Don’t spam funders

As a charity fundraiser who specialises in raising money from charitable trusts, it frustrates me so much when I hear stories of fellow fundraisers being asked to mass-mail as many potential funders as possible.

Why?

Because it doesn’t work and no-one comes out of it feeling happy.

The fundraiser’s job satisfaction plummets; the executives and trustees don’t see the financial results they want; the funders have to reject inappropriate applications; and the beneficiaries don’t get the support they need because the money isn’t there.

So why does it happen?

I am fully sympathetic to the needs of a charity’s organisation. When you need to raise funds to perform the work your beneficiaries require, that bottom line can become an all-consuming focal point - especially if the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.

When you are under financial pressure - or even if things are going great and you want to scale up - the temptation is to view the problem as a mathematical one.

If we’ve made 100 applications, of which 50 were successful, and raised £100,000; then 200 applications, of which 100 will be successful, will raise £200,000. Just imagine how much we would raise from 1,000 applications!

This looks reasonable and logical, which is why it is appealing, but the reality is rarely as straightforward.

What’s wrong with this approach?

It lacks the nuance and finesse successful fundraising requires. It doesn’t take into account any of the following:

• How many funders want to support your area of work?

  Yes, there’s thousands of funders out there, but they all have different areas of interest. Your 50 current funders might represent most of (or all) of the funders who are ever likely to fund you.

  Plus, if you send out 1,000 identical applications, you can’t take into account the criteria or individual requirements of each funder. You could be writing to the right people, but in the wrong way.

  And if you’re writing to the wrong people, you’re not just wasting your time, but theirs. Some funders do talk to each other. Do you want to get a reputation as the charity that spams people, or the one that writes intelligent, well-researched, tailored approaches?

• What is the capacity of your fundraising team?

  If you have one fundraiser completing 100 applications a year, and you ask them to double their output, then something has got to give. It will either be the motivation of your fundraiser, the quality of their work, or both. Whichever it is, you run the risk of raising less money than before if the applications being sent out are not good enough, or you neglect to spend time thanking and building relationships with your donors.

• Are you neglecting other potential funding sources?

If your trusts fundraising is proving successful, that can lead to an assumption it is the income stream with the most potential for growth. This assumption ignores the possibility that your trusts income is at, or close to, its maximum yield.

What should we do instead?

The first step is to make sure you understand where you’re currently at. What’s working? What isn’t? What sources are maxed out? Where is there the potential for growth?

If your trusts income stream is not performing at it’s best, or you suspect you can get more out of it, then consider the following:

• How many other funders are likely to be interested in supporting you? Can you identify them? What are their criteria?

• Which of your current funders might be able to give more, or more often? Research suggests funders tend to keep their giving consistent, rather than increase or decrease it, but there’s always a possibility you could be missing something.

• Can any of your current funders introduce you to any potential new funders? Personal introductions are far better value than cold approaches.

• Are your projects as good as they can be? Even the best fundraiser would struggle to find support for an ineffective project.

• Are your applications as good as they can be? The quantity might be just right, but can the quality be improved?

• Is your post-donation donor care as good as it can be? It is almost always better to secure lots of small, regular donations over a number of years, than a spectacular one-off that you fail to capitalise on by neglecting to provide the required reports or say thank.

If your trusts income is working well (If it ain’t broke…), then consider whether there might be more potential for growth from the income streams you have neglected, or might not be getting quite right. If the budget allows, experiment:

• Events;

• Community fundraising;

• Individual giving;

• Setting up an influential development board;

• Corporate relationships; or

• Legacies.

If the experiment doesn’t work, you won’t have lost much (provided your budget was kept in check). If it does work, you could have tapped into a game-changing income stream.

Can you help me do this?

Of course!

The correct approach will differ from charity to charity, so the first step is to have a conversation.

Whether you don’t know where to start, or just need an extra pair of hands, please feel free to get in touch.

I can provide additional fundraising capacity; research prospects; deliver training; work with you to devise a fundraising plan; or even just sense-check and proof-read your work before you send it out.

I’m flexible and happy to help.

Get in touch using the Contact page, by phoning 07421 812 321, or emailing hello@jonathansbean.com.