AAW Focus on Fundraising in 2023 - Opportunities in Interesting Times (Part 2)

30th January by Imogen Ward

Earlier in January, I reflected on three key opportunities that I felt NFPs should consider adopting in 2023. Nothing I explored and advocated for was new – all three areas have been tried and tested by other sectors.

Oh my! It is so frustrating that as we race through this millennium, charities lag behind with frankly the basics. 

The three areas that I explore today continue the theme ‘of anyone can do this’. And I really believe that any charity regardless of age, cause or turnover really can.

Opportunity 1: Digital

Even as I write the word DIGITAL in the context of the not-for-profit sector my heart breaks that little bit more.

My colleague Deniz Hassan has talked about how our sector isn’t just behind but in dire straits. Change or die is his cry. And I feel his pain.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. The not-for-profit sector needs to rub its eyes and start to visualise what great looks like in terms of impact, income and reputation and then think about how digital can power the journey.

Stop thinking about where it sits and who it sits with. Stop agonising over technology and systems and state of the art solutions that you can ill afford and actually aren’t what you need anyway.  Stop thinking that the digital transformation project that was kickstarted by the Pandemic in 2020 will solve everything. Stop. It really won’t.

Start with the truth. Where are you. Where do you want to be. What are the first easy steps you can take to get there. Take those steps. And involve everyone. Don’t lock digital in a room with a big sign saying ‘Geeks Only’. Put it at the heart of your company and thinking.

Opportunity 2: Philanthropy

I know. We’ve been here before with our expensive consultants, development boards, gift tables…

Since god knows when, great hopes have been placed in an expansion of individual philanthropy in the UK and your Board of Trustees have probably been bitten by the bug at some point. Alas, there are only a handful of organisations in the UK  that have really been successful.  Despite all that money and effort.

So why am I advocating for it in 2023? Because we deserve so much more.

Let’s be clear here – you are not going to raise millions overnight and it’s going to be hard but I still think charities, particularly the smaller, niche causes are missing out on opportunities.

As with digital, it starts from thinking about what good looks like and once you’ve landed on a broad picture of good, develop relationships to help you get to your goals.

Start with who is closest to you and then map out how you can expand your network. If A knows B they will both probably know C. Don’t limit the exercise to just the fundraising team, bring in your Trustees, Services teams, volunteers, current donors – in fact everyone. Make the exercise fun and interactive. Think about how tools such as Miro can help.

Think outside of the box of the usual UK Philanthropy suspects, think about how you can reach the newer, younger breed of major donors. Those who are perhaps in their late 30s or early 40s and are committed to giving away the bulk of their wealth in their lifetime. They are out there and are actively looking to become involved in causes close to their heart (trust me I met one or two last year!). Open your doors, minds and (that word again) your sense of CURIOSITY and you will be rewarded.

Opportunity 3: The Partnership between Exec and Trustees

I’ve often witnessed some pretty odd relationships between executive boards and trustees. This came to a head during the pandemic. With stress levels at their peak, some Boards and Executive Teams quite literally fell apart.

Poor communication, creepy hierarchical structures, lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities and ultimately a misunderstanding over the purpose of reserves (SPOILER ALERT – TO BE USED IN AN EMERGENCY) have meant that some organisations have never really recovered.

In my experience the best Trustees and Executive Structures are when they genuinely work as… well… a Board. Joined up, not as separate entities role playing a strange ‘Master - Servant’ scenario every three months.

Purpose is shared. Teamwork is encouraged. And crucially there isn’t this odd status thing at play. There is mutual respect. Big decisions are made as a collective, recognising individuals’ technical strengths and experiences, not behind a closed door with just the Chair and an ashen-faced CEO.

All of this means that both the Trustees and the Executive have to be at the top of their game. There must be rigour to who joins the Board and who is let go. The Board should be regularly appraised, and dynamics adjusted if things aren’t working. 

Terms of reference and roles have to be super, super clear. Projects have to be governed in a way that’s tight but transparent. And everyone needs to feel that there is momentum.

Let’s make 2023 the year when we make a couple of breakthroughs.

The protest from our sector is often ‘it costs so much’ or ‘we don’t have the time or resource’ but nothing I have suggested needs to be expensive or resource heavy.

Adoption and successful implementation are less about huge resources or big budgets and more about a mindset of leading teams to be united. We’ve got this folks, we really have.

If you’d like to find out about how AAW can help you in 2023, drop Imogen a line at imogen@aawpartnership.com.

AAW Focus on Fundraising In 2023: The Power of People (in Person!)

27th January by Penny Walters

Last week we heard from Ali Kurn, Managing Consultant of Executive Search at AAW on how to refresh your recruitment processes in 2023. In keeping with the ‘People’ theme, Penny Walters, Project Lead for Strategy and Culture at RNIB, reflects on the excitement (and trepidation) of organising the charity’s first face to face fundraising conference in three years and her top tips for making it a success.

Everyone can feel it – that buzz in the room. He’s taller than I imagined, she’s chattier than I realised – they are real people, not just pictures on Microsoft Teams. It’s been three long years behind our screens, but today, 130 people are gathered in one place and ready for two days in each other’s company. The fundraising conference is back.

I had a dream – or was it a nightmare – a couple of nights earlier. There was deadly hush in the conference room. A stony silence. No one would speak to one another, no one would look their neighbour in the eye. In the cold light of day, I knew things wouldn’t be that bad. But we really needed our conference to go well. We couldn’t afford for a damp squib.

We’ve been through some change – who hasn’t? Within the last 12 months - a newly formed department, new senior leadership, a new income and engagement strategy launched just a few days earlier. The changes have without question been overwhelmingly positive – but change is hard. People move along the change curve at different rates and change in a remote and virtual world is even tougher. Our conference wasn’t just a chance for people to meet, to share ideas and takeaway important messages. It was a pivotal moment to change how people were feeling, how people were behaving – the culture of our big team. And ultimately, what we can achieve in the next 12 months. Because we all know, culture eats strategy for breakfast.

So how did it go? A resounding success. When nearly the only negative feedback you get is someone’s room being a little cold, you know you’ve done something right. But what have we learnt?

Point one - Timing is everything

With a little careful choreography, the stars aligned for us. We didn’t recognise until after the event just how important this was. The conference marked our new Chief Officer’s one-year anniversary. It took place just one week after sharing our new five-year income and engagement strategy with the team. And we internally launched our new organisational Purpose the week before – a game-changer in bridging our mission and money. The timing couldn’t have been better. It symbolised the start of a new era. But it also gave the conference crystal-clear clarity of purpose, so every session and every table exercise resonated with every individual in the room.

Point two – Every moment, both in and outside the conference room, was valuable

Returning to that cold-sweat dream of stony silence and awkward interactions, undeniably, we all know that connecting with other people is the greatest value of any conference. So, what worked for us?

