Donation instead of company Christmas Card

As we come up to the Christmas holiday I’m sure you are thinking of ways to thank your suppliers and customers and encourage them for 2012. I have found that the traditional company Christmas card gets lost amount the mountain of others. The recipient does not remember receiving yours or even notices if they don’t. There is also the environmental impact to consider! If you make a donation to The Rainbow Centre instead of sending cards you have an opportunity to contact your customers, suppliers and prospects letting them know what you are doing. This stands out, giving you a much higher profile.

I would suggest sending an e-mail with a little bit of design with the following wording;

Dear ( supplier, customer, prospect name here)
( your company name) would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We have chosen not to send Christmas cards this year, but are instead making a donation to The Rainbow Centre. We will be able to make a donation of £ ( this can be calculated to include the card and postage costs). ( You might like to add ):We have decided to round up / match this to bring the donation to £xx.
It would be a wonderful gift to the children and adults supported by Rainbow if you would join me in this alternative to Christmas cards.
The Rainbow Centre is one of the region's major charities and exists to support children and adults with neurological problems. Please take a few moments to view their website at www.rainbowcentre.org
We would like to wish you a relaxing Christmas and New Year and a prosperous 2012.
Kind regards

I do hope you will want to support us in this way.

Charity Giving

Charities are having a hard time with more than a third of people in the UK giving less to charity than they did before the recession. Which might not be too surprising, however a survey carried out by independent research company markettiers4dc indicated that 35% are giving less because of the economic downturn and 4% have stopped giving completely. A small chink of sunshine in this blackened sky is that 8% said they were giving more.


It is interesting to note that when asked to choice which from a list of suggestions would encourage them to give 75% chose not having to commit to regular donations and 60% chose donating privately without anyone knowing they were doing so.

A different set of research shows that organisations applying for a “Reaching Communities” grant from the Big Lottery Fund have a less that 10% chance of success!

Online Fundraising

Income in the Third Sector is disproportionately distributed – this also applies to online fundraising sites. The majority of these sites are dominated by larger charities. Larger charities are also on those sites that target the smaller charities and the smaller charities simply do not have the resources to compete. The majority of these sites charge set up or monthly fees and often a fee per transaction as well. This has a disproportionate impact on smaller charities.

Charities income sources can differ according to their size. Many of the smallest (50% have under £50k income) are reliant on cash donations and cheques from local community based forms of fundraising.

Generally amongst the smallest charities there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about online fundraising, also for some a lack of IT equipment and skill in their organisation. Many are run solely by volunteers. The majority of the Small Charities Coalition’s members say they have no experience or rate themselves as beginners in online fundraising. Of the 85% of them who ask for help with fundraising an increasing number are asking for help with online fundraising.

Advice to small charities:

• Do your research and find out about fees. Some provide additional support with the development of the charity’s page which might make the fee more reasonable.
• Do your sums – calculate whether a lower transaction cost will offset a higher set up fee or vice versa. Be realistic about how much you are likely to raise from this channel and assess whether it enough to outweigh the costs – don’t forget you also need to factor in the time to set up and maintain your web presence.
• Register for Gift Aid – until April 2011 you will get 28p extra for each £1 given if you do and the donor has completed a deliration. It is crucially important that you encourage all your donors to use Gift Aid, if they are eligible.

 Advice to donors:

•  Also do your research and sums – which site will pass on the best deal to your chosen charity
• Use Gift Aid and other forms of tax effective giving – payroll giving, CAF account

 

From a Gift Of Life to a Gift After Life

In my last entry I talked about organ donation and the gift of life that it may bring. I’d like you to think about another sort of gift that you can make upon your death.


It's a common myth that only the rich and famous leave money to charity when they die. This couldn't be any further from the truth. The reality is without the gifts left in wills many of the charities we know and support today wouldn't even exist. With the challenges facing us all in this difficult economic climate I think that legacies are going to become even more important to charities.

I’m always delighted by the generosity of our community, with 74% of the UK population supporting charities. When asked, 35% of people say they'd happily leave a gift in their will once family and friends had been provided for. The problem is only 7% actually do.

That's why, if we all leave some money in our wills for charity as well as our family, we can make a huge difference. In fact, if we can raise this figure to just 11% we would create an additional £1 billion for charities in the UK every year, which would ensure that their work lives on.

Legacies are the foundation for many of the charities in the UK. Some of the larger charities receive a third of their income this way. For the smaller charities it can be vital in making sure that all the good work they do can continue.

So, you don't have to be rich and famous to make a contribution that can make a difference. We can all do something amazing for the world just by leaving a gift in our wills to charity.

A jolly good "fellow"!

Yesterday I received my certificate showing that I have been elected a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM). The Institute is the world’s largest professional body for marketing and business development.
I have been a member of the CIM for 12 years, and as you know I’m passionate about professionalism within the voluntary sector. I believe that charities must be run in a businesslike manner and prove to their benefactors that they are managed in both a cost-effective and efficient way. During these challenging economic times those who work within charities need to be savvy marketers and be evermore ready with a business plan and proof of where public donations are being spent.

This is the second open event that I have taken part in in as many weeks. Although the Wessex Cycle Festival (http://www.cyclefestival.com/) is not strictly a charity fundraising event it has presented a great opportunity to get involved. My small attempt to support both Wessex Heartbeat and the Festival was a 25 mile bike ride from Somerton to Glastonbury and back. As I struggled up a long steep hill, thankfully not to the Tor, I thought that on a bike gravity is rather like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. I certainly loved gravity as I sped down the other side at 40 miles an hour! I was pleased with my time of 1hr 58mins. Although I felt it was a bit tough having to cycle 3 miles to and from the car park! We were blessed with a fantastic day and it was enjoyable cycling past fields of buttercups with lambs in. There were a couple of magnificent bulls, one black as coal and shining in the sunlight like satin.

The more I think about the sorts of things one can do to support charity the more I am convinced that charities should offer as wide a choice as possible. After all people support charities for very different reasons; the kids have left home, it's a milestone birthday, that special anniversary, they are recovering from an illness or a bereavement, having a midlife crisis ( I do hope that is not me!). Or they are just looking for the challenge of a lifetime?

If as a charity you only offer a couple of your own events you run the risk of appealing only to those people interested in those particular activities and that they will be free on those dates. You also take all the risk, which doses not strike me as prudent particularly in this economic climate. However, if you can offer a wide range of events and dates you maximise the opportunities for your supporters to find an event that excites them and at a time that suites them. Of course you can’t put on all these events yourself so partnerships with other charities and event organisers spreads the risk and in the case of open challenges negates the risk completely. I’m always mindful that money gifted to my charity is in my care and I have to be the best steward I can be. After all the money has not been given to the charity to pay for more fundraising.

I found the Just Walk event (http://www.acrossthedivide.com/) inspiring as there were over a 100 charities supported by 850 walkers. There were plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons both literally and by learning about other charities and the stories behind the walkers.