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A podcast for fundraisers who want ideas, examples and inspiration to help you raise more money for your charity or non-profit.
Rob is an author and award-winning fundraising trainer. Each week he and his guests share examples of successful fundraising, as well as lots of practical tips to help you apply these techniques in your own job.
Rob is an author and award-winning fundraising trainer. Each week he and his guests share examples of successful fundraising, as well as lots of practical tips to help you apply these techniques in your own job.
180 Episodes
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Community fundraising is an invaluable income stream for many charities, both through income raised directly and all the value these relationships add in other fundraising areas.Punyapriya Singh is Senior Head of Supporter Engagement at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, and was named Fundraiser of the Year in the CIOF National Fundraising Awards. In this conversation, she explains the approach which has helped her charity achieve fabulous growth in public fundraising income in recent years.In particular, she explains the importance of caring about and adding value to relationships with your supporters (rather than focusing primarily on money). She brings her ideas to life with examples of the stunning growth this thoughtful, relationship-first strategy has helped achieve, including a wonderful event for families, a golf day worth £100,000 and the success of their £12m capital appeal.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
Fundraising with trusts and foundations has become ever more competitive recently.What can you do to increase your success rate with these funders? Atul is a curious and shrewd fundraiser who has spent many years exploring how to grow fundraising income in this area. In this conversation Atul and Rob discuss several of his most effective strategies. It includes ways to find more funders who definitely care about your cause; what to call your project (spoiler, it makes an astonishing difference to results!) and strategies to leverage game-changing bids by sequencing them with smaller, easier ones. We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
Most fundraisers know how crucial it is to build genuine relationships with people who care about your cause. But doing it in practice can be far from easy! Amy Swart is a very experienced relationship fundraiser and is Director of Fundraising and Communications at the suicide-prevention charity James’ Place. Building warm, two-way relationships with supporters, including major donors, trusts and foundations, is fundamental to the charity’s approach. This mindset has been a major factor in the wonderful growth they have achieved in recent years. In this conversation Amy shares her approach, with practical tips and encouragement for fundraisers and charity leaders determined to build excellent, long-term relationships with supporters.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
There are plenty of really good books specifically about fundraising. We’ve also found it invaluable for fundraisers to read well-written books on related subjects. But which ones are worth your time? If you’re on the lookout for a good read and some different perspectives, we’ve created a Books that Inspire Fundraisers – The Super Six, which you can access with this link. And in this episode Bright Spot trainers Rob and Ben share the first three on our list. We explain why we love each book, and a bunch of ideas you can apply in your fundraising, even if you don’t have time to read the books.Among other things, this conversation includes: a fascinating insight about how to improve valuable skills more quickly; two ideas for inspiring supporters; and a little-known technique that increases your confidence in important meetings.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
How to change what’s not working. Sometimes in fundraising, things aren’t working, you feel overwhelmed, and you don’t know where to start. The excellent book Reset by Dan Heath is all about how to turn things around when you feel stuck. In this podcast Rob talks to Craig about ways you can apply the Reset techniques to solve difficult fundraising problems. Heath suggests that in most difficult situations there is one crucial ‘leverage point’ – something that will potentially make the biggest difference. The key is to work out what this is and then stack far more of your resources on making progress here. As you make clear progress, your new momentum makes other things easier too.Craig and Rob share examples of this approach helping fundraising teams to solve important problems, including how one charity reduced the time it takes to send out thank you letters, from 3 weeks to just 2 days.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
Growing your confidence to talk to supporters makes a big difference.What’s the key to increasing High Value Fundraising Income for your charity? Build stronger relationships with people who care about your cause. There are many ways to do this, but even in this tech-savvy era, the most effective thing is to have actual conversations with those people! And a greatly under-used way to do that, is to call them on the phone. Obviously, it’s not always possible. But when it is, we’ve noticed that very successful fundraisers often call their supporters.Many people know this in theory but talk themselves out of doing it! Bright Spot trainers Ben Swart and Rob Woods share some practical things you can do to overcome your (understandable) concerns. And they share examples to boost your confidence so you can connect with your charities’ donors and partners.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.
