Ready for more after reading part one? I thought so!

Here are 3 MORE top-down approaches to improving your charity’s fundraising efforts.

Like my first list, you’ll notice that these do not directly involve the fundraising team. Here we go.

1. Increase senior management presence in the community. Fundraisers can only do so much. Your charity’s community presence should be deliberate, not ad hoc. Recommendation: Send your board, CEO and senior management to board of trade meetings, Rotary and other service clubs, and events run by other charities. Approach community relations from a fundraising angle in the same way you might do government relations.

2. Align communications team to fundraising goals. Comms and fundraising are very often two distinct teams with separate goals and this can rob a charity of money-making opportunities. Recommendation: As I said in my last post, the mission is #1. However, communications should start from the position of supporting the development team. Every part of the donor cycle – acquisition, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship – should form the basis of any charity’s communications plan.

3. Get rid of your old-school human resources approach. Competition for fundraisers keeps growing and many of us experience the endless hamster wheel of poaching and being poached (along with its negative impact on donor relationships). So why are we so stingy with perks? Maybe you can’t afford raises but try one-off bonuses instead when times are good. Get on the flex-time Try a 9-day-fortnight program. Let non-essential staff go home between Christmas and New Year’s. Have a good look at your professional development budget. Figure out how people can work from home effectively. Note that 4/6 of those ideas are basically cost-free!

Easy to implement? Not always! But if you’re looking for more fundraising revenue, it’s worth the effort. Thanks for reading!

Siobhan