tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32167062798199463282024-03-04T21:54:26.885-08:00Fundraising recession watchA space for ideas, articles and research based on whether the recession is having an impact on fundraising in different countries.
The blog has a data-led approach but will provide some opinion and links. Please send data, links and information. The main purpose of the blog is to share with people - quickly - what IS happening not what people think MAY happen.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-57063498895882231402009-10-15T14:34:00.000-07:002009-10-15T15:01:58.113-07:00The end of Fundraising Recession Watch...Well, not quite. But I am not getting enough new stuff from other sources, and have lots of other blogs / newsletters and things to keep up to date so will only occasionally add things here. It will remain as a resource, a lot of useful articles and links here worth searching through.<br /><br />Any new information will go up on my <a href="http://seantriner.blogspot.com/">blog</a>. Please subscribe to its feeds!<br /><br />In the mean time, check out this recession busting story <a href="http://www.paretofundraising.com/2009/09/call-that-a-crisis-this-is-a-crisis/">here </a>all about Starlight and how they reacted to the crisis in Australia - including a pack they put out telling people how they had been affected. They raised over 100% more than last year!<br /><br />You can download the entire pack and follow up letter <a href="http://bit.ly/1TVSCZ">here</a>.<br /><br />Mal Warwick liked it so much he featured it in his most recent newsletter.<br /><br />You can also follow me on Twitter where I will highlight useful stuff occasionally. @seantriner.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-71227519550328602242009-08-24T08:34:00.000-07:002009-08-25T20:06:31.492-07:00Recession increasing demand on two-thirds of Australian charitiesAccording to their recent survey, Aussie charity research agency <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Givewell</span> tells us that "almost two-thirds of charities have experienced a material increase in the demand for their services for the 2009 financial year, with a near 5% increase in demand for the important services the charity sector provides."<br /><br />Of the Humanitarian charities, and astonishing 100% said they had an increased demand, but only 63% blame the recession. Ninety-one per cent of welfare <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">organsations</span> said they had an increased demand and 78% blamed the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">recession</span>. Of community support organisations, 76% said they had experienced increased demand and the same number blamed the recession.<br /><br />You can get hold of the report <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">summary</span> <a href="http://www.givewell.com.au/survey_aug09.asp">here</a>, and I thoroughly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">recommend</span> subscribing - especially if you are an Australian charity or agency.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-22352918637988980502009-08-20T20:20:00.000-07:002009-08-20T20:34:01.311-07:00UK Trusts show commitment - or do they?Two apparently contradictory stories in the current Charity Times Enewsalert:<br /><br />"<strong>Falls in grant-making and asset value for top charities</strong><br />New analysis of the impact of the recession on charity fundraising shows 41 percent of the top 300 charitable trusts saw a fall in the value of their grant-making in 2008..."<br /><br />Says one intro but another report in the same Enewsalert says...<br /><br />"<strong>Charitable trusts show commitment to supporting charities,</strong> <strong>reveals report<br /></strong>Charitable trusts and foundations realise now is not the time to turn off the tap of support for Britain’s charities, according to new research published today by the Charity Commission"<br /><br />Reading on I hoped that maybe they weren't contradictory, with maybe just eye-catching headlines, and talking about different things - but no, they are totally at odds with each other.<br /><br />The first, by ESRC Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at Cass Business School, London looked at the biggest charities and trusts. Charity Times tells us "Her results indicate grant-making by the major charitable trusts has been maintained as a result of gifts and endowments received over the last decade, but this is a hidden ‘time bomb’."<br /><br />And then, the research by the Charity Commission says "There was a clear indication from these trusts that levels of grant-making are, despite the recession, being sustained.The report also found that trusts and foundations had adopted a sustainable approach which would allow them to offer this vital support not just now, but into the future."<br /><br />Hmmn. Well, if you have a report to the board coming up, you can use either story to back up whatever case you are plumming for - just hope your board members don't subscribe to Charity Times!' <br /><br />The good news story is <a href="http://www.charitytimes.com/pages/ct_news/August_09_News/170809_Firm_foundations.htm">here</a>, and the bad one <a href="http://www.charitytimes.com/pages/ct_news/August_09_News/060809_Asset_Fall.htm">here</a>. Take your pick.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-73049415589892767552009-08-16T20:05:00.000-07:002009-08-16T20:09:54.747-07:00Australian Tax Time Appeal AnalysisFor most Australian charities who mail DM appeals, our winter appeals (May-June) are often the most important, often more so than Christmas. These are known as 'tax appeals' because the end of the tax year is 30 June.<br /><br />Fiona Paterson, data expert and senior consultant at Pareto Fundraising analysed a load of charities actual results - and it makes for good reading.<br /><br />Has the recession hit Australian individual giving yet?<br /><br />Check out the article <a href="http://www.paretofundraising.com/2009/08/the-results-are-in-how-did-charitys-fare-at-the-end-of-june/">here</a>.