How do you beat tough odds in fundraising? For many fundraisers, the odds are now tougher than ever. Whether it's because your cause is less popular, or your charity is small or less well-known… There are many reasons you may feel like an underdog.Interestingly, some charities do secure valuable gifts, partnerships and grants, in spite of big disadvantages. Clearly this fact does not make life fair or make fundraising easy. But it means that if we seek them, we can find valuable insights.Having studied dozens of examples, in this episode Rob reveals two strategies that successful ‘underdog charities’ use when they succeed against difficult odds. In discussion with fellow Bright Spot trainer Ben Swart, he uses examples to show how these techniques can help you slay your own fundraising dragons.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you for supporting our show by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. You can find us both on LinkedIn.
The power of your reason why can be immense.Charities often focus too much attention on how they help. They act and speak as though what they do is the most important and interesting thing. When you clarify and reconnect to the reason why your charity exists, it can be a fabulous catalyst for growth. You get new creativity and energy. When the South African non-profit Feenix did this in 2017, it unlocked a period of extraordinary growth. During the next five years up to 2022, fundraising income grew by 630%! Their impact was transformed.Cara Jean Peterson, CEO of Feenix, joins Rob on the podcast to tell the rollercoaster story of how they did it. She shares insights from this exciting journey. And she offers tips to help other charities that are determined to grow their impact.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing our podcast, so it can help as many good causes as possible. Cara Jean and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
How to attract younger donors is a valuable issue for a charity to solve. Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations – as charities, how can we respond? For answers and encouragement Rob talks to philanthropist and best-selling author Lisa Greer.As a so-called ‘major donor’ Lisa has a valuable perspective on charity relationships with High Net Worth individuals. And one of the fascinating themes in her latest book The Essential Fundraiser’s Handbook is how charities can effectively raise funds with younger supporters. In the interview Lisa explains why the traditional approach to high value fundraising does not suit most supporters who are Millennial, Generation Z and younger. And she offers practical suggestions for what charities can do differently to improve fundraising results.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing our podcast, so it can help as many good causes as possible. Lisa and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
‘We aced all three big pitches – here’s how.’ As most fundraisers are all too aware, pitching to funders is a complex and difficult process.In recent months, the UK charity Refuge created the chance to pitch for three corporate partnerships. For all three, the stakes were high. In fact, one of them is worth millions of pounds and will make a massive difference to their services protecting women and children from domestic abuse.All three pitches were successful. In this episode Rob Woods talks to Katie Hillitt, Head of Philanthropy at Refuge. She shares the approach that has proved so effective, with tips and encouragement to help other charities with their pitches.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it helps as many charities as possible. Katie and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
High performance culture is invaluable for charities seeking to make a bigger difference. What can we do to encourage an approach to fundraising that strengthens relationships and increases fundraising income?The High Value and Legacies fundraising department at Alzheimer’s Society has achieved impressive growth over the last 5 years. Rob talks to Charlotte Matier, Associate Director at the department to hear about the culture, processes and priorities that have helped achieve these results. In particular, she shares the three pillars they use to guide decision-making and ways of working.Using examples, Charlotte shares how her team strive to build firm foundations upon which successful fundraising can take place; to create exceptional experiences; and to maximise value for both supporters and the charity.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it can help as many charities as possible. Charlotte and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
What do Great Fundraising Organisations do, that is different to the rest? Relatively few charities and non-profits achieve impressive, sustained growth over several years. But a few do. And as a result, they are able to make a much bigger difference for the communities they serve.For more than ten years, Alan Clayton has carried out detailed research into what makes the difference. In this episode he and Rob discuss the valuable distinctions he has discovered. And Alan brings these ideas to life with lots of recent examples and he offers guidance for other charities determined to grow long-term fundraising income, with less stress.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it can help as many charities as possible. Alan and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
Growing existing partnerships and winning new ones – these are the two main ways to increase corporate fundraising income for a charity. But they are easier said than done. Since joining her charity in a newly created role focused on corporate partnerships, Charlie (Charlotte) Richardson has grown partnerships income in both ways. In this interview she shares the techniques she learned on the Corporate Partnerships Mastery programme that she’s used to deepen relationships and add value with her charities’ partners – this has led to an increase in income of £100,000 in the last year with one partner – as well as how she’s found and built brand new partnerships – one worth £50,000 - from scratch.We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Thank you for sharing the episode, so it helps as many charities as possible. Charlie and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
Thinking (more) is a powerful way to grow results. Of course, in our busy and ever more distracted world, it’s not always easy to find time to think. That said, we’ve noticed that fundraisers who are very effective and also resilient, usually find a way to deliberately build thinking time into their week.If this idea appeals, but you often struggle to do it in practice, this episode is for you. Jhumar Johnson is Chief of Staff to the Vice Chancellor at the Open University. Her demanding role includes that of Development Director, so she has a lot to get done. Five years ago, a mentor showed her the power of ‘think time’, and she’s found it a hugely valuable habit ever since. In the interview Jhumar explains why she finds it so helpful. She also shares practical tips for how other fundraisers and leaders can build more thinking time into their work. We’d love to know what you think about these ideas! Jhumar and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
Looking for ideas or fundraising inspiration? Look no further than this special highlights episode.Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about four episodes that proved especially popular and inspired us in 2024. Our discussion of fundraising strategies, tips and examples includes: how to take advantage of the opportunities and resources already available to you (many of them are currently hidden); how to smash silos and help your whole charity pull together towards the common goal; a fabulous stewardship technique that helped one small cancer charity achieve its most successful year for corporate fundraising ever; how to use LinkedIn differently, and become a magnet attracts funders to reach out to you instead of the other way around.If you’d like to get in touch or share this episode with other charities, thank you! You can find us both on Linked In.
