Power Through the Pandemic
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eBook Power through the Pandemic Seven ways to raise funds with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now. Rob Woods brightspotfundraising.co.uk 2 Power through the Pandemic Seven ways to raise funds with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now. Rob Woods Acknowledgements I’m incredibly grateful for all the help I’ve received from so many friends and colleagues to write this book. Thank you to all the heroic fundraisers who gave up time to let me interview them, and especially those who made time to check the stories I included; and everyone on the current Corporate and Major Gifts Mastery Programmes and in the Bright Spot Members Club for sharing your questions, victories and lessons learned through our regular Group Coaching sessions. Thank you to my wonderful Bright Spot colleagues – Katie, Ben S, Charly, Louise, Craig, Ben M, Gavin - for your generous advice, stories, encouragement and problem-solving. And, crucially, a huge thank you to Poppy, Wilfie and May for giving me so much time and space to concentrate, at a time when these gifts are especially precious. www.brightspotfundraising.co.uk – Learn more, enjoy more and raise more. 3 Power through the Pandemic Seven ways to raise funds with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now. Rob Woods Contents Introduction ‘Dear brave fundraiser…’ 4 Chapter 1 If you care about them, start with you 6 Chapter 2 What to say to interest and inspire 11 Chapter 3 More conversations 16 Chapter 4 Plan inspiring virtual events 21 Chapter 5 Ask for a gift / offer people the chance to help 25 Chapter 6 Leadership during the crisis – five essentials 29 Chapter 7 Make time for learning 35 Afterword 41 www.brightspotfundraising.co.uk – Learn more, enjoy more and raise more. 4 Power through the Pandemic Seven ways to raise funds with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now. Rob Woods Introduction Dear brave fundraiser, First, and most importantly, thank you for hanging in there. I don’t know you personally, but from the many conversations I’ve been having with friends and colleagues who work in the charity sector, I can only presume that life has been really tough for you too recently. Perhaps you are having to solve more difficult problems than ever before, to lead a team or bring in funds, and without the encouraging company of colleagues in the same room. Perhaps you’re having to put in daily shifts as a primary school teacher at home, before you even start your fundraising job; or you’ve been furloughed and are working out how to best use your time and stay well; maybe you are having to do these things while also shielding or while worrying about the welfare of loved ones. Whatever challenges you are facing at home and at work, thank you for doing your best, on the days that have seemed to go well and, especially, on the days that have not. And thank you for downloading this book, for finding the energy to keep learning, seeking answers to difficult questions, even with everything else you’ve got to deal with. I really hope it pays you back for the time you invest. Why I wrote it I wrote this book because in March 2020 I realised our charities were under more pressure than ever. And I really hated the fact that then, with such new and complex problems for fundraisers, I did not have many clear answers for their questions. I had opinions (and I’ve since discovered that so many of the fundamental principles of good fundraising still apply during a pandemic) but I did not have relevant examples of successful fundraising during a global pandemic to back up those opinions. And I’ve always found that real examples, what the authors of the excellent book Switch, call ‘bright spots’, make a massive difference to the chances that we feel inspired to follow through and take action. So I decided to interview lots of fundraisers and fundraising leaders, who I heard were doing well, securing gifts and partnerships, in spite of the pandemic. I conducted more than 20 interviews. You can listen to some of them on the Fundraising Bright Spots podcast. And I heard from lots of the fundraisers who were then half-way through our 2020 Corporate Mastery and Major Gifts Mastery Programmes, and who have been responding brilliantly. www.brightspotfundraising.co.uk – Learn more, enjoy more and raise more. 5 Power ThrOuGh The PAnDeMIC Seven ways to rAISe FunDS WITh MAjOr DOnOrS, corPOrateS AnD Trusts, even now. I’ve also learned a great deal about the challenges fundraisers are facing, and about innovative ways to solve those challenges, through the Group Coaching sessions I’ve been doing twice / week for the members of our online training and inspiration site, the Bright Spot Members Club. To all these people, I’ve asked this question, or variations on it: ‘What tactics have you found are working to help you raise money for your charity, in spite of the effects of the pandemic?’ And the more interviews I’ve done, the more I’ve noticed clear patterns emerge. Why seven? I noticed these patterns fitted into seven obvious areas of activity. Of course this does not mean some other things are not important too. But in two decades of helping fundraisers raise more money, I’ve found that Focus Is Power. Deciding to focus on some things more than others is not easy, but it is crucial. So that’s one reason why I stopped at seven. The other reason was that I wanted to get this book in front of you, free of charge, by the first week of May. Even (and especially) for the less obvious causes While some of these fundraisers have worked for causes obviously aligned with the virus (eg hospices and those working with other vulnerable groups), others have come from a broad range of sectors, including animal charities, arts charities, environmental charities and international as well as local and national charities. I agree that it is clearly harder for some causes right now than others. I’ve also noticed that some fundraisers in charities that seem less relevant to the health crisis, are nevertheless managing to raise large gifts. Their supporters still care deeply. Why focus? Four of the seven chapters are explicitly written to help high value relationship fundraisers – especially those who work with major donors, trusts and corporate partners. I chose this focus for two reasons. For one, I noticed that some of these donors have really stepped up their giving to help charities during the crisis. For another, as I regularly train fundraisers in Mastery Programmes for these areas, I’ve been spending more time helping people solve these challenges than other ones, so have gained a deeper sense of the issues. That said, if you do other kinds of fundraising, I hope you may still find some of those ideas useful. And in particular, the chapters on well-being (chapter 1); leadership (chapter 6) and learning and inspiration (chapter 7) are just as relevant whatever your job. Thank you for reading this book. I really hope it gives you some help and encouragement. And if it does, please could you help me by spreading the word, sharing it on, so it reaches as many people as possible. Please take care of yourself, and best of luck with all your brave efforts to make a difference. Rob Woods 5th May 2020 www.brightspotfundraising.co.uk – Learn more, enjoy more and raise more. 6 Power through the Pandemic Seven ways to raise funds with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now. Rob Woods Chapter 1 If you care about them, start with you What can you do to stay at your best in spite of challenging times? ‘Your first ritual of the day is the highest leveraged ritual by far, because it has the effect of setting your mind, and setting the context, for the rest of your day.’ eben Pagan In challenging times, we need to take deliberate steps to take care of ourselves. If we inadvertently give all our time and energy to our many professional and personal responsibilities, and neglect our own health and well-being, we end up with a lose / lose situation. not only are we putting ourselves in danger, but we’re also unable to give of our best to the people and causes we seek to serve. Di’s morning routine I recently interviewed Di Gornall, an excellent leader whose team at Centrepoint have been doing incredibly well over the last few weeks. I wanted to understand her approach to leadership during the crisis. She was emphatic about what comes first for her. Look after yourself. This is not unlike the wise advice given to parents through airline safety announcements, that in the event of an emergency, put on your own mask before trying to do the same for others. Di cares deeply about the well-being of her team, and she’s doing her utmost to look out for them, but she was clear that she can only do that effectively, and make good decisions on the many other challenges that come her way, if she sets her day up in the best way possible. I asked Di what this looks like, and she says that every morning, she works out on her exercise bike for 30 - 40 minute, or does some yoga. She finds that her morning exercise habit is the best possible way she can take care of herself and get into a good mindset ready for the working day.