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-74692341384054193982009-08-10T18:39:00.000-07:002009-08-10T18:57:32.651-07:00Donor attitudes to giving in the credit crunch<p>Jonathan Waddingham, Charity Champion* at <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/">JustGiving </a>sent me some research on donor attitudes in the UK, so an update. Data is from April. </p><p>Charities have raised over AUD$1bn through JustGiving so you'd hope he has good transactional data too... (I much prefer transactional data to opinion, but that's just my opinion).</p><p>Bottom line:</p><ol><li>Slightly more people say they have been affected financially by the recent economic downturn (now 58%, 52% in Jan/Feb)</li><li>Slightly more say they are thinking harder about how much to give - now 57%, up from 47% in Jan/Feb.</li><li>The majority - 61% - are not reconsidering their gifts but 31% say they may consider giving a little less.</li></ol><p> In summary:</p><p>"Throughout the first quarter of 2009, a number of trends have started to emerge. As time has gone on, more people have been affected by the credit crunch and, presumably as a consequence, reflected on their charitable giving as part of their personal finances. Encouragingly, more people have indicated that they will be giving more than those cutting back a lot, or stopping giving. However, in the last month, there has only been one large shift in the monitor – with more saying that they will be giving slightly less compared to March.</p><p>"We have seen over the first 3-4 months that more people are willing to cut down on household expenses than charitable giving, as well as the heartening statistic that 8% of those who have been affected by the economic downturn and thought harder are actually giving more. So whilst the downturn is certainly having an effect, the majority are still planning to give the same over the next three months, and the outlook is not as gloomy as many have predicted."</p><p>JustGiving are being a bit slack in publishing the latest info (I know, they are busy!) but <a href="mailto:insights@justgiving.com">email them</a> to get the latest updates.</p><p>(*Imagine explaining to your mum that your job title is 'Charity Champion'. She'd be so chuffed.)</p>'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-85317747919196492072009-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-31T00:04:43.556-07:00FIA release their 'Managing in a Downturn' reportThe Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA), PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Centre for Social Impact collaborated in this comprehensive survey, conducted in April and May 2009.<br /><br />Focusing on the impact that the last six months has had on the sector and the anticipated future impact, the survey was completed by 263 organisations.<br /><br /><a title="" href="https://promo-manager.server-secure.com/ch/bwv8w9/247985/7372cm234.pdf">Click here to download</a> a PDF of the report.Justine Mathiesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03447317399438814570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-61738780221227265382009-07-20T08:11:00.000-07:002009-07-28T06:18:59.509-07:00Funding strategically during a recessionFascinating report from The Institute for Philanthropy talking to donors and funders and offering them ten tips to maintain their giving in recession.<br /><br />Download the report <a href="http://www.instituteforphilanthropy.org/CobraManagedFiles/Giving_in_the_Recession.pdf">here.</a><br /><br />JanJan Chisholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17715830203143122293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-10081253143314474612009-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:002009-07-20T07:54:23.540-07:00Tranquility or turmoil<a href="http://www.fundraisingtraining.co.uk/">http://www.fundraisingtraining.co.uk</a><br /><br />Interesting summary from Bill Bruty and his team here in the UK of research they've conducted with charitable trusts to look at whether their giving will decrease in the short term as a result of the recession. <br /><br />Dowload the summary report from the link above (currently in the newsflash section), but the two things that really grabbed me were (1) the fact that while Trust balance sheets have decreased somewhat in the past year or two, many of them had unimaginably good years in 2006 when the market was strong so the pool of potential income increased dramatically back then. We'd all forgotten that... or at least I had as I was out of the country then.<br /><br />(2) The report also points out that most large trusts make their grants from their dividend income which is actually remaining pretty stable. <br /><br />Smaller trusts undoubtedly are more likely to be buffeted by the economic climate as they are much more reliant on exceptional income and donations for their ability to give. <br /><br />So, as with all fundraising, know your donor. Check their specific circumstances and don't assume they haven't got any money. Anecdotally I'm hearing about trust application numbers falling as fundraisers assume the money is going to be tight. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't - but our charities' needs are still as important, so hang on in there, do your research and don't forget to ask.Jan Chisholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17715830203143122293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-65666113477842069762009-07-12T17:50:00.000-07:002009-07-12T17:50:00.325-07:00Reserves and recessionLots of charities keep reserves for a rainy day. Is it raining now? And what should charities use reserves for?<br /><br />I think it is obvious that the returns from effective fundraising outstrip property and investments so a balanced portfolio should include elements of all.<br /><br />For more detail and info...check out my blarticle <a href="http://seantriner.blogspot.com/">here</a>..'