A (final) fundraising reading round-up
Friday, February 22, 2019
This is a 'hello' and sort of 'goodbye' post!
In January, I joined DonorVoice full-time as their MD for Europe*. It means I'll have even less time than last year to share thoughts on this blog. However, it does mean I'll get the opportunity to post over on the Agitator, which I'm hoping to do sometime in March.
As part of this new role, I'm currently in the midst of working on a new report on supporter journeys. I'd be delighted to send you a copy of what my colleagues have pulled together. There's some interesting ideas and concepts that you'll hopefully find useful. Simply comment below or email [email protected] and I'll make sure to send you a copy when it is released in March.
I'm also delighted to say that SOFII is going to be the new home of the reading round-up. Again, starting in March I'll be sharing the best fundraising blogs with all their subscribers.
SOFII seems a good place to start, as yesterday I had the honour to open the 'I wish I'd thought of that' event. Over the course of three hours the audience was entertained by the fabulous speakers who shared some amazing fundraising ideas. If you want to get a flavour of the talks, then check out Richard Sved's excellent Twitter thread from the event.
Resilience and self-care are so important for fundraisers. I see too many good people burnout. Beth Kanter shares some of the latest research, trends and insight on this important topic.
Jeff Brooks reflects on his 30 years in fundraising and shares 8 transformative things he has learned.
Navel-gazing and bragging are two of my pet hates in fundraising. That’s why I enjoyed this piece by Ann Green.
The sceptical fundraiser takes a look at ethics in fundraising and why we should aspire to high ethical standards in our work.
Capturing your organisation’s stories is so important. Good Works share some tips on creating a story bank, so you don’t lose your best examples.
What strategies should you prioritise in 2019? Bloomerang provide their top 6.
I’m a fan of John Grain’s Secret Giver project and he shares some of the best Christmas appeals from his team of mystery shoppers over at UK fundraising.
Also at UK Fundraising, David Burgess takes a look at thanking supporters and how we need to target the ‘remembering self’.
Tobin Aldrich looks at how we can re-boot individual giving and the critical elements required for a successful programme.
Pamela Grow’s ‘What’s in my inbox’ is always worth checking out. I particularly liked this email from the Southern Poverty Law Centre.
Finally, do check out the winners of Agents of Good’s #donorlove celebration. Some inspiring examples of great thanking and (hopefully) some future SOFII exhibits!
* My mission at DonorVoice is to help fundraisers improve their supporter journeys and experience through better understanding of supporter's needs, clever use of data and behavioural science insight. Get in touch if you'd like a chat!