• The thought behind our tables – It sounds like a minor detail, but who you’re sat with matters! We got the mix of facilitating staff to make new connections and bond with their teammates just right. During the day, tables were carefully mixed with people from different teams, but with no focus on roles or seniority. Everyone was equal in that room, and that led to an environment where even the shyest and most junior around the table grew comfortable to fully contribute. The role of the table host was also an important one. We identified authentic informal leaders - the sorts of people not currently recognised as such, often overlooked and underused, but whose soft influence makes them powerful allies in changing our culture. Socialising in the evening however was all about spending time with your closest colleagues. You only see that level of competition for a gold chocolate medal and the title of Quiz-Champion between fundraising teams!

• Networking outside of sessions – We all know networking can be daunting. I’ve been there – hovering at the side of the room, checking my phone, making myself look busy. That’s why we set up The Three Chats Challenge – three fun questions to ask each other during the breaks. It was one of those gimmicks I thought may quietly dissipate. But I was completely wrong! It took off – in a big way. Bonds were made between people who wanted to be astronauts and even ‘bin-men’ when they grew up. I’ve since joined meetings where people are still asking one another that very same question. It’s helped build a small but more human bond in our virtual world.    

Point three - Keeping that buzz alive

So, we’re now a couple of weeks post-event. We’re drip-feeding staff videos captured at the conference; we’ve got photo albums ready to go live next week. Anything to keep that conference buzz alive. We’re obviously making plans too. Aside from our 12-month collaborative work-planning kicking off, we’ve mapped out our next steps to change behaviours and create the culture we all want to see – and since the conference, more than a third of the team want to actively play a role to make it happen. Keeping that momentum going now is vital. We’ve built a new level of trust, a sense of excitement for the future, and a belief that perhaps we can do this together.  

Now don’t get me wrong. The blood, sweat and hours (no there weren’t any tears) put into these two days should not be understated. You need to deliver. Expectations are high. But the reward? Greater than I could have imagined. To move from a place where less than 25 per cent of staff engaged to tell us how they were even feeling, to nearly three quarters of staff responding to tell you they get it, they’re on board, and they’re excited about the future – that’s a shift in mindset and behaviour – that’s a changing culture. And after just two days.

Now that’s the power of people in person.

Over the past few months, AAW have been supporting the RNIB with their new income and engagement strategy. If you would like to find out more about our approach of working with teams to co create a strategy and plan that really delivers results, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com

AAW Focus on Fundraising in 2023 - 5 Tips to Help You Appoint That Role

Last week Imogen Ward explored some key opportunities for 2023, including those around the recruitment of leadership positions at NFPs.  Ali Kurn, AAW Group’s Managing Consultant of Executive Search, picks up the baton and reflects on how organisations can improve their chances of placing key roles in a competitive market by adopting a more focused, human and proactive approach to recruitment.

Continuing on a key message from my colleague Imogen last week, charities really cannot afford to be complacent when carrying out recruitment campaigns this year.

As you probably already know, there is a LOT of competition around for leadership roles, particularly in fundraising. With the longer-term impacts of the pandemic and reduced government funding, charities are under so much pressure now from their Boards to meet bold fundraising targets, create a step-change in income growth and diversify funding. There simply aren’t enough people around with the experience and the confidence to deliver on big ambitions.

So, when you are competing for candidates this year, what should you take into account?

Tip 1. Prioritise the Process. Investing time and preparation in the design of your recruitment campaigns right from the start is crucial. Part of that process is giving yourself time to work out what you really want and need in a role, and positively selling the opportunity whilst also being realistic, open and honest about the opportunities and challenges. Rather than simply replacing like with like, a crucial part of our recruitment process at AAW is to use our charity sector experience and expertise to work with our clients to consult and advise them on what they really need in a position to enhance their success. Sometimes appointing an Interim in post can buy you the breathing space to prepare fully for a transitional permanent appointment.

Tip 2. The Package. Something else you need to agree on before you start, and be crystal clear about in your communications, are your salary parameters, expectations around location and flexibility, and the number of days you want someone to be in the office. Salary is now becoming less of a ‘hygiene factor’ and a significant uplift in pay has risen further up the key criteria for candidates in their job searches. We’ve heard of an increasing number of placements at offer stage going awry due to a lack of communication around these issues, particularly around working hours and office presence. So, just how hybrid is hybrid?

There’s a really interesting balance to be struck between what candidates want in terms of flexibility of hybrid working, and the needs of organisations and their teams. In this post-lockdown world we are seeing a real shift whereby more organisations are seeking Directors in the office much more frequently than in the last 2 years to help bring teams together and increase learning and development.

So, whilst the last few years have led to organisations welcoming a wider pool of talent for roles by enabling people to work remotely and potentially live much further away from the office, the reality of managing teams and ambitious targets may well be leading to a bit of conflict in the face of the rise in cost of living and travelling.

Tip 3. Be Organised. To compete in 2023’s recruitment market you need to set and communicate a recruitment timetable that allows the campaign to be robust but swift enough so that you don’t lose good candidates along the way. You should have interview panels identified, briefed and ready, with their diaries blocked out. You should know the decision makers in the process and ensure they have the authority to make decisions throughout, especially after the final interview. Candidates want decisive organisations that want them – make sure you communicate that!

Tip 4. Be Human: On the subject of communication – poor communication can easily lead to candidates taking opportunities elsewhere, or even dropping out of processes. Organisations that do well understand the time, effort and commitment that candidates put into a recruitment process and show that by providing timely and meaningful feedback – often in a one-to-one phone call. Mutual respect is so important, and many organisations could improve the way they communicate this to their candidates. That includes ensuring that your assessment process reflects the key skills and knowledge you’re trying to ascertain. For example, a presentation should be beneficial for both candidate and organisation, enabling a deeper insight and understanding from both sides. 

Tip 5. Go Deeper: We’ve also noticed an increase in the depth of conversations that candidates want about an opportunity and organisation before they decide whether to apply. We spend a great deal of time talking with our candidates, sharing key information from our in-depth briefings with clients on the role, finances, etc and cultivating enthusiasm and excitement. Putting that time and effort in really secures a candidate’s interest throughout the whole process and sets the role apart from others they may be contemplating. 

Over the past few months my team and I have successfully placed C-Suite and Leadership roles in organisations such as Oxfam, Barnardo’s, St John Ambulance, Marie Curie, UK Youth and RNID. We have also worked with Higher Education establishments (in the UK and globally), Hospices, Air Ambulance Charities and NHS trusts.

If you need any assistance with designing and conducting a personal, bespoke and effective recruitment process, please contact me at ali@aawpartnership.com I’d be delighted to have a chat about how we can work together in 2023.

Dreams Come True AAW Group Fundraising Review Case Study

The AAW Group were asked by the wish granting charity, Dreams Come True, to review their fundraising performance and help steer them to a position of growth and development.

Dreams Come True have fulfilled the dreams of over 6,300 children and young adults aiming to deliver moments of magic which have a lasting impact on children who are living in the highest areas of deprivation in the country, and are living with a disability, serious illness, or life-limiting conditions. 

Dreams Come True is a small charity and AAW were able to apply practical recommendations to suit their financial position and ability to invest.

“We had a clear need to review performance, ascertain the possible and set a new strategic direction, and I am delighted that we picked AAW to undertake the assignment. They are impressive and operate in a no-nonsense manner, they tell it how it is, don’t shirk from home truths and clearly set out a direction of travel that whilst ambitious is realistic. Their backgrounds allowed a relatively small charity to gain big charity experience and guidance at an affordable price. The proof of any pudding is in the eating and I would not hesitate to recommend or use AAW again.”