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-72136595728958926812009-07-09T19:30:00.000-07:002009-07-09T19:51:00.177-07:00Recession MarketingAt the ADMA Forum, I attended a fascinating and useful presentation by Steven Noble, a senior analyst from Forrester Research. His presentation is available <a href="http://www.forrester.com/adma">here</a>. They want your details in return (which is why I'm not posting it here) which is kind of fair enough - they are research after all.<br /><br />Steven had us going all the way back to basics, looking at needs and 'providing' comfort. Brilliantly illustrated with real examples, including how Ivory Soap advertising in the USA evolved through the Great Depression. <br /><br />Bottom line: Marketers need to give consumers more 'comfort'. He didn't talk about NGOs and charities, but I reckon we may well have the easiest opportunities to do that.<br /><br />ADMA Forum was great, and I am posting non-recession learnings on <a href="http://seantriner.blogspot.com/">http://seantriner.blogspot.com</a>. Worth following my blog I reckon.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-55688759556074383342009-07-07T05:03:00.000-07:002009-07-08T22:24:34.735-07:00Very useful tool for looking at how 'fit' you are<p>The rather excellent website of the <a href="http://www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org/pages/economy">Nonprofits Assistance Fund</a> has some very useful tools for charities. Here is one that I recomend you download from their website <a href="http://www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org/files/MNAF/ToolsTemplates/Recession_Preparedness_Assessment_09.pdf">here </a>and complete.</p><p>Even outside of a recession, this tool is really useful. And it shouldn't take you long to use.</p><p>Below is a preview...</p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDTH: 477px" id="__ss_1647893"><a style="MARGIN: 12px 0px 3px; DISPLAY: block; FONT: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" title="Recession Preparedness Assessment 09" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner/recession-preparedness-assessment-09?type=document">Recession Preparedness Assessment 09</a><object style="MARGIN: 0px" width="477" height="510"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayerd.swf?doc=recessionpreparednessassessment09-090627070052-phpapp02&stripped_title=recession-preparedness-assessment-09"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayerd.swf?doc=recessionpreparednessassessment09-090627070052-phpapp02&stripped_title=recession-preparedness-assessment-09" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="477" height="510"></embed></object><div style="FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial; HEIGHT: 26px; FONT-SIZE: 11px; PADDING-TOP: 2px">View more <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner">Sean Triner</a>.</div></div>'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-52250501506539213912009-06-27T03:35:00.000-07:002009-06-27T03:43:31.401-07:00Survey of emerging fundraising nationsThe <a href="http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/">Management Centre</a> and the <a href="http://www.resource-alliance.org/">Resource Alliance </a>pulled together a survey of charities in Africa and Asia, purely about confidence in fundraising.<br /><br />Bottom line; no charities were very worried, but most were slightly worried.<br /><br />Worth having a click flick through, but please note it is a useful confidence survey, not one based on their actual results.<br /><br /><div id="__ss_1647621" style="WIDTH: 477px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a title="Global Fundraising Confidence Survey Asia And Africa" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 12px 0px 3px; FONT: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner/global-fundraising-confidence-survey-asia-and-africa?type=document">Global Fundraising Confidence Survey Asia And Africa</a><object style="MARGIN: 0px" height="510" width="477"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayerd.swf?doc=globalfundraisingconfidencesurvey-asiaandafrica-090627053335-phpapp01&stripped_title=global-fundraising-confidence-survey-asia-and-africa"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayerd.swf?doc=globalfundraisingconfidencesurvey-asiaandafrica-090627053335-phpapp01&stripped_title=global-fundraising-confidence-survey-asia-and-africa" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="477" height="510"></embed></object><div style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial; HEIGHT: 26px">View more <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner">Sean Triner</a>.</div></div>'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-77618889086707662862009-06-13T18:41:00.000-07:002009-06-13T18:48:48.011-07:00Recession busting resources from NCVOCharles Bosher from NCVO (a UK charity industry body) brought to my attention their resources specifically for charities dealing with the recession. Although British, the lessons in lots of the articles are useful wherever you are.<br /><br />The article on ensuring <a href="http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/recessionresources/index.asp?id=13256">Future financial sustainability </a>is in itself a great resource - with links to step-by-step type documents, how to assess your fundraising mix etc.<br /><br />Plenty of other stuff, mostly from a very strategic point of view, not so much tactical fundraising - but tactics are nothing with strategy.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-76766119774477705642009-06-11T18:17:00.001-07:002009-06-11T18:27:08.970-07:00Charitable Donations Fell by Nearly 6% in 2008, the Sharpest Drop in 53 YearsAccording to the new edition of Giving USA, donations were down in the US in 2008. Some evidence to back up a pile of anecdotes.<br /><br />I am getting my copy soon, so will blog in more detail, but in the meantime check out what Paula Wasley has to say in <a href="http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/8510/charitable-donations-fell-by-nearly-6-in-2008-the-sharpest-drop-in-53-years">The Chronicle of Philanthropy</a>.