Most fundraisers agree that you won’t achieve serious growth without first investing in fundraising. But how do you actually persuade the board to invest? In this episode from the archive, originally released in December 2019, Rob Woods talks to Adam Heuman. In three separate charities, of varying sizes, Adam has asked the board to invest, and all three times his request has been successful. Rob and Adam talk about what holds many fundraising directors back from even exploring the issue, and why...
Mar 08, 2023•31 min•Ep. 121
120. How to add Wow Factor to funding applications, with David Burgess by Rob Woods, Bright Spot
Feb 26, 2023•37 min•Ep. 120
Clearly influencers can boost your charity’s effectiveness in various ways, including through more successful fundraising. But assuming you don’t already have amazing personal connections, how can you find and work with influential people who could further your cause? Rob was delighted to interview Paul Katz, who has been helping charities and non-profits do this for the last 18 years. Paul has found that regardless of the size of your charity, if you do certain things in a certain order, you ca...
Feb 14, 2023•35 min•Ep. 119
If you’d like to hear some key ideas and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for what you or your team could listen to, to help with current challenges, here is the second of our special round-ups. Rob is joined by the brilliant Louise Morris to talk about a handful of ideas / episodes they’ve been finding most helpful in the last 12 months. They discuss inspiring stories from the last 30 episodes, including: thankathons – how (and why are they so effective!); major and mid-valu...
Jan 10, 2023•31 min•Ep. 118
If you’d like to hear some useful lessons and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for you or your team on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode to help. Rob is joined by the always-inspiring Louise Morris of Summit Fundraising to talk about a handful of episodes they’ve been finding most helpful in the last year. They discuss inspiring stories from the show this year, including: a really effective habit that helps you look after yourself in spite of tough time...
Jan 02, 2023•35 min•Ep. 117
In conducting thousands of fundraising experiments, Tim has found that the most reliable way any charity can grow digital income (and boost the other fundraising streams) is to develop what he calls an effective Value Proposition. Rob and Tim discuss what he has found to be the four key elements of effective propositions: Appeal, Exclusivity, Credibility and Clarity. They offer tips to help you test and improve your own charity’s messaging in this way and they share the example of a charity whic...
Dec 13, 2022•34 min•Ep. 116
This time Rob talks to the brilliant Louisa Dodd about several ideas that have brought her success this year. This includes: getting super clear on who your ideal donors / partners / supporters are; adding genuine value to them; how to be outcome-focused; and story-telling. These themes sometimes get discussed in fundraising, but they’re not always easy to apply, so we hope you find these examples helpful. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU SO MUCH! ...
Dec 06, 2022•31 min•Ep. 115
What can charities do to maintain and grow income at a time when the cost of living is making life so difficult? In this episode Rob talks to Tim Kachuriak, founder of the digital fundraising agency and research lab, Next After. They explore why a testing mentality is so valuable. And Tim shares three practical examples of things you can do now to increase digital / individual giving income for your charity. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU! And we...
Nov 28, 2022•35 min•Ep. 114
One tactic that can transform fundraising results is match funding. But how do you achieve the initial gifts from major donors, and how can you make effective use of the enticing offer? In this episode Rob talks to an innovative fundraiser named Ilana Jackman about how one university has made match funding work in exciting, new ways this year. She explains how the match has inspired more donors to set up regular gifts and encouraged many existing donors to upgrade their giving per month. If you ...
Nov 16, 2022•29 min•Ep. 113
If you’ve ever been inspired by a good fundraising idea or principle, but failed to put it into practice, I hope you’re going to find this a valuable listen. Grace Cannings is a smart fundraiser who has found a way to improve her chances of building proactive habits that generate improved fundraising results. In this episode she explains the technique and offers tips to help you try it yourself. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU! And we would love t...
Nov 10, 2022•29 min•Ep. 112
What can you do to build better, more long-term relationships with funders? In my second interview with trusts and foundations fundraising expert, Neela Jane Stansfield, we explore ideas for creating fabulous stewardship and stronger relationships with funders. Our conversation includes creativity, the personal touch, story-telling and the importance of nurturing relationships with colleagues. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU! And we would love to ...