If you’d like practical lessons and some inspiring examples from our fundraising podcast in 2024, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode for you!Rob is joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart for this round up of our podcasting year. They pull out highlights from some episodes they’ve found most inspiring to listen to, including: how to influence your colleagues, for example to support your fundraising project; how to attract more major donors (precious insights from a philanthropy advisor at a bank who has talked to and learned from more than 4000 High Net Worth individuals; insights from an ambitious, strategic partnership worth £2.3m); and tips for negotiating more effectively with (potential) partners, through a deeper understanding of your charities’ value to companies.If you’d like to get in touch or share this episode with other charities, thank you very much! We are both on Linked In.
How do we defend philanthropy? There have always been criticisms of charity in general and philanthropy in particular. But in recent years it seems that this has become more widespread, and that this issue may be having a detrimental effect on donations at all levels. If we work for a charity, understanding the issues is valuable for our own confidence and for the sector as a whole.For help and encouragement, Rob was delighted to talk to Dr Beth Breeze, Director of the Centre of Philanthropy at the University of Kent. Beth has written an excellent book on this subject, In Defence of Philanthropy. In the interview Beth shares the three most common types of criticism she has found through her research, and she shares examples and her ideas for how we might respond to each one. We’d love to know what you think and your ideas on this subject. Beth and Rob are both on LinkedIn.
Building a transformational strategic partnership is not easy. But this example shows it can be done. And the reward in furthering your mission is so great, for many charities it is absolutely worth aiming high and developing even stronger relationships with the very few partners who can make the biggest difference.In March 2024 Bowel Cancer UK launched a three-year partnership with Andrex, the UK’s leading toilet roll brand. This award-winning partnership is changing attitudes, as well as increasing awareness of the symptoms of the disease, on a huge scale. The partnership is worth an extra £2.3m to the charity. This is on top of its ongoing presence, which raises awareness of symptoms on toilet roll packaging in 10 million homes in the UK. In the show, Megan from Bowel Cancer UK and Natalie from Andrex share their perspectives on building an ambitious, win-win partnership whose positive effect is so much greater than either organisation could achieve on its own. And they share tips and encouragement for other organisations that want to create their own win-win strategic partnerships.
1Pitching or presenting to a group is a valuable skill in fundraising. Many people see the purpose of a presentation as sharing information. But we’ve found you get better results if you instead see it as a chance to persuade people to actually do something (or something different.)After your presentation, would you like your colleagues to actively support your fundraising project? Or perhaps you’d like the funder to share your proposal with fellow trustees… or for your audience to choose your charity as a partner.Whatever your presentation, in this, the second episode on influencing groups, Rob and Ben share a powerful technique for deciding what to include. With examples, they explain three ideas for improving your results when you present or pitch through more effective content.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on LinkedIn.
Pitching or presenting to a group is not easy! It can feel stressful. In fact, many fundraisers dislike presenting so much they try to avoid it all together.And yet, after helping thousands of people to improve various skills that are useful in fundraising, Rob and Ben have found that everybody is able to become more skilful in this area. It is entirely learnable.And it’s certainly worth the effort, because being able to effectively share your ideas with a group is incredibly valuable. In speaking at dozens of conferences and training hundreds of fundraising teams, Rob and Ben have learned some things that make it easier! In this episode they share techniques to help anyone who wants to improve their confidence and skill at presenting to colleagues or funders.We’d love to know what you think! And thank you for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on LinkedIn.
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