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-53091366746998096692009-06-02T23:33:00.000-07:002009-06-04T21:44:44.454-07:00The (nearly) true value of regular givingWe have just finished presenting a benchmarking report to 21 Australian and New Zealand charities. All the charities hand over their entire transactional databases, pool them and run a full analysis on donor behaviour.<br /><br />This round we had a special section looking at recession impact over here. We found no big impacts (to December 2008) on individual giving - some appeals were up, some down, some averages up, some response rates down, nothing really out of the ordinary. Recruitment numbers were steady - when they were down, it was for tactical reasons rather than recession.<br /><br />Australia was not hurting much then; we are still not hurting anywhere near as much as developing world countries, and the likes of UK and USA but we are worried so maybe things won't be so rosy next round.<br /><br />But one of the things we looked at was the value of regular givers. Looking at all regular giving (automatic debits) we noted that the average face to face was giving about $25 a month, and the average non face to face about $15 a month. By face to face, I mean donors recruited by people on the streets, at events and door to door asking strangers to give a monthly gift.<br /><br />We know the attrition rate of face to face is much higher, on average than non face to face, but decided to look at the three year value. We were bowled over.<br /><br />We included upgrades, but not additional gifts (non face to face regular donors are much more likely to respond to additional appeals than face to face reruited regular donors) in the analysis. We found that a $15 per month donor recruited by direct mail gave <em>more</em> than a $25 per month donor within three years.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nx8Qkl2OmHOCiYy6XdQxGAfqbIPXWZtnIRgoVNQPBYswsEF50kipV_zJD90SSeNTrltJDQviSsh4X70qA8deytFLucKS6PLhVbIjSSrW__PWYwTqdTxk1gIhCoeujxRuTCCpfy1ojlMp/s1600-h/face+to+face+v+non+face+to+face.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 302px; HEIGHT: 186px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342615061842217410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nx8Qkl2OmHOCiYy6XdQxGAfqbIPXWZtnIRgoVNQPBYswsEF50kipV_zJD90SSeNTrltJDQviSsh4X70qA8deytFLucKS6PLhVbIjSSrW__PWYwTqdTxk1gIhCoeujxRuTCCpfy1ojlMp/s320/face+to+face+v+non+face+to+face.jpg" /></a><br />Extrapolated over eight years, a $15 a month non face to face donor will have given 50% more, not including additional gifts, and the average monthly amount will be twice that of the $25 face to face donors. Also, on average, face to face donors are <em>not</em> likely to be good bequest / legacy prospects within the next two decades - mainly because of their age.<br /><br />So, why would you ever recruit face to face over non face to face?<br /><br />Well - face to face offers volume, predictability and low risk (you usually only pay for donors you get, whereas with other methods you normally have to pay for the media regardless of success or failure). Also, face to face can be outsourced giving the organisaiton a smaller liability in terms of internal costs.<br /><br />Also, the fact is that recruiting non face to face regular givers is usually more expensive, even over eight years you would only be willing to pay 30% more for a non face to face donor and need to wait longer for the payback.<br /><br />The answer? A balanced portfolio.<br /><br />Invest in face to face, but balance with R&D into other acquisition methods until you get one working and then, to quote Gregor Drugowitsch who owns a face to face agency, '...If your organisation can obtain significant and sufficient numbers of regular donors through conversion, DM or proven DRTV, then you may want to exhaust those channels first.'<br /><br />He is right, but those other channels are bloody hard to make work. Face to face still rules the roost on volume and net income in Australia.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-84272972702308009122009-06-01T23:05:00.000-07:002009-06-01T23:30:13.520-07:00Innovate or DieTribe Chief Marcello <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Inniara</span> is obsessed with innovation. And he is good at it, having led Greenpeace Argentina's now famous campaign to save crucial forest a few years back - all from an online approach.<br /><br />And not surprisingly, he wants us all to innovate in times of stress.<br /><br />Being with him for half an hour is inspiring - and makes you start to push your own boundaries. I am really chuffed that he is coming to Australia to the F&P run <a href="http://www.fpmagazine.com.au/files/2009-australasian-fundraising-forum-brochure.pdf">Australasian Fundraising Forum </a>this winter (August for us) to inspire Aussies.<br /><br />One of my clients (I'll call him Al) is also obsessed - but this obsession is recruiting regular givers, cheap. Really cheap. Al currently pays about $280 per donor (giving about $25 a month) from Australian face to face providers. <br /><br />He also knows than non face to face regular donors giving about $15 a month actually give <em>more</em> on average, over three years than face to face - mainly due to attrition. (I will put up another blog about this tomorrow).<br /><br />So this means, in theory, he should be willing to pay more than $280 per donor for these but Al is not satisfied. He wants to get donors cheaper, because there is a way - we just need to find it, and online is our mutually preferred 'best bet'.<br /><br />We told him he has unreasonable expectations - 'massive charities aren't achieving it' we said. At first frustrating, the Pareto team then went to the pub - and felt inspired. <br /><br />All of us felt lifted by the challenge. His doggedness and determination is coming through, and we want to be part of it. He will <em>force</em> innovation.<br /><br />I still need to remind him that there will be failures on the way, but we are really up for it. But maybe the recession has forced you to innovate? Any ridiculous ideas to share - that have worked or failed? I love the Ask Richard idea below, but other recession busting tricks welcome.