News & Blog

All charities are equal, but some are more equal than others, right? In fundraising, this is certainly the case and we all know that some causes find it harder to raise funds than others, for a variety of reasons. For disability charities, this is definitely true.

This week I learned an old lesson again about the difference a named contact can make. I was working on a feasibility study for a major appeal and had interviewed a range of people, including one very well known and wealthy lady.

Heritage Funding for All! At a talk by the Heritage Lottery Fund recently, I was struck by how wide their funding portfolio is and by the range of charities that have succeeded in securing project funding.

This week I visited an old client of ours that has just had a poor experience of using consultants. Two years ago, they hired a firm to develop an organisational strategy, create a new case for support and advise on approaching grant makers.

A common complaint I hear from fundraisers is the lack of support from their Boards for fundraising, often combined with an assertion that Trustees do not understand what fundraising involves and do not even donate to their own charities.

This week I visited a national charity we work for that only employs one fundraiser. She has her work cut out, juggling a wide range of activities and making her time and budget stretch very thinly. She has my sympathy and it got me thinking again about the challenges for fundraisers in this position.

The timing of the typhoon that hit the Philippines this month and the subsequent DEC appeal looked like they would make a big dent in the public's support for this year's BBC's Children in Need appeal.

This new book by Beth Breeze and Theresa Lloyd, published by the DSC, examines what it is that drives the wealthy to make large donations to good causes. What are their motivations and what are their expectations.

After 22 years of leadership, Catherine Arkley, CEO of Children’s Liver Disease Foundation is leaving her role for pastures new. Involved since the start of the charity, Catherine has built it up from nothing to an organisation that has brought about real change for child liver patients and their families.