News & Blog

I saw recently that the IoF is 30 years old this year - a moment perhaps to take stock? Certainly, fundraising has come a long way since the ICFM, as it then was known, was established. And so, to be fair, has the Institute.

A common demand placed on trust fundraisers is to find new prospects, which in a mature operation can often be a challenge, especially if all the usual sources have been exhausted.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we support the charity Climate Stewards, which works to combat global warming by educating people in the West about greener lifestyles

Congratulations to Sue Lidington, Chair of trustees of Side by Side Theatre Company, a Wootton George client, on her recent MBE. Sue set up the charity in the 1990’s for people with learning difficulties

We are delighted to welcome the following new clients - Lucy Air Ambulance, Cancer Relief UK, Birmingham Settlement and Futures Unlocked.

We look forward to working with them and making a difference!

As Seneca wrote, if you don't know which harbour you are heading for, no wind is the right wind. He probably didn't have fundraising in mind, but his quotation is strangely relevant to charity business planning today.

On holiday in Devon recently, I visited the famous Donkey Sanctuary. Two things struck me. Firstly, entry was free - a great way to attract new donors from around the country. Secondly, on the walls around the site were huge boards naming their legacy donors, year by year.

Tesco and some other big retailers recently came under fire for not paying young people on work experience schemes, yet this is exactly how some well-known charities behave when they take on unpaid interns.

Legacy marketing can be a bit "us" and "them" can't it? We the charity ask them the supporters for a donation, using marketing techniques to overlay and crunch the data. We segment and target prospects that match the best profiles to give.