Richard Ashton, CEO Dreams Come True

To find out more about how we can support any plans you have for fundraising reviews, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com.

BRAC AAW Group Income Generation Review and Strategic Support Case Study

AAW were appointed by the development charity BRAC to help develop fundraising performance across Europe.

BRAC was founded in 1972 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in a small village in Bangladesh but has since grown into the largest Southern-led development organisation in the world, running successful programmes to tackle poverty that now reach 100 million people in 11 countries.

Working with colleagues in the UK office as well as offices in the Netherlands and in the head office Bangladesh, AAW were able to support the organisation strategically identifying multiple  opportunities for growth and development.

“AAW helped BRAC UK better define its fundraising strategy across Europe.  This exercise has provided much better clarity about our future fundraising direction and we have benefited a lot from their hugely practical expertise and experience in fundraising across lots of organisations over many years.  

Lewis Temple, Chief Executive BRAC UK

To find out more about how we can support any plans you have for fundraising reviews and strategy support, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com.

Macmillan AAW Group Philanthropy Review and Strategic Support Case Study

Macmillan Cancer Support provides services for people living with cancer at every stage of their cancer experience – in 2021 they reached 2.4 million people affected by the disease.

The AAW Group were appointed to review Philanthropy performance at the charity to make recommendations to help improve this income stream. Through reviewing philanthropy activities over the previous five years and interviewing key staff members, donors and other stakeholders, AAW were able to identify several opportunities for growth.

Over a subsequent period of three years, AAW supported Macmillan to explore those opportunities through strategic development, organisational structure and the appointment of key staff members, helping one of the UK’s most respected and beloved brands raise more funds to support their vital work.

“AAW were terrific partners at Macmillan, helping us drive the philanthropy strategy and plan and realising the full potential of our programme. They have great insight into the world of philanthropy and their combination of strategic thinking and hands on support has been really valuable to me and my team.”

Claire Singlehurst, Director of Relationship Fundraising

To find out more about how we can support any plans you have for fundraising reviews and strategy development and support, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com.

WWF Caucasus AAW Group Review and Strategy Development Case Study

The AAW Group were appointed to support three country offices that make up WWF Caucasus – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – with Income Generation & Engagement reviews, strategy development and support around the appointment of Fundraising Leadership roles.

The Caucasus region is one of 35 global biodiversity priority hotspots identified by WWF as a result of the wide range of wild animals and plants it is home to, with country offices working towards building transboundary protected areas, connecting different protected areas and introducing animal welfare legislation.

AAW’s contribution has enabled the offices in the region to become more self-sufficient with funding and seek increased amounts from individuals, foundations and corporations. Thanks to the work supported by AAW, the three offices have gone from strength to strength and have been successful in taking the next step in their strategic, operational and organisational development.

“AAW helped WWF Caucasus understand our opportunities for developing our fundraising and communications, provided a clear direction and supported us to recruit and develop our team. They were great partners to work with.”

Giorgi Sanadiradz, Executive Director, WWF Caucasus

To find out more about how we can support any plans you have for an income and engagement review, strategy development or organisational support, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com.

London Air Ambulance AAW Group Feasibility Case Study

Formed in 1986, London’s Air Ambulance Charity delivers an advanced trauma team to London’s most critically injured patients across the capital. Using a helicopter from 08:00 to sunset, and rapid response cars at night or in adverse weather situations, the charity brings the hospital to the patient when time is critical.

The AAW Group have been working with London’s Air Ambulance Charity for many years and in 2020 we conducted a feasibility study for a major capital appeal to raise funds for a new fleet.

Following on from the study, we supported the development of the strategy and plan for the Up Against Time Appeal.

Launched in 2022, it aims to raise £15m to support a new helicopter fleet.

“We’ve really enjoyed working with the Team at AAW. The latest project they are partnering us on has been complex and ambitious, but they have supported us at every stage. Their insight and understanding of the fundraising market in the UK is first class, as is their ability to engage across a wide section of stakeholders to effectively drive organisational transformation.”

Louise Robertshaw, Director of Fundraising and Communications London’s Air Ambulance Charity (now Director of Fundraising and Marketing at SENSE)

To find out more about how we can support any plans you have for a major appeal, please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com

AAW Focus on Fundraising in 2023 - Opportunities in Interesting Times (Part 1)

10th January 2023 by Imogen Ward

For some time now we seem to have been living by the fabled Chinese saying/curse of “May you live in interesting times.” Or as a friend put it recently – “I don’t want to live through history anymore: I just want to live.”

So, as we turn the page on 2022 and look blankly at the months ahead, are there really any opportunities out there for 2023? Is this the year when we can finally plough away, produce something pretty good and not have it completely wiped away by a plague or a war or a political implosion?

Because there are opportunities out there my friend. In fact, there are SO MANY that this is a two part blog.

So let’s make a start….

Opportunity 1: Engaging all Communities

Early on in 2022,  I was delighted to host a panel focused around the area of Faith in Fundraising exploring what modern Britain really looks like and how we as fundraisers can engage better.   Folks this was ALL OPPORTUNITY because there are very few not for profits out there really grasping something that is literally on our  doorsteps. Think your average Christian Brit is central casting Songs of Praise circa 1986? Think again. The biggest growing area of worship is in the cities. This is where you will see young people, often with African heritage at Pentecostal churches or young people from Eastern Europe attending Sunday mass in a country that they now consider their home.

Think that deciding in January that you should try and ‘do something for Ramadan’ with a plan to chuck out some Facebook ads in March with something vaguely Islamic on a landing page? NO. Actually take the time and resource to really understand and engage with your audiences that are from Islamic communities and then coming up with a proper strategy and plan? YES.

Faith and identity are complex areas and if I am honest, I think a lot of organisations rule out any engagement for fear of offence.  I get it. But talking to other human beings isn’t rocket science. We know this.  And really it starts from just being curious, respectful, and relevant. Go on. Make 2023 the year that you will try.

Opportunity 2: Making Recruitment Human

So if I had a pound for every Director of Fundraiser that sat in front of me in 2022 with head in hands, silently rocking and whimpering ‘Find me anyone, anyone… PLEASE’ Well. That gas bill would be paid for a start.  But the fact is, if recruitment agencies are telling you that you can fill all those unfillable roles without YOU putting in some effort… then I am afraid you will be very disappointed. C’mon you all know how tough it is out there and agencies can really help here, but it has to work as a partnership not some transactional, crap Alan Sugar imitation of “I am the boss. You deliver, I pay.”

So, boss. Tell me. Are you still insisting on direct sector experience and some sort of magical linear career in fundraising? Oh and a degree. Are you just chucking over a job description largely unchanged from version 5/draft/HR VERSION/2015 that you found on the drive? Is diversity of shortlist even mentioned?  Ruled out doing that quick, cheeky but oh so human piece to camera on LinkedIn selling you and your organisation because you’re too busy? Rejected the idea of perhaps pre sharing with candidates areas that you would like to explore at interview so that you can get the absolute best out of individuals on the day? Working with the agency on a communication plan to candidates beforehand, during and afterwards so individuals are informed at every stage? Nah.