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.marceloiniarra.com/?p=242">Marcelo's blog</a> is well worth checking out, short and sweet ideas worth adding to your feed.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-66228603083740119632009-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:002009-05-21T18:35:12.092-07:00Charities and Recession on Radio NationalFollowing a rather excellent 'Background Briefing' about charities in Australia, ABC Radio National hosted a pretty interesting show last night. I thought it was great, but am biased.<br /><br />Some interesting thoughts from the public, and a host who started off pretty negative about face to face (direct dialogue) ended with a positive angle on it.<br /><br />Check out the program <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/stories/2009/2574983.htm">here</a>.<br /><br />And last weeks Background Briefing <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2009/2568880.htm">here</a>.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-31798134114941621682009-05-19T16:39:00.000-07:002009-05-19T16:57:12.355-07:00Innovation in times of stressFBI used to be my favourite radio station when I lived in Sydney. They are a community radio station and I used to be a donor.<br /><br />They are in trouble, financially, and have gone out with a great idea 'Ask Richard'. Basically asking people to suggest an idea on how to get $1m from Richard Branson.<br /><br />Good luck to them! Check it out <a href="http://www.askrichard.com.au/">here</a>.<br /><br /><em>You can follow @askrichard on </em><a href="http://www.twitter.com/"><em>twitter </em></a><em>- if you are not twitter savvy, this is a good excuse to get into it. Much of it is rubbish like 'Just got up, my bed is so hard. Why am I so tired...!?' but it is easy to get away from that stuff. </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>There is tons of good information, such as one passed on from Mark Philips (bluefrog) about a 'secret meeting' of top philanthropists; you can read about this meeting </em><a href="http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/8311/americas-top-philanthropists-hold-secret-meeting-to-discuss-global-problems"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em><br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-50401857601678492312009-05-07T22:29:00.000-07:002009-05-07T23:00:29.237-07:00Turn media prices on their headsJust a thought.<br /><br />Charity A runs a new program to recruit new donors.<br />Spend is $30k on development fees and $200k on media (print, online, newspaper ads - whatever).<br /><br />They recruit 1,000 new donors giving an average of $100 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ie</span> $100,000 income.<br /><br />So they raise a net of -$130,000. In the results report a line will appear that the net cost of the donors was $130 each <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ie</span> cost per <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">acquisition</span> (CPA) = $130. The projected <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">rollout</span> cost, which has no fees would be $100 per donor.<br /><br />Now this particular charity knows that with its donor development program it needs to actually recruit donors at $50 per donor to make the exercise worthwhile. So, in this case the job is deemed to have missed target (it failed) and it is back to the drawing board.<br /><br />But let's not start again.<br /><br />There is a global financial crisis - media sellers are meant to be struggling. Surely a win-win here is to go back to the media seller and say "We will buy your media again - and we will buy four times as much, but at half the price." They get twice the income, and Charity A's cost per acquisition is now acceptable.<br /><br />I know it seems naive, but if we all take this approach we can take real advantage of what should be a buyers market. There is no need to screw them - just get the price that works for you.<br /><br />Anyone succeed at this please let me know. And if you try and fail, let me know too.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-1064440049003483202009-04-27T23:41:00.000-07:002009-04-27T23:48:02.043-07:00American charities can get stimulus funds...For USA charities:<br /><br />The wonderful people at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University are giving out a bulletin for free to help charities put their applications together.<br /><br />With an incredibly snappy title, check out "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Act Appropriations Beneficial to the Nonprofit Sector and Key Resources for Organizations to Approach and Access Funding Sources."<br /><br />If you have someone in your organisation who can actually finish reading the title in full, get the bulletin to them and get them applying.<br /><br />Thanks Daryl <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Upsall</span> for bringing this to my attention. Get the bulletin <a href="http://image.exct.net/lib/fefe13717d6405/m/1/GUSA+Special+Bulletin+FINAL.pdf">here</a>.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-32209187128482612442009-04-21T16:58:00.000-07:002009-04-21T16:58:00.785-07:00Fundraising Institute of Australia survey on coping with downturnI know, there are a ton of surveys out there - this one is from the FIA. They say it is the only one in Australia that will that will 'capture how charities and nonprofit organisations are coping with the economic downturn.' <br /><br />It is pretty thorough and will make interesting reading as it asks for what you have experienced as well as what you are anticipating.<br /><br />Australian charities, complete the survey <a href="https://secure2.au.pwc.com/surveynet/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=7lKJnp2">here</a>.