ‘blind faith’ in efficiency and focus instead on ‘responsiveness’, says Brady Josephson.
Choice quote:
“Efficiency is fine with empires of control, when the future is known and the need for new ideas and innovation is little. I’d hardly describe the charitable sector.”
Should you adopt radical transparency?
Open up all your decisions to public scrutiny? Robert Osborne thinks it might not be a bad idea.
Choice quote:
“For most nonprofits, having their finances down to every last expenditure displayed for all the world to see would send the CFO running away in horror.”
Grants, lobbying and voluntary organisations
NCVO’s director of policy Karl Wilding takes issue with the governments latest missive not to grant fund lobbying and campaigning by charities.
Choice quote:
“The government has a ‘left hand, right hand’ problem on policy towards partnerships with the [charity] sector generally, and grant funding specifically.”
What is digital transformation?
Tris Lumley says the true potential of digital is its ability to unlock ‘value chain’ thinking in the charity sector.
Choice quote:
“Digital can create user journeys or pathways between different organisations’ services in a way that reflects the complex and messy reality of people’s lives.”
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