Be prepared to remain with head in hands throughout 2023.

Opportunity 3: Putting Individuals at the Heart

Love them or loathe them but you have to admit that an organisation like Amazon is pretty into YOU as the customer. Using all the data they can possibly glean about you, they send you products and take you on journeys that largely suit your own materialistic desires.

Sadly, most not-for-profits seem to think that showing any interest in an individual supporter’s passions and desires to, you know, make the world better is below them. I mean how could they possibly have the time? They have silos to hammer away at, internal hierarches to nurture, clever ruses against colleagues to plot.  And anyway. Isn’t that new CRM going to sort this all out? 

Please God, let 2023 be the year when organisations actually start to think about how data can inform decision-making and actually spend some time thinking about their supporters as individuals. Not just segments. Not just numbers that are locked in the individual giving room or a service user room or the volunteer room.  But as warmly welcomed house guests that may like a bit of a wander.  Please God, let 2023 be the year when you set your supporters free. I dunno. Perhaps they will love you that little bit more.  Just a thought.

Next time we will explore opportunities in the areas of Digital, Philanthropy and Trustee leadership.  

If you’d like to find out about how AAW can help you in 2023, drop Imogen a line at imogen@aawpartnership.com.

AAW Focus on Fundraising in 2023 – A Change in Mindset

By Tobin Aldrich 3rd January 2023

Throughout the early part of 2023, AAW colleagues and friends will be sharing some thoughts on the opportunities that the new year may bring for those of us working in the field of income generation and public engagement.

Here we start with AAW’s Director of Global Consultancy, Tobin Aldrich, with his reflections on how a change in the leadership mindset to drive a smarter, data-driven and creative culture could be the key to better results in fundraising.

In 2022 we experienced the first (nearly) year of post-pandemic fundraising.

If anyone was hoping for a return to ‘normal’ they must have been sorely disappointed. We went straight from the Black Death to a major war in Europe, which was swiftly accompanied by rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis. Oh, and the planet's on fire.

It all makes us in our jobs as fundraisers look rather small and insignificant. But the fact is there is more need of us than ever as pressure on non-profits to respond to the multiple crises continues to increase. And in 2022 fundraisers were severely tested to find ever more resources when all sources of funding have become more and more constrained.

In many ways it has been surprising that fundraising has held up in recent years as most economies have seen falling real incomes for most people. Many charities did well during Covid as existing supporters really rallied to causes that were relevant in the crisis and/or impacted by it.

2022 though, was hard. There is evidence of falling giving. In the UK, CAF's surveys show significantly fewer people making donations compared to previous years, extrapolating this to four million fewer people donating during the Christmas period compared to previous years. This might be a bit overstated - evidence we have seen has been of charity Christmas appeals doing fairly well, however, results earlier in the year were often pretty dire.

Charities who had rediscovered the value of individual giving programmes in Covid found it very hard to produce anything like the results of 2021, let alone 2020. A lot of money went into digital fundraising programmes that failed to deliver although this was as often because of a lack of the key technical and organisational enablers being in place as it was about the market.

As always there have been big gaps between winners and losers. There has been massive giving to Ukraine - the DEC appeal has raised £390m, the highest since the 2004 Asian Tsunami (and it may exceed it). However, the appeal for the Pakistan floods in September only raised around 5% of that figure.

As with Covid, those organisations that have proved relevant in the cost-of-living crisis have done really well. The UK food bank sector, which didn’t exist before 2010, continues to grow very fast with organisations such as FareShare and Trussell Trust but also many smaller charities raising very significant sums and developing individual giving programmes as a result.

For those charities which are less directly relevant to the causes of the day, the outlook is very challenging. But there is still plenty that they can do to ensure that they can raise what they need to meet the demands on them.

All of the events of the last two and a half years have confirmed what we know about the essentials of successful fundraising.

It is about having absolute clarity of what difference your charity makes in the world and turning that into as strong and emotionally engaging a Case for Support as you can.

It is about knowing the individuals who will care most about your cause and making yourself relevant and accessible to them. We need to stop talking at our audiences and start listening to them.

It is about sorting out organisations to have the right people with the best skills and experience empowered to make the decisions that matter. And equipping them with the tools and technology they need to do the job. The people who don’t have the right skills or expertise need to get out of the way.

There must be a plan, and the commitment to stick to it. And then find all the resources you can to invest in success.

Above all, there has to be a culture that allows people to try stuff, to learn, adapt and succeed.

The world might be on fire (literally), but successful fundraising is still possible. There are some great examples out there. But there isn’t room for complacency or laziness anymore.

2023 will undoubtedly see many non-profit losers but there will be winners too. We know what it takes to be one of them. It is up to the leadership of organisations to make that happen.

In 2022 AAW worked with a wide range of organisations of all shapes, sizes and causes including The Trussell Trust, ICRC, RNIB, St Johns Ambulance and Lincoln and Notts Air Ambulance.  

We can help you with reviews, strategies and feasibility studies as well as supporting your leadership talent needs for both interim and permanent placements.

To find out more please contact imogen@aawpartnership.com  

Leadership Spotlight On… Linda McBain, Chief Digital Officer of Save the Children UK

15th November by Jo Hastie

On Wednesday 7th December, AAW will be hosting a special event in London focused around the cultural and organisational changes NGOs need to make to embrace the full potential of digital.

One of our key speakers at this event will be Linda McBain, Save the Children’s Chief Digital Officer. We caught up with Linda to get a sneak preview of some of the things she will be helping us explore when we get together in December…

Tell us about your journey in digital.

Before moving to the charity sector in 2007, I worked agency side and became their de-facto technology person because no one else could understand computers. I then got my first ‘digital’ roles in the charity sector at CAFOD and British Red Cross before moving to Save the Children in 2011.

What does a Chief Digital Officer do?

I sit at the intersection between the wider business as a whole and technology, thinking about the role of digital and data and how we really utilise it to deliver more impact for children whether that’s improving our finance systems, fundraising and marketing or our wider relationship with the global movement. It’s less about the ‘tech bit’ and more about people, our culture and ways of working.

What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?

I have always held on to the thinking behind the saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’. It is really important for you to create your own path and think about what is going to make you happy and what you want from life. I am happiest and do my best work when I am able to be my authentic self.

How would you respond to Deniz’s blog on the failure of the third sector’s approach to digital?

I am quite optimistic compared to Deniz’s pessimism, so between us we are a good balance!

I don’t think this is simply a charity sector issue. I see many similar issues across sectors from old companies who have a lot of legacy ways of working and technologies. If you weren’t set up as digital by default, then shifting your business model can be tough.

Deniz is right in saying that change isn’t happening fast enough but the reasons behind that are not purely digital ones.

Charity governance is often overly concerned with risk and risk management which holds people back in this area. We see this most obviously in the way organisations plan and budget -  most charities just roll targets over year on year which doesn’t allow for significant changes. We need to be thinking about longer term growth, testing new channels and developing new necessary skills.

I believe there is a risk that the sector is being left open to the potential of more disruption from players who might come in with a digital-first model.