<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />The Blurb from the FIA:<br /><br />Managing the Downturn<br /><br />FIA would like to invite you to participate in a survey FIA is running in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Centre for Social Impact to assess the effect of the economic downturn on Australian charities and nonprofit organisations. It is the only comprehensive research in Australia that will capture how charities and nonprofit organisations are coping with the economic downturn.<br /><br />A similar survey was run in the UK in November 2008 and this has been useful in informing the decisions policy makers and charities must make to ensure their organisation and nonprofit sector is buffered from the economic downturn if income streams dry up and the demand for services rises. In Australia, early indications are that charities are anticipating a drop in their donations and have begun to reduce the number of services offered.<br /><br />The survey will close on Monday 4 May 2009. Click here for the survey.<br /><br />Who should complete this survey?<br />This survey should be completed if your charity or nonprofit organisation provides services to the community (arts, human rights, advocacy, welfare, health, family etc) and is predominantly funded by donations, grants or government funding.<br /><br />This survey should be completed by a senior member of staff who is overseeing and managing all fundraising projects or the CEO. To ensure the results from this survey are accurate, please ensure this survey is only completed once by your organisation by forwarding this link to the most appropriate person in your organisation.<br /><br />Please feel free to distribute this survey to your colleagues or other interested parties.<br /><br />What do I need to complete this survey?<br />Managing the Downturn survey will be assessing the projected increases and decreases in fundraising and other income streams. You may find it useful to have your most recent annual report on hand.<br /><br />How long will the survey take to complete?<br />This survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. As a participant, your organisation will receive a copy of the report.<br /><br />When will the report be released?<br />The report will be released in mid-June 2009.<br /><br />Please contact Marianne Ramsay, Policy Assistant at <a href="mailto:mramsay@fia.org.au">mramsay@fia.org.au</a> for more information.'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-83903163145224743612009-04-20T21:22:00.000-07:002009-04-20T21:38:15.565-07:00Retaining donors through tough economic timesWe are all worried about keeping our donors in tough economic times. Whatever the recession brings us, fundraising will keep going on.<br /><br />Here we have yet more useful slides worth nicking for board reports. This presentation was one I presented at workshops in Sydney and Melbourne over the last two weeks.<br /><br />Whatever happens, talking about the work your charity does in an appropriate way is essential. Telling your story. This presentation starting with stats about fundraising in a recession, but quickly moved on to good donor care and ensuring you are telling good stories.<br /><br />Absent from the presentation, because it is video and workshop based, is a great exercise on making stories 'sticky'. A link to the Made to Stick blog with step by step instructions on how to run this exercise is below the presentation. Take time to get your team to do the exercise - it is truly mind expanding.<br /><br /><div id="__ss_1318920" style="WIDTH: 425px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a title="Retaining Donors Through Tough Economic Times" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 12px 0px 3px; FONT: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner/retaining-donors-through-tough-economic-times?type=powerpoint">Retaining Donors Through Tough Economic Times</a><object style="MARGIN: 0px" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=retainingdonorsthroughtougheconomictimesslideshareversion-090420210454-phpapp02&stripped_title=retaining-donors-through-tough-economic-times"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=retainingdonorsthroughtougheconomictimesslideshareversion-090420210454-phpapp02&stripped_title=retaining-donors-through-tough-economic-times" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial; HEIGHT: 26px">View more <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/striner">Sean Triner</a>.</div></div><br /><a href="http://www.madetostick.com/blog/2008/07/18/deconstructing-the-girl-effect/">Click here for the Girl Effect / Made to Stick exercise</a>.<br /><br />Sean'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-88222606979434113192009-04-19T22:05:00.000-07:002009-04-19T22:12:28.471-07:00Good British website & podcastsACEVO, the organisation for charity bosses in the UK, set up a cool website last month which is worth checking out. They call it Recession Support.<br /><br />Although it is aimed at CEOs, it is pretty useful and goes beyond fundraising. For example, it includes an article on employee benefits during tough times. Even though the news is UK focused the advice is appropriate world-wide.<br /><br />Check it out <a href="http://www.recessionsupport.org.uk/main/">here </a>...'Sean is always learning'http://www.blogger.com/profile/09913608962533588338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-64414472194950540242009-04-19T20:53:00.000-07:002009-04-20T21:20:52.275-07:00Interesting presentation from the Irish FR Conference in Dublin.The chap bearing partial responsibilty for this blogsite, Daryl Upsall, and his colleague Diana Ruano recently ran a workshop at the Irish FR Conference in Dublin in March and also in Madrid this month. While predominately focusing on data from Europe, the presentation looks at various data sources and has some interesting information in it; especially the bit pointing out how much different data is contradictory!<br /><br />Worth checking out.