9 steps to get people to give
When it comes to asking for donations, an empty bucket and a sign saying “Donations Welcome” just doesn’t cut it. Here are 9 steps I use with clients to help them to raise more money from individuals.
Could I write a proposal from your website?
With an increasing number of funders taking a more proactive approach to researching potential grantees, it’s vital that they can find the information they need. So, how easy (or otherwise) would I find it to write a funding proposal from your website alone?
Can a raccoon teach us how to get people to give more frequently?
How have the designers of Animal Crossing got me to invest over 100 hours on a completely pointless endeavour? And could the same techniques be used to get people to donate more often?
What’s Going On With Grant-Making in 2025?!
It’s no secret that grant-fundraising has changed in the last 18 months as funders adapt their ways of deciding who to support. So, what changes are they making and – more importantly – how should fundraisers adapt in order to succeed in this new funding landscape?
Let It Go (Fundraising Parody)
What if Elsa was a trust fundraiser, instead of a Snow Queen? Her frustrations might be different, but she’d still “let it go”.
The (misguided) pursuit of beauty
We often let our perception of beauty, and what we think is aesthetically pleasing, dictate our design choices. But what if the things that look “right” are actually having a negative impact on the effectiveness of our fundraising?
The Curse of Clever
It can be really easy to get swept away with a clever idea, such as some witty wordplay, quirky design or impressive piece of mental gymnastics. But clever is only clever if it works. So how do you stop the pursuit of “clever” derailing your fundraising?
SUPER Thank Yous
The Thank You is one of the most important communications we write and send as a fundraiser. Yet, too often it is viewed as an administrative chore, or an obligation. This short video shares why this touchpoint is so important, and five ways you can make sure your Thank Yous are SUPER
Thinking too much and too little about Gift Acceptance
Following the launch of a new paper on Ethics in Gift Acceptance I came away with two seemingly contradictory views – that charities don’t spend enough time thinking about their Gift Acceptance Policy, and that charities spend too much time thinking about Gift Acceptance policies. This article sets out why I think both are problematic.
5 Top Tips for Writing Better Funding Proposals
A video showing five easy-to-implement ways you can improve your funding proposals to give them a better chance of success.