Where do you think Save the Children has made progress?

I don’t think we have everything right yet at Save the Children, but we are thinking across the whole organisation about how we coach staff to prioritise data as that first step to adopting an insight approach to drive growth.  Data is very powerful, but as a sector I wonder if we are utilising it as much as we could to make smart decisions.

We have also adopted more agile principles in the way we work  - focusing on putting the user first, and working collaboratively towards common goals, bringing the right skills together to deliver.

We have invested in our technology, built-up teams and developed skills – but digital is always evolving and changing so it can be difficult to stay up to date.. It’s about carving time and budgets out for a continuous learning and development approach.

What do non-digital leaders need to do now to help their organisations become more digitally enabled across fundraising, service delivery, engagement and social change.

Recognise that they don’t have all the answers, but they don’t need to either. Engage with experts and staff across the organisation who are doing the work every day. Leaders need to become the agents for empowerment and focus on removing barriers for staff to provide the right environment so they can do their best work.

Linda McBain, Simon Waldman and Deniz Hassan will both be speaking at AAW’s free event on 6th December in Moorgate, London focusing on the cultural shift that organisations should be considering to enable digital transformation.

We are now close to capacity so if you would like to join us or know more about the event, contact jane@aawpartnership.com.

Digital - the whole truth

14th September 2021 by Deniz Hassan

It’s time us fundraisers were honest with ourselves – we’ve really dropped the ball on digital.

And what’s worse is that we don’t even know how bad it is.

Here’s a fun little example just to illustrate. TPX Impact recently conducted a survey about digital transformation where a whopping 53% of organisations reckoned they’d class themselves as ‘digitally mature’; only 11% thought they were ‘immature’. At the same time nearly 60% ‘feel they feel they do not have the tools, resources and capacity to achieve their goals’. So we’ve basically got nearly 90% of organisations (that took the survey, I know) who essentially think they’re doing a half decent job but at the same time don’t feel they have the right tools to do a decent job.

When I say ‘behind’ I don’t mean that the actual state of digital in the sector is worse than it has been. Far from it. Organisations are doing more than ever. We’re doing ok tactically for sure (masked a lot by exceptional 2020 results which were obviously much higher across the board). But what I’m saying is that that we’ve moved far too slow and while digital has advanced massively on the whole, charities haven’t. They’re still doing the bare minimum. And the time is getting close to where we’ll stop being able to get away with it.

The holes are everywhere. From our understanding of technologies to how we plan and measure; from skills gaps at both leadership to a lack of talent coming through at operational level; from creating organisational structures that enable digital growth to embracing organisational cultures that allow it to thrive. A bit like the UK under the Tories… everything seems to be in decay.

Let’s start with technology… it’s getting dangerously away from us. While other, more forward thinking sectors are developing technology that brings value across the customer lifecycle, we’re still talking about CRM. We’re still stuck using archaic, monolithic platforms. And our version of a technological silver bullet is to just put a more modern version in. We’re thinking in outdated paradigms and we’re relying on the people selling us products to do the thinking for us. As a result we’re left with siloed data which we can’t accurately report on or segment (to name just two things).

Now let’s come to team structures and cultures, which goes hand in hand with the well-publicised digital skills shortage in the sector. First of all, yes there is a skills shortage. But why? We always assume it’s because ‘all the digital experts out there want to work for the big tech companies for more money’. Well that might be one reason but the elephant in the room is that, as a sector, we simply are not offering the correct cultures and structures that would entice people with these skills into our organisations. Let me ask you, as a budding data scientist, would you rather work in an organisation where you’re surrounded and supported by peers and more experienced leaders all working to achieve the same goals vs being ‘the data guy’ in a charity where nobody really knows what you do, nobody is there to advance your knowledge and you never really get to see the impact of your work?

Which takes me onto leadership. The people that make it all happen. Frankly a group of people who need much more support than is on offer. Support to understand a completely new set of rules; support to understand how to make the right decisions; support to know it’s ok not to know; support to know that it’s ok to try something and fail miserably in the knowledge that you at least did something. Because without this support our tendency is to avoid risk; we trust the wrong people and we make decisions that are short-term.

And because of this, there’s a big old vacuum to fill which is often done by agencies. We see it time and time again… we send out that RFP which we think is going to solve all of our problems. The RFP that says ‘Digital Agency Wanted! Must be able to do absolutely everything with next to no support from us’. And the agencies come knocking. They come armed with creative and spreadsheets alongside big old costs. And they say, ‘we can build you a digital strategy!’ and ‘it’s ok, we’ll do all the measurement for you!’. And then say ‘it’s not working because your content isn’t good enough’ and ‘your website experience isn’t good enough’ and ‘but our figures show it’s all going great’ and (my fave) ‘IT’S IOS 14’S FAULT!!!!’.

And then, after 2 years and £megabucks we say the relationship wasn’t working and we publish the same brief again without even considering what the underlying issues were (see above).

And all of this is why the answer to our digital woes is often to bang in a new CRM, recruit a mid-level manager and sling money at an agency. And why we will continue to fail until we can fail no more.

Is this the future of child sponsorship?

5th September 2022 by Tobin Aldrich

I’ve spent a lot of my career working on individual giving programmes and in particular focusing on regular giving. The late 1990s and early 2000s was the heyday of regular giving in the UK and the model of mass recruitment of monthly donors primarily through face to face has spread across the fundraising world. But the world has got a lot more complicated since then.

When I started in fundraising, the gold standard for a regular giving product was Child Sponsorship. The charities with child sponsorship programmes had the highest value supporters with the best retention of any of the INGOs and were the source of widespread envy from the rest of us. It was easy to see why - child sponsorship, when done well, creates a real connection between the donor and the communities being supported. Sponsorship is a truly one donor to one child relationship and this direct link makes it unique as a modern charity donation product.

The sponsorship concept was successfully applied to a number of other cause areas. WWF have developed a highly successful regular giving product around the concept of animal adoptions and other animal sponsorships also work well. Centrepoint have built a regular giving programme around the concept of sponsorship of a room in hostel. But these are typically not real one to one relationships. WWF’s tiger, for example has a lot of foster parents.

Child Sponsorship always had its critics and those who know how the sponsorship charities operate understand just how complex the administrative process behind it can be. But for a long time it was extremely successful.

For the past decade, however, child sponsorship has been in steady decline in almost all markets. It has become gradually more difficult and expensive to recruit new donors and the result has been slow but remorseless decline. This is now putting more and more pressure for the charities to rethink a model that fundamentally dates back to the 1970s and before.

But perhaps the ship has sailed. For a long time, I’ve been intrigued by the US charity, GiveDirectly. We now have loads of research that tells us that the best way to bring people out of poverty is to give them money. It turns out those who are best able to decide what poor people need are the poor people themselves. Who knew? GiveDirectly were set up in 2008 based on the idea of setting up programmes to identify poor communities and give families regular monthly payments with no strings. The charity was set up by tech people and has been built on data which allows rigorous tracking of payments and measurement of impact.