<br /><br /><div id="__ss_1284644" style="WIDTH: 425px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a title="Challenging Times Spain English Version 31mar09" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 12px 0px 3px; FONT: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/darylupsall/challenging-times-spain-english-version-31mar09-1284644?type=powerpoint">Challenging Times Spain English Version 31mar09</a><br /><object style="MARGIN: 0px" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=challengingtimesspainenglishversion31mar09-090414035711-phpapp02&stripped_title=challenging-times-spain-english-version-31mar09-1284644"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=challengingtimesspainenglishversion31mar09-090414035711-phpapp02&stripped_title=challenging-times-spain-english-version-31mar09-1284644" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><div style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; PADDING-TOP: 2px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,arial; HEIGHT: 26px">View more <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.slideshare.net/darylupsall">darylupsall</a>.</div></div><br /><br /><br />To download a PDF version of the presentation please <a href="http://www.darylupsall.com/fileadmin/Presentations/abr_2009/Irish_Fundraising_Conference-_Fundraising_in_Challenging_Times.pdf">click here</a>Justine Mathiesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03447317399438814570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3216706279819946328.post-14009243910864085812009-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:002009-04-14T13:51:30.342-07:00Fundraising wisdom from a beginner ski lesson<div align="center"><blockquote><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">There’s no way to tell if it was that funky blue envelope that skewed your campaign results or the general collapse of global markets…</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">unless you also tested the white envelope.</span></div></blockquote></div><p>I learned to ski a couple of weeks ago. After learning the fundamentals, but before heading up one of Canada’s mile-high mountains to really put myself in harm’s way, I asked my instructor, “If I suddenly find myself heading toward a cliff, a tree or an immobile human obstacle hunched in terror as I bear down upon it with flailing poles, what do I do? Is there a certain technique to minimize the damage or have the best chance of saving myself?”<br />The instructor said, “Yes, absolutely. Don’t look at whatever it is you’re trying to avoid. Stare at an object in a safer direction and make yourself go toward it. If you look at what you’re trying to avoid, you will crash right into it each and every time.” <br />I tested the instructor’s advice. I tested it both ways. First, by not following the advice, of course.<br /><br />For fundraisers and aspiring skiers alike, it is unnatural, if not impossible at first, to follow the disaster avoidance technique my instructor shared with me. Essentially, “look away if you want to be OK.” There’s a certain satisfaction we get from being in control – from observing the catastrophe unfolding, documenting it and analyzing it with our senses – even as we head toward it at full speed. Following the instructor’s advice, on the other hand, requires temporarily abandoning some perceived control of the situation in order to ultimately regain it. I can distinctly remember the almost immediate effect I experienced when I decided to take my eyes off the snow covered spruce tree accelerating toward me. I shifted my gaze to the pretty horizon as far in the other direction as my neck would go and I immediately felt my efforts to avoid the tree take hold. My skis bit down in the snow as if I actually knew how to command them. I turned away in a satisfying arc, and the tree was no longer an obstacle.<br /><br />This is not a random analogy but an uncanny match with the climate facing fundraisers and the tools we have to help our organisations succeed in spite of great external challenges. I feel compelled to put my beginner ski lesson experience together with some unfiltered observations on non-profit fundraising behavior in the recession. My work as a fundraising direct marketer connects me with dozens of non-profits in Canada and Europe. I am fortunate to have somewhat of a birds-eye view of several varying responses to economic hardship.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:100%;">Here are some examples of cases where some of my clients are looking right into the eyes of the recession and are heading on the ideal path to become a casualty of it as a result. Others are actually prospering by embracing recession busting tips and long-term planning strategies that are strong strategies for any economy. <br /></span></em><br />· A regional health organisation is cutting all premium-based control packages (address labels, notecards, etc.) from their fall fundraising direct mail plan. They project a noticeable decline in net revenue as a result. The charity is hoping to maintain a perception among donors that funds are being put to good use when times are tough. The charity acknowledges increases in short-term costs and risk by abandoning their control acquisition packages. And decreased long-term revenue resulting from fewer new donors that will hit the books in subsequent years. <br /><br />· In response to economic conditions, two large charities eliminated all testing from their direct response fundraising strategies, citing “when times are tough, stick with what works.”<br /><br />· A regional organization called attention to the declining results of a fundraising appeal by issuing a press release in a newspaper read by their donors and prospects. They publicly acknowledged the drop in results in 2008 compared with 2007 and asked for help making up the shortfall. