How do you strike the balance between fundraising right now and for the future?
I was delighted to be invited to ask a series of five questions on my favourite subject, fundraising strategy, at #CharityHour on Twitter recently. The answers were so excellent that I am capturing them in separate blogs. For more superb insight and answers to these questions, please get your ticket to the Fundraising Strategy Virtual Summit on 18 March, 2021!
Here was question 5:
How can charities strike the balance between fundraising right now and in the future to develop the fundraising strategy?
1. Don’t be distracted
Not let current events put you off from putting together some form of a strategy or plan – just put something together, even if you think its impossible at the moment and a long-term goal.#CharityHour
— Simon Pittman (@LibraryPlayer) February 24, 2021
2. The rule of thirds – my favourite answer
#charityhour A5) There is no right answer but I use the rule I teach my kids about pocket money: Thirds: 1/3 for spending now and on ‘do and learn’, 1/3 for medium term (more strategic projects), 1/3 for long term (reserves and resilience)
— Nest + Grow (@nestandgrowcic) February 24, 2021
3. Quick wins get you good will
Eurgh this is tough. I always prioritised the future over the “right now” and I’ll be honest I missed a tonne of goodwill and it was only Covid that focused my attention on the immediate. Maybe think about right now as a way of buying time for future development?
— Alexander Kenmure (@idlehands12) February 24, 2021
4. Learn from what works
A5: Well you’re kind of learning as you go so seeing what works and what doesn’t as you’re doing it, creates a fairly good idea for a strategy as it is! #CharityHour
— ?Dominique Saks ? (@Dominique_Saks) February 24, 2021
5. Demonstrate your impact
#charityhour very difficult question in the present climate – who knows what the funding picture will really be post pandemic – I guess holding close the knowledge if you are making an impact people will continue to support you and find new ways to fund you. Communication is key!
— Baby Basics (@BabyBasicsUK) February 24, 2021
6. Hope
Now that the UK has an exit strategy for lockdown we can start thinking about face to face and public events once again. Planning for the future & something to look forward to ? pic.twitter.com/ObbqUQPpfd
— Inspire Malawi (@inspire_malawi) February 24, 2021
7. Yes to this: Test and learn
My team will think I’m a broken record with this phrase but ‘test and learn.’ Scale up your successes to reap the #fundraising benefits now, while remaining curious. Test new audiences / channels / methods to uncover growth opportunities between strategies. ? #CharityHour > https://t.co/MPrvlQfQi3
— Donna White (@dmhwhite) February 24, 2021
8. The unfinished symphony
I am going to go with Ian’s @ian_mcl earlier point – ‘Never complete it’ – keep it evolving. https://t.co/gzK6qMtJo6 pic.twitter.com/2Z36nDOJHx
— Lucy Stone (MCIOF) (@Lucy_Stone) February 24, 2021
9. Seafaring analogy
Right now focus is understandably on staying afloat. That keeps your head above water, but you must always invest in the future. That’s about getting back to dry land. #charityhour https://t.co/jSK95I7jdC
— Ian McLintock (@ian_mcl) February 24, 2021
10. Split your time.
#CharityHour A5 It’s a bit of juggling act (as someone who has to think about next week’s #CharityHour and future themes)! Set aside time for both, even 30 minutes helps. Display it somewhere prominent that you look at daily https://t.co/Hjb9UtVbQm
— #CharityHour (@CharityHourUK) February 24, 2021
Thank you, Tahera, for inviting me on to #CharityHour. What a great community of collaborative colleagues!