GiveDirectly has grown massively and is now an over $200m charity but it had been mostly funded by foundations and major donors. I have been waiting for them to develop an individual giving programme for years. The charity has the technology to link an individual donor to a single beneficiary and to track the outcomes which means it could create an extremely powerful donor offer.

And now they have done so. I got an email from them with their new monthly giving product. You can choose a poor family in Africa to give money to and they will get all of that money to raise them out of poverty. And you will be told what that has achieved.

The email I got from them to ask for support was perfectly tailored for this, admittedly probably niche audience. As well as an exceptionally detailed Q&A on how the programme works, they included the results of their A/B testing to launch it! The Q&A is worth checking out, the level of transparency is incredible.

It will be very interesting to see how this product does. GiveDirectly raise so much money from other sources that they might not promote it that hard. How much do donors really care that their money reaches a specific family? (GiveDirectly’s email told me that their test shows that this product produces 28% more recurring gifts than their standard donor offer)

I think this is important. There is a demand from donors, particularly the sort of high information, affluent individuals who give to international causes, for more authenticity and they are getting better and better at seeing though marketing spiel. There’s a market for people looking to make a real impact.

However successful this particular product turns out to be, I think the trend towards authenticity and real one to one connection is clear. This is very challenging for the existing international development charities burdened as they are with decades of organisational infrastructure and approaches that get in the way. If they can’t re-invent their entire model, I wonder how long they can retain their mass individual supporter bases.

Regular giving will continue to be a critical income area for charities. I think we are now seeing what its future might look like.

The Search Is On

30 May 2022 by Jo Hastie

The last few months have been incredibly busy for the AAW Group Search team with many senior roles live on our website, several in the shortlisting process and more in the pipeline over the next few weeks.  As an agency we are not alone. After a few years of uncertainty, the job market is now booming, although recruitment, particularly in fundraising, remains difficult for charities. We talk to AAW Partner Mark Astarita for his perspective on the current interim and permanent recruitment market based on his conversation with candidates, directors and chief execs on a daily basis, as well as advice if you are hiring right now.

Can you give us some context for the impact on recruitment from the pandemic?

The first reaction of trustees and executive teams to the pandemic was understandably to furlough significant staff numbers, freeze recruitment and rapidly reduce costs, leading to an inevitable huge downturn in external recruitment. This was combined with senior staff choosing not to move on from secure jobs and sitting tight to ride out the storm, meaning that organisations had very strong levels of employee retention.

While many headlines and sector bodies predicted a doomsday scenario for charities, Covid’s arrival brought an outpouring of generosity and, for many of our clients, record-breaking fundraising years. The vast majority of fundraisers had never been so busy, pivoting the workforce to virtual, pivoting fundraising activities to accommodate the new environment, and trailing activities that had never been done before to maximise energy and effort.

We saw much resilience and passion from leaders to ensure their organisations survived and thrived, and beneficiaries continued to be supported.

Prior to Covid there was always an issue with turnover with fundraising roles (often because charities don’t offer enough internal development or progression to their staff), but the impacts of the pandemic and increase in workload meant that people didn’t have time or energy to reflect on their next career move.

What has happened in the interim market?

Early on, we were concerned about what might happen to the interims working for us. But many of our candidates were in senor fundraising roles that were absolutely critical when the pandemic hit and we are now have around 40 interim staff working for us (up from 25 just before Covid arrived), out of a pool of over 100 candidates available for work at any given time. Because people weren’t leaving their jobs it became even harder to recruit, with search campaigns failing and interim solutions became the next port of call.

Why are we seeing a big boom in recruitment right now?

April 2021 brought a new financial year with new budgets off the back of record-breaking years and it was at this point, over 12 months on from the first lock down, that many organisations felt more confident about regrowing their fundraising activities.

Fast forward a year and we’ve never been so busy as organisations look to implement ambitious strategies and plans.  However, the challenge and crisis of recruiting well and obtaining talent remains a massive issue for voluntary organisations up and down the country and it’s a conversation we are having with all our clients. It’s one of the reason recruitment agencies like AAW exist in this space.

It means that organisations have to put a lot of effort into retention and personal development; it’s much easier and cheaper to retain great talent than to rehire. The main conversation we are having right now with candidates is around flexibility, hybrid working, job shares and consolidated hours.  Organisations that can be flexible and less controlling will be much more attractive to candidates.

Are they any other key issues around recruitment for clients currently?

Another key focus, and rightly so, for our clients is diversity and inclusion. At the AAW Group we work with the brilliant Friday Promotions, whose founders Basit Kahn and Adil Husseini specialise in connecting brands to ethnically diverse markets by building deep meaningful links that form lasting relationships. They support AAW by leveraging their unique connections and networks to ensure that roles are visible and introduced to diverse candidates who may not feel initially that they can apply.  But as a sector overall, we need to put more effort and energy into removing obstacles that make jobs look impossible to apply for, i.e. years of experience or further education and into bringing people into the sector at entry and secondary levels and making a career in the third sector more attractive to those from diverse communities.

To find out more about AAW’s Executive Search and Interim service please visit or email Jane Medley at jane@aawpartnership.com  

It’s Better By Coach

30th May by Richard Bowyer

One of the benefits of applying for a role through the AAW Group is our offer of a full interview coaching service including face to face or remote mock interviews and developing strategies tailored to our candidates, their unique needs and the posts being applied for. We have had very positive feedback from candidates on this service delivered by our personal coach and associate Anton Packheiser. Below, Richard Bowyer, the Chief Executive of the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals charity, outlines the impact it made on him as he celebrates a year in the role.

On the 10th May I celebrated my first anniversary in a job I love, and without the work I did with Anton Packheiser I’m not sure I would be able to say that.

I joined Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity in May 2021 after almost seven years at Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and six months as a fundraising strategy consultant. I was ready for a new challenge – and ready, I felt, to step into my first CEO role – although after a long period with GOSH I was out of practice at the application process.

The earlier days of my search had a few missteps – including two occasions where I was the second choice candidate. This was both positive in the sense it showed I was a credible candidate as an organisational leader, but also frustrating in my inability to get over line and secure an offer. Being qualified is not enough if you’re struggling to tell your story in way that does you justice in an interview.

What impact did Anton’s coaching have on me? Well, I would point to three different areas.

First, he was full of practical advice. For example, in interview run-throughs, he felt I was selling myself short. He would constantly push me to tell ‘complete’ stories, explaining the full and ongoing impact of decisions I took and projects I led.

Second, he gave me perspective. Job applications can feel like a beauty parade and as an applicant you are particularly vulnerable. Anton’s advice was essentially, if it’s not working it’s probably not the right match for you; when you meet the right charity it will feel the easiest thing in the world.

Third, and much less tangibly, he was there for me through the process. Prepping every interview and debriefing afterward. A job search can feel such a lonely experience, but with Anton’s coaching I knew I was never on my own.

It’s been a brilliant and challenging first 12 months with RBH Charity. We’ve launched new appeals, appointed a fantastic new Chair, written our first grants strategy, moved to hybrid working, completed our biggest ever property project and exceeded our fundraising targets.

Career coaching doesn’t make you into a different person. Your strengths are still your strengths, your achievements are still your achievements. But it can help you find the right approach and confidence to tell your story in the most effective way – and that can make a world of difference.