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">· Observed from decision makers in the past sixty days, in response to campaign revenues that were lower this year compared with the same period last year: “Maybe the control copy needs updating. Perhaps our minimum ask level is alienating donors whose financial circumstances have changed. Maybe we should change the package – it might look too expensive in the current economy. Etc.” </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">· “We can’t compete this year – we’re going to hold off on donor acquisition campaigns until things get better.” I have observed organisations with arts, education and international aid missions curtailing donor acquisition efforts because of apprehension over competitive market positioning. They have expressed an unsubstantiated fear that they cannot compete with other charities. We saw some of these attitudes expressed by fundraisers in the 2008 IFC poll regarding which types of charities would fare best in a declining economy. </span><a href="http://www.afpnet.org/content_documents/Survey%20global%20financial%20crisis.pdf"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.afpnet.org/content_documents/Survey%20global%20financial%20crisis.pdf</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>Now, here's a rundown of recession busting fundraising solutions, all of which I’ve seen successfully deployed by my clients in response to some of the doom and gloom:</em><br /></span><br />· Stress financial accountability, urgency and critical program information. A charity added a financial accountability insert to all of its donor fundraising appeals beginning in October. The accountability insert does not directly mention the global recession but highlights the specific needs that the non-profit is serving in the community around the time the appeal goes out. In many cases, their case for support has been strengthened by a weak economy because of increased demand for services.<br /><br />· Avoid emotional “knee-jerk” decisions that will questionably have some kind of perceptual impact with donors but certainly create risk of overall income decline. You can know something about the preferences of a particular donor from what the donor tells you. But the only thing you know about your entire donor file is what the data tells you. Organisations that are already in touch with donor preferences through surveys and engagement techniques avoid making costly assumptions. However, some non-profits are showing a tendency to abandon data driven fundraising outlooks that have served the organization well year after year, in favor of new "insights" and theories on what donors are thinking. If you see this happening, ask "why?" It probably has more to do more with reading into consumer confidence and what's happening on the news than anything your donor data will tell you.<br /> <br />· Cutbacks that are conservation-based, e.g. energy savings and operations strategies, probably should have been in place before times got tough. Think twice about the immediate return on investment associated with implementing cutback decisions. These types of measures are a sound long-term strategy for any organisation but can’t be counted on to produce immediate returns. Focusing on them may distract from activities that have more promise to deliver incremental revenue. This is also not a donor-centric strategy. Don’t expect points from donors for “not wasting energy.” This kind of thing is now expected. Two of my clients recently used space in their newsletters and e-blasts to highlight new internal cost cutting strategies. The article came off as informative and reassuring but the info was not used in direct support of a financial gift. </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;">· Don’t cry poverty. Certainly, don’t spend valuable ad space or dedicate portions of fundraising appeals to talking about how hard conditions are. Surely some donors some will empathize and respond but most will avoid this type of appeal angle altogether. Scarcity of resources creates additional scrutiny for the pool of resources we have left. Surely your core donors will want to hear about your latest accomplishments and funding needs instead of a recap of what’s going on around them.<br /><br />· Don’t willingly roll over and surrender market share. Fight for it. Donors are individuals but they also react like any market. Individuals make decisions based on information, misinformation, fear, etc. These are the same forces driving the financial markets. Instead of being part of the fear engine, be part of the solution. Engage donors with vocabulary that they connect with in both good times and bad. Be their rock. When fuel prices and stock portfolio values are all over the place, it’s important to underscore the value your non-profit will continue to deliver for each invested donor dollar.<br /><br />· Forge onward with somewhat of a blue sky attitude. Several of my clients say that they are doing nothing differently as a result of economic hardship. Surrendering market share willingly is perhaps the only absolutely certain way to create a serious long-term income decline and help others profit from your decision at the same time.<br /><br />· There are certain short-term costs that are just too important to risk cutting. For example, keep investing in revenue-generating initiatives, such as direct response testing. Without testing, it's hard to justify decisions that otherwise carry risk. Don’t be shy about asking partners to help absorb such costs. Throughout the fall of 2008, a regional charity invested roughly $15,000 in tests of completely new direct mail packages. Results show the new innovations will yield roughly $250,000 in cost savings in 2009. ROI is still king.<br /><br />· Coming up with new ways to analyze and label the problem won’t fix it! Don’t over measure. If you did not have clear and evolved campaign results measurement and testing processes in place before the economy started to slide, this may be a wake up call but it’s no time for drastic departures from what was working for your non-profit before. Reading into the nuances of campaign performance that you cannot isolate through testing is not a valuable investment of time. There’s no way to tell if it was that blue envelope that skewed results or the general collapse of global markets…unless you also tested the white envelope. Instead, consider opportunities to audit your testing and results benchmarking strategy, in search of general improvements.</span>Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06404848842352316214noreply@blogger.com0