Fundraising Bright Spots

How can you increase high value income for your charity? Clearly context matters - the same strategies will not work for every charity - but if you want ideas and an increased belief that growth is at least possible, then a good place to start is to look at a fairly small charity that’s achieved an impressive year on year uplift in major gifts income. In this episode of the Fundraising Bright Spots podcast, Rob Woods talks to Tony Gaston about the strategies he feels contributed to the way EMMS

There is no factor more important to your success as a fundraiser than your grit. But is it possible to become more resilient? In this episode of Fundraising Bright Spots, Rob Woods explores the inspiring research of Professor Angela Duckworth who talks about ‘grit’ in terms of how able you are to keep on moving forward, in spite of the setbacks you face. Rob shares key lessons he has learned from studying successful fundraisers over two decades and he shares four ways any of us can improve our

Most fundraisers agree that you won’t achieve serious growth without first investing in fundraising. But how do you actually persuade the board to invest? In this episode of Fundraising Bright Spots, Rob Woods talks to Adam Heuman, Director of Engagement at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In three separate charities (of varying sizes) Adam has asked the board to invest, and all three times his request has been successful. Rob and Adam talk about what holds many fundraising

One major challenge for a fundraiser is how you help your colleagues and trustees to see things from the supporters’ point of view. In Episode 4 of the Fundraising Bright Spots podcast, Rob Woods interviews the individual giving expert Rachel Hunnybun about one personalised thank you project and the difference it made to the charity. She explains how handwritten thank you cards were written to anyone who had given more than the amount they normally gave (even if that gift was relatively small), and

Taking full advantage of an opportunity makes a huge difference to your fundraising momentum. In this episode of Fundraising Bright Spots, Rob Woods talks to Jo Bega, Chief Executive of Child Rescue Nepal. The charity’s Radio 4 Appeal was one of the most successful of the year and in this interview Jo explains how they achieved these stunning results. This included securing investment from the board, tactics with the script and story-telling and ways to help existing supporters make the most of the

Many charities spend huge effort recruiting people to do fundraising events, but often fail to inspire them to become long-term supporters. In episode 2 of Fundraising Bright Spots, Rob Woods asks Andy King to explain how he went about solving this missed opportunity when he worked at East African Playgrounds. The strategy was so successful that it was a major factor in the charity’s income growing three-fold in three years. Andy explains how he achieved a better understanding of the supporter’s

How can anyone improve their fundraising skills and results? In this first episode of Fundraising Bright Spots, Rob Woods explains a powerful tactic he has been using to help charity fundraisers grow their results over the last two decades. He explores the power of modelling or ‘searching for bright spots’ and shares the most common reason we tend to run out of steam too early when trying to get better at a fundraising skill. Rob describes the particular steps he took early in his career, to improve