Ian MacQuillin

NEWS: Damian Chapman steps up as the new chair of the fundraising think tank Rogare

Takes over from the current chair, Heather Hill, who has been in the role since 2019
Vision to “reshape fundraising to make it more inclusive, ethical and impactful”

Damian Chapman – the director of fundraising and communications at the Charity for Civil Servants, in the UK – has become the new chair of Rogare – The Fundraising Think Tank. He succeeds Heather Hill, who has performed the role since April 2019, when Rogare became a standalone body, having been established at Plymouth University in 2014.

OPINION: Proud to be a professional fundraiser; proud to be the new chair of Rogare

As he takes over as the new chair of the fundraising think tank Rogare, Damian Chapman emphasises the need for equitable pathways into the fundraising profession.

OPINION: We have tackled many critical questions; but there are so many we still have to ask

After five years, Rogare’s outgoing chair Heather Hill offers a few thoughts on her time in the role.

OPINION: A wake-up call – addressing ethical AI in the nonprofit sector

So, you’re using AI ‘responsibly’, but, asks Cherian Koshy, are you using it ethically? The two are not the same thing.

OPNION: The recycling can wait – the saving of fundraising archives

Shredding outdated fundraising appeals is the simplest option for overworked fundraisers. Who’s got the time to catalogue them, archive them and save them for posterity. But, as Marina Jones and Jayne Lacny point out, not only did conducting these appeals fill us with joy, they provided a lot of learning – learning that has a place in informing future generations of fundraisers.

NEWS: Research agenda explores ethical implications of using AI in fundraising

Generic concerns about the ethical use of AI can’t be overlain on to fundraising, since its use in fundraising throws up ethical dilemmas specific to this application
AI currently doesn’t have access to sufficiently-sophisticated thinking about ethics to be able to tackle ethical dilemmas in fundraising
Ethical and data literacy across the fundraising profession must be upskilled to ensure the most rigorous human oversight of the use of AI in fundraising.

OPINION Will you still love me tomorrow? Who will be the the real donors of the next 50 years?

In the face of a “generational time bomb”, the recent ‘Tomorrow’s Donor, Today’ research challenges fundraising norms and advocates for radical changes. However, Giles Pegram takes issue with the research’s fundamental assumption, and asks if it risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

NEWS: Fundraising’s place in the postmodern world

What on earth has this got to do with me?
Well, the way you see, and quite possibly think, is already postmodern
Understanding these ways of seeing and thinking will help fundraisers better understand the discussions taking place around contemporary issues, as well as suggesting new ways to communicate with donors

NEW THINKING: Postmodern fundraising? You’re having us on, right?!

No, we’re not. Ian MacQuillin explains why Ashley Scott’s new series of papers for Rogare on fundraising’s place in the postmodern world is highly relevant to fundraisers.

NEW THINKING: The history of fundraising is more complex than our simple narratives suggest

Our standard narrative of the history of modern fundraising is simplistic and doesn’t contain as many truths as it could do. Marina Jones explains why we need more complexity in our study of fundraising history. Oh, and that as soon as we look for it, we find that women have had a major role in the development of our profession – a role that has previously been obscured.