For more information on our coaching services (and our Executive Coaching Programme for non AAW candidates) visit Career Development | Astarita, Aldrich & Ward (aawpartnership.com)

A Fresh Approach: Engaging with Faith Based Communities

8th February 2022 by Imogen Ward

One of the recurring themes of our work as strategy consultants at AAW is the request from clients to help them discover the ‘new’. New markets, new approaches, new tools, new audiences. I am sorry to burst any bubbles, but stuff that’s genuinely ‘new’ is rarely discovered by jobbing strategy consultants – particularly those working in the not-for-profit sector. So no… I don’t think we can help with the brand new. But fresh approaches… yes.

As we stride into 2022 there are fresh ideas such as the work the brilliant (genuinely ground-breaking) Starcount are trailing at the moment in our sector. This approach, focused around social media behaviours and preferences, can help organisation dig deeper into values and motivations of potential donors.  And yes – perhaps find new audiences.

There are new audiences to be discovered but also those that are close to us, mostly because of our cause, that frankly we haven’t kept a pace with. Let’s start with our faith based audiences and communities.

My friend Andrew Barton has written about engagement with faith-based audiences – with a particular focus on those with a Christian faith. Indeed, a lot of you out there – including individuals working for secular organisations – may still be pouring over results from 2021 Christmas Appeals with the clear knowledge that a healthy income is still coming from a predominately older, traditional church-going audience.

But have you considered how you are reaching a different Christian audience? An audience that reflects the rich diversity of Britain today? Perhaps those that have an affinity with African Pentecostal places of worshop or those from Eastern Europe who are devout Catholics?

Over the past year AAW have been working our friends Basit Khan, Adil Husseini and Jehangir Malik at the Islamic Philanthropy specialist practice Friday Promotions to help clients achieve greater insight into Muslim audiences. Unsurprisingly the great bulk of clients who we and Friday have worked with have been from large, international INGOs – predominately UN-based organisations. In 2021, we worked with the World Food Programme on a Ramadan Appeal with great results and others such as UNICEF, UNHCR, IRC and Save the Children have benefited from the unique insight Friday can bring.

But what about national charities working in a 21st Century UK where over 4.4% of the population now identify as Muslim, making it Britain’s second largest religion?  Where’s the eye-catching Ramadan appeals and campaigns coming from cancer charities, or children’s charities or organisations focused on conservation and climate change?

The area of Jewish Philanthropy is an established and highly valued part of the fabric charitable giving in the UK but how much do we really understand about this faith and community? How much time do we take to consider motivations and the cultural values of Judaism that’s linked to giving? Or indeed the periods of time when giving may be more appropriate or prevalent.  My friend Steve Greenberg talks wisely about this area a lot. Steve’s day job is Assistant Director of Engagement and Partnerships at Diabetes UK, but he’s also a Trustee of the charity Jewish Legacy so has some great insight.

The themes that I’ve raised are complex  – and deeper than of course the numbers of donors on our data base. I am no expert but I am delighted to be Chairing a Webinar on Thursday 9th February 2022 that starts to open up the conversation a little more with those that are – these are of course my friends Andrew Barton, Steven Greenberg and Jehangir Malik.

There’s still time to register if you drop jane@aawpartnership.com a line and if you can’t join but would be interested in receiving a recording of the event, please let her know.

If your organisation’s cause and the impact it hopes to make is truly reflective of  21st Century Britain then it’s vital that you understand all your key existing and  potential audiences and communities, and that you also develop strategies and plans to communicate in an engaging, appropriate and relevant way. Carve out some time for some fresh thinking. Delve into areas you don’t understand yet. Be curious. Be open. Champion this in your organisations.

It’s not new thinking but I promise it will invigorate.

Firm Foundations - Helping Strengthen AAW’s Philanthropy Offer

28th June 2021 by Jo Hastie

Earlier this month, Jennie Gillions joined the AAW Group as an Associate Senior Consultant.

Jennie is a highly experienced philanthropic funding and partnerships expert with 14 years’ private and institutional fundraising, strategy development and relationship management experience within international and UK non-profit organisations. Jennie was Global Philanthropy Lead for ActionAid International and has had senior trusts and institutional fundraising roles with Médecins du Monde, British Heart Foundation and British Red Cross amongst other charities. She has secured major grants from a wide range of trust and institutional funders including the National Lottery, EU, NORAD, Elton John Aids Foundation, Zochonis and a variety of family/ corporate trusts, and we are delighted she is joining the AAW family to share her expertise with our clients. Below she tells us more about her background and some of the key issues that are relevant to charities’ philanthropic fundraising right now.

Can you tell us about a few of your achievements in funding.

I accidentally fell into the voluntary sector after getting my degree in history, working in my first Trusts and Foundations fundraising job at the Refugee Council, after five years as a volunteer manager, mainly because I love writing! I achieved my first grant of £5,000 for interpreting services for women fleeing Sri Lanka and the DRC.

My most significant bids have been in a sector I love – international development. I spent two years at the Red Cross and secured grants totalling £1.4 million from the Big Lottery Fund for refugee services in England and Scotland and an additional £600,000 from the EU for anti-trafficking projects in Europe, as well as funding for post Ebola work in Sierra Leone.

One of the most challenging bids I worked on was for the French-headquartered charity Médecins du Monde to the Elton John Aids Foundation for funding for counselling and HIV services for sex workers in Moscow. It was particularly difficult given President Putin made changes to the law twice during the grant application period, making it even harder for people to access healthcare and meaning we had to change our approach to avoid frontline delivery staff breaching new legislation. Satisfyingly, the bid was successful though, raising £650,000 over a two year period for the project.

I also spent 2.5 years at ActionAid International as the Philanthropy and corporate partnerships lead, which was like an internal consultant role in the Global Secretariat, supporting colleagues in Africa, Asia and Brazil to understand how to access grant funding from corporate sources, individual major givers, and trust and foundations. I carried out training, helping them to create strategies, reviewed their cases for support and provided guidance on what donors are looking for. I enjoyed exploring and understanding how to put their stories across to philanthropists, so that they would want to invest.

Tell us about your new involvement with AAW

I was contacted by AAW after being made redundant from ActionAid, along with many other staff members, partly as a result of the pandemic. Being an associate and freelancing appealed to me to give me more variety and freedom to solve problems – something I particularly like to do, but which can be more difficult in an organisation with heavy bureaucracy and layers of permissions to get anything done.

I want to help people solve their problems and overcome barriers to fundraising, working out the reasons why you are not raising money, which aren’t always obvious – perhaps your fundraising policies are wrong, your back-end support isn’t right or your board isn’t supportive of fundraising.

I also love helping others with grant writing. The trafficking grant I worked on was drafted by a colleague using English as a second language. I loved editing that down, making the story-telling stronger and making the project more appealing to the donor. I could write bids for the rest of my life!

Story-telling and language come across as key interests in your background, tell us why.

What I love about grant writing is getting the perfect word and language to communicate clearly. My parents were both journalists and I am very keen on the use of inclusive language in international development; so many UK, EU and US funders write in very formal English and there is no attempt to translate for other audiences. For countries where British or American English is not their first language, they are already at a disadvantage. If people are serious about decolonising funding, they need to make their language more accessible.