Oct 25, 2022•25 min•Ep. 111
This time we’re looking at successful fundraising with trusts and foundations, with an interview with Neela Jane Stansfield, author of Grants Fundraising, a new book published by the DSC. Central to Neela Jane’s philosophy is the importance of working hard to build relationships with funders. This is not always easy, so I was delighted to discuss various things that fundraisers can do in practice. We share a range of ideas to help you grow fundraising income through better insight and connection...
Oct 11, 2022•30 min•Ep. 110
What can charities do to shift power to those with lived experience of the issues the charity addresses? And how can this approach improve fundraising? Lulu Smithwick is Senior Public Fundraising Manager at Refugee Action, and Shukry Adan is a former Expert by Experience Fundraising Advisor. In this, the second half of Rob’s recent interview, they talk about applying this approach to corporate partnerships, major donor fundraising and what Shukry did as guest editor of the supporters’ magazine. ...
Oct 03, 2022•27 min•Ep. 109
How do you shift power to those with experience of the issues your charity addresses? And what are the many benefits of this approach? This time, Rob talks to Lulu Smithwick, Senior Public Fundraising Manager, and Shukry Adan, a former Expert by Experience Fundraising Advisor, for Refugee Action. They explain the charities’ approach, which aims to make the process valuable to the group, as well as good for fundraising. And they describe some of the creative ideas and insights that contributed to...
Sep 27, 2022•29 min•Ep. 108
Dramatic rises in the cost of living continue to create challenges for charity fundraisers, and as we move towards autumn and winter, the challenges may well get tougher still. So in this episode, Rob shares an excerpt from the recent Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders, in which he shares three ideas that he believes will help many fundraisers to do well in spite of these tough times. In particular, he shares tactics and examples to help with: messaging during tough times, sharpening focus a...
Sep 20, 2022•21 min•Ep. 107
If you’ve ever wondered about ways to attract / receive donations from people interested in cryptocurrency, check out these two episodes with Nicola Gunn (episode 105 and 106). In this, the second half of our chat, Nicola explains how her charity has attracted and received valuable donations through NFTs (non-fungible tokens). We also discuss some risk factors to weigh up and potentially mitigate if you decide to explore crypto-philanthropy for your charity. If you want to share this episode wit...
Sep 12, 2022•20 min•Ep. 106
Nicola and Rob talk about her charity’s progress and learnings in raising funds through crypto-philanthropy. Nicola demystifies key concepts; talks about some fabulous successes so far, including a gift worth £87,000; and shares lots of tips to help other charities interested in exploring the opportunities. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! And we would love to hear what you think. On twitter we are @NicolaGunn_ and @woods_rob, we are both on Linke...
Sep 05, 2022•34 min•Ep. 105
Phoebe and Rob talk about how she and her colleagues have helped supporters understand and see the value of claiming Gift Aid. The project has been worth around a quarter of a million pounds (and counting) to her charity, the RSPCA. And building from the example she shared in episode 100, Phoebe shares how they have been adding WOW moments to relationships with individual giving supporters at a crucial time. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! We wou...
Aug 30, 2022•15 min•Ep. 104
Settling on a specific day or week to proactively reach out to appreciate donors can be very powerful. And it’s especially valuable during tough economic times. In this episode, Rob talks to Alice Barley of Chance for Childhood about the positive results that have flowed (for supporters, fundraising and culture) from their recent thankathons. And she shares practical tips to help you do the same. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! Alice and Rob woul...
Aug 15, 2022•22 min•Ep. 103
Recruitment and retention of fundraisers is as challenging as it’s ever been, so this time we share more ideas and examples to help you attract and keep great fundraisers. This is the second half of Rob’s recent interview with retention expert, Paul Nott. They discuss effective ways that some charities have long been bucking the trend and retaining talented fundraisers for longer. The themes include: ways to create a culture of ongoing learning; supervision meetings; inductions; and helping coll...
Aug 03, 2022•26 min•Ep. 102
As recruitment and retention of fundraisers become ever more important, in this episode we share ideas to help you keep good people thriving at your charity for longer. Paul Nott and Rob share examples and various things that some charities do to buck the trend and retain talented fundraisers. This includes mindset, powerful ways to build trust, help people feel appreciated as well as connected to the mission. Paul has many years’ experience in fundraising and in recruitment, and now his primary...
