Barriers to Legacy Fundraising
Findings of a survey conducted by Wootton George Consulting during August and September 2010. Background Over many years in working with charities on fundraising strategies, we had identified that a frequently under-exploited area was that of charitable legacies. This was particularly the case with small and medium sized charities, despite the evidence that they too […]
Legacy Fundraising – what’s stopping you?
In carrying out fundraising reviews over the years, we have come across numerous charities which have really not grasped the legacy opportunity. Yes, they may know that legacies can be good money, with a fantastic ratio of return, but somehow they never quite get round to planning and running a proper campaign. What is it […]
Catch ‘Em Young
The recent study into donor motivations featured earlier this month in the Chronicle of Philanthropy made for interesting – and potentially useful – reading. I’m normally sceptical about lifting research from one country and applying it in another, (especially if the research was done in the US!), but the study by California based Hope Consulting […]
Legacies and DM Appeals
So a DM agency has identified that adding a legacy info tick box to direct mail appeals reduces the cash response rate (3rd Sector magazine 16th March). Big deal! Of course anything you do to water down an appeal will reduce the response rate. The best results are always achieved by making it clear and […]
Corporates want their pound of flesh
At a recent CSR presentation by a UK bank, I was struck by the highly commercial attitude this company is taking to its community involvement. OK, we all know the days of cheque book corporate philanthropy are largely behind us (and of course this is the banking sector!), but listening to the presentation felt more […]
Outsourcing – a growing trend?
The trend to outsourcing among UK voluntary organisations continues apace, but why is this? Firstly, there is often a major cost saving. Not only can a salary be saved, but the add-on costs such as tax, pension and administration can also be avoided. Secondly, managers are recognising that it is not always necessary to employ […]
Toby and the Tithers
The news that Oxford academic Toby Ord has pledged to give away £1 million during his lifetime – and is encouraging others to pledge 10% of their income to charity – made the national news recently. If Ord had been a wealthy donor, it would still have been newsworthy, but the fact that he is […]
Putting all your eggs in one basket…
Now I’m not one of those who sees the government (of whatever colour) as the Devil incarnate, but recent warnings about the risks of government funding cuts for charities do make me think ‘I told you so.’ For the last five years or more, our friends at ACEVO have been encouraging charities to cosy up […]