I recently completed a certificate in Philanthropic Psychology from the Institution of Sustainable Philanthropy founded by Professor Jen Shang and Professor Adrian Sargeant. The course explored the psychology of how people respond to being spoken to in different ways and getting into the mindset of donors in the way you talk – what language you use and how people respond to that language and specific words, bringing them with you on the fundraising journey.

What do you think the key issues are currently around trusts and foundations and institutional fundraising?

One huge issue right now is the decolonisation of Aid, which is key within the international development sector. Some trusts and foundations may be quite conservative and this is not an issue for them (though it should be), but many younger and/or more progressive donors who are interested in Black Lives Matter, Pride and #CharitySoWhite, for example, will increasingly be looking at donating to causes where they can see charities actually doing something on these issues, not just talking about them. And charities need to do their part to influence an institutional shift; if you are serious about having African nationals running African NGOs you need to be having conversations with your funders about transferring funding directly to those organisations.

In the UK context, ‘decolonisation’ feeds into how organisations manage diversity and inclusion.

Another interesting issue in the UK is grant-makers’ investments. In May, two of the Sainsbury family trusts won a case against the Charity Commission that means funders in England and Wales can exclude companies not adhering to the Paris Agreement from their investment portfolios, if investing in those companies would run contrary to funders’ charitable objectives. They haven’t been allowed to do that before, because English and Welsh law emphasised high financial return; the ruling means funders can invest ethically, even if that means they’ll have less money to give away.

Finally, we still don’t know what the impact will be post-pandemic for trusts and foundations (including corporate foundations and trusts that are vehicles for individual philanthropy) after the last couple of years – I think it will take a while to see the impact on levels of funding to the sector.

Jennie is available to offer strategic and hands-on support with all your trusts & foundations requirements. If you’d like to find out more contact her at jennie@aawpartnership.com.

The CRM Dilemma

20th June 2021 by Tobin Aldrich

Yes folks we are deep into the age of the big CRM switch. Here our Principal Partner (and database guru) Tobin Aldrich offers a few words of advice (and warning) if you have the task of leading a big switcheroo in 2022.

One of the real joys of being a strategic consultant is the variety of clients you work with. In the past year or so, we've worked with organisations from across the UK and Ireland and countries as varied as the US, Bangladesh, Egypt and Uruguay. We've worked with non-profits of pretty much every description and cause area from local and regional charities to massive UN organisations. The projects we've done have been incredibly varied, including market entry studies, auditing and reviewing fundraising and marketing functions, developing major appeals and campaigns, creating change strategies and supporting restructures as well as lots of recruiting.

Despite this diversity, there are some common themes in all of our projects and clients. Fundraising only works when it is fully embedded in everything that a non-profit does. Everything in the end comes back to strategy and people, and one can't work without the other.

Another common thread is that everyone understands they need to make their organisations digitally enabled and data driven but hardly anyone has the systems they need to make this happen.

At the moment it feels like every one of our clients either is in the middle of or about to embark upon replacing their CRM database. These are very significant projects involving major investment and which take up very large amounts of organisational time and attention.

As may have been mentioned, I've been around for a bit. But I did have a life before fundraising and a big chunk of that was spent in the IT sector. I've been involved in major business systems projects since the days when the computer was a big box the size of a room with less memory than today's pocket calculators. I've spent quite a lot of time specifying and implementing CRM systems and while the technology has moved on, the basics of successful systems implementation are exactly the same now as they were thirty years ago.

It's extremely frustrating to see CRM projects go wrong today for the same reasons as they have for decades.

There are I think, five key ways your new systems implementation doesn't give you the answer you wanted:

Unrealistic expectations. The tech industry has been over-hyping what it can deliver since the first Colossus was turned on at Bletchley Park and is still merrily selling blue sky solutions to this day. We are constantly told that the latest whizzy thing (marketing automation anyone?) will magically solve all previous problems. You know what? If you put the same crappy data into a system with the old structure that the intern came up with a decade ago, you get the same rubbish results in a shinier box.

Mission creep. Out of unrealistic expectations comes an overly ambitious project. It's a great idea to put all of your data into one database, right? So combine all information about everyone the organisation deals with into one place. Makes sense. The problem is that you have committed yourselves to replacing not only the fundraising system but the services database and potentially other business systems across the organisation. All with own processes and needs. Oh and systems able to handle all of these functions together are much more expensive. When actually you could have got the integration that is actually essential by taking feeds from all of these systems and putting them into a data warehouse. Someone needs to make a properly informed decision about what information is actually needed when, where and by whom before you buy a Rolls Royce when a Nissan Micra would have done.

Too much focus on the brand, not enough on the people. There's lots of focus on which system a charity should adopt. Salesforce, Dynamics, Raiser's Edge? Usually it doesn't matter all that much which particular system is selected as most popular CRMs do basically the same things in pretty similar ways. It is all about how the solution is specified and implemented. And crucially who by and how good they are.

Knowledge gaps. A fundamental problem is the gap between the people who know how the system works and those who understand the business processes. This is definitely an issue in fundraising where there is a combination of some quite quirky processes and activities, and a workforce that isn't particularly digitally literate. The lack of digital understanding often seems to increase in proportion to the seniority of the individual. There are not many people who both thoroughly understand how fundraising works at a granular level and who can transfer that into a proper specification and architecture for a business system. If someone like that is not at the heart of a new implementation (on the client side), you are in trouble.

Ownership. Senior ownership of the project is crucial. This is not just oversight of a project board, it is active engagement in making sure not only that the project has priority for time and resources but that it keeps to its scope and vision. Unless the new system is bringing significant improvements in business processes, the investment is being wasted. All the way through the project, there will be pushback against change and unless this is challenged, existing inefficiencies will be replicated in the new environment.

Planning and timescales

Just as the IT industry over-promises on the technology, it consistently underestimates how long it takes to implement systems properly. Or vendors promise to hit unrealistic deadlines to win contracts.

The reality is that everything will take longer than you think. And cost more. But the more time you spend upfront on the preparation, the more time and money overall you will save. Getting the specification right is both absolutely essential and really hard. There will always be the temptation to rush to the solution, but if key issues aren't identified and dealt with up front they will come back and bite. These are often nothing to do with the technology itself. How can you know what reports you want out of the system if the charity hasn't completely clarified what its key fundraising KPIs are, how they are defined and how they should be measured? And if your overall fundraising objectives aren't clearly set, how can you come up with these KPIs?

The key point is that technology doesn't solve organisational problems. Non-profits need to answer the important questions about why they need information, who needs it, in what form and when before they embark on major technology projects. Then the right skills and experience need to be brought together to come up with the most practical answer and that project has to be given real organisational support and priority.

Embarking on a new CRM project isn't something to be attempted lightly. But the pitfalls can be avoided with a combination of strategy, planning and resources. Oh and time, lots of time.

If any of the above sounds familiar or resonates, drop Tobin a line. We won’t be able to solve all your problems, but we can help you with the structure around planning, process and measurements. Tobin can be reached at tobin@aawpartnership.com.