“New balls, please!” – 10 lessons from day 1 of IoF’s National Fundraising Convention

A few years back, I was lucky enough to have a day ticket to the outer courts at Wimbledon. It as a little disconcerting, not knowing which court to go to, or where that day’s story was going to unfold. Funnily enough, the Institute of Fundraising Convention, which takes place during Wimbledon’s second week, is a little similar to that experience. No, really. You see, I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody’s experience is identical, and so my perspective and learnings could helpfully be shared in this blog. Then, you might get to appreciate what the “oohs” and the “aahs” were from the other courts… Martin Kaufman told a lovely story about the janitor at the Space Station who told President Kennedy “I help to put the man on the moon.” In order to fundraise well, we need to have complete organisational buy-in. Kath Abrahams made the key point that as major donor fundraisers, we need to inspire, excite and engage supporters. If you’re working with a development board, the choice of Chair is absolutely crucial. But a development board itself is not an absolute necessity. It needs to be a role that means something, advised Matthew Cull. Martin Kaufman told us that major donors need to have humility, courage, the ability to ask for money, and most importantly of all, a sense of humour, as it can often be a little absurd. Nicola Tallett’s key point was about the need to move organisations beyond merely ‘doing’ things. We need to focus