Jul 27, 2022•28 min•Ep. 101
To celebrate our 100th episode, Rob spoke to two regular listeners, both with great fundraising stories to tell. Rachel Ketola shares how being proactive to create a series of small ‘WOW’ moments inspired one donor to increase his regular gift to the hospice from £50, to £1000 / month! And Phoebe Cooper explains some things she and her colleagues have done to make it easier for donors to keep supporting as the cost-of-living crisis affects many people’s ability to give as much as they’d like. If...
Jun 19, 2022•27 min•Ep. 100
After studying fundraising success for nearly two decades, Rob has found that great results rarely come from one stroke of brilliance. Rather, it usually comes from doing helpful (very do-able!) things consistently. In this episode, Rob shares examples of fundraisers who have used habits to create fabulous momentum, as well as an approach he has learned from BJ Fogg’s fascinating book Tiny Habits. And he uses examples to show you how to apply this technique in your own fundraising. If you’d like...
May 22, 2022•32 min•Ep. 99
When you hear real examples of your charities’ work, that connection to an important ‘why’ has a powerful effect on your fundraising mojo. But in most charities this doesn’t come naturally. It takes a deliberate decision to search out and share these stories. In this episode Rob is joined by Bright Spot trainer Ben Swart, to share ways that some fundraisers and leaders have improved the way they consistently find and share stories, and enjoyed improved results. And they include practical tips yo...
May 19, 2022•29 min•Ep. 98
Ciaran Biggins is an experienced fundraiser and the founder of MindFood, a small London charity which uses gardening to help people improve their mental health. In this episode Ciaran shares tactics that have helped him raise funds for his small charity, including a tool he used to increase their success rate with trusts and foundations – last year 100% of their approaches were successful - and several tips and shortcuts for finding funders. If you want to share this episode – THANK YOU!! – or g...
May 16, 2022•23 min•Ep. 97
Ciaran Biggins is an experienced corporate fundraiser who over a decade ago decided to set up a social enterprise to help people with their mental health, called MindFood. It later became a charity. In this episode Ciaran tells the story so far, and shares ideas and examples of how he has raised funds for this small organisation, including ways he has adapted techniques from his corporate partnerships background. If you want to share this episode – THANK YOU!! – or get in touch, Ciaran and I wou...
May 05, 2022•31 min•Ep. 96
This time Rob interviews Martha Awojobi, who two years ago changed the focus of her career from fundraising to anti-racism consultancy for the charity sector. One of Martha’s many achievements is leading the ground-breaking BAME Online fundraising conference. This wide-ranging discussion includes the extra energy you get from becoming clear on your values; tips on how to be brave; and reasons why progress with anti-racism work in our sector has so far been so hard. Martha also shares a sneak pea...
Apr 04, 2022•37 min•Ep. 95
Clearly digital approaches can help your fundraising success, but digital also feels daunting to many charities. So how do make it work in practice? In this episode, the brilliant Emily Casson, Digital Marketing and Fundraising Manager at the Salvation Army, shares her powerful, succinct recipe for digital fundraising success, as well as four powerful principles. At the time of recording, she was one week into a record-breaking (over £1m) appeal for her charity. She shows these techniques work f...
Mar 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 94
The first story I share in this episode is of a charity’s appeal raising SIX TIMES more than its (already ambitious) target. How did they do it? I believe the major factor is that they found a way to add consistent value to supporter relationships for months before the appeal. To show you what I mean, I share half a dozen examples of charities inspiring income growth through regular stewardship and engagement. This includes blogs; Facebook lives; phone calls, hand-written cards, pitches and regu...
Mar 11, 2022•33 min•Ep. 93
Sometimes you can build partnerships informally, without needing to pitch, but sooner or later most corporate fundraisers will be asked to pitch formally to a company. When this happens, clearly the stakes are high. So what can you do to increase your chances of winning? This time, Rob talks to Laura Matthews, who recently delivered a pitch that won a ground-breaking partnership worth over £200,000 for her charity. In the interview, Laura explains her approach and then Rob shares five pitching p...
Mar 01, 2022•37 min•Ep. 92
