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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Backchat: putting the fun back into fundraising

This opinion piece is over 8 years old
 

London-based fundraising consultant Debbie Royale believes fundraising in Scotland can rise above recent scandals and become a model for the UK

It was the first piece of advice I’d been told as a rookie fundraiser and something which I hold true to today: "Charity is an easy sell," my old boss used to say. “Look after the donors and the funds will come”.

That was 20 years ago when I worked at Cancer Research UK but despite the toughest year imaginable fundraising is still an exciting and worthwhile profession.

As a fundraising consultant I’ve never been busier. Organisations are currently worried about regulations, mainly because the recent fundraising scandals have left them confused as to what is right and what is wrong. I’m frequently asked by fundraisers if it is ok to call donors direct or send them emails - that's how cautious the profession has become.

I moved to London 20 years ago from Scotland and have worked with charities all my life. I attended the SCVO fundraising conference last week because I’m now working with a number of Scottish clients who I have just taken on after the recent fundraising furore.

And I agree with what was being discussed: Scotland has an opportunity to go it alone and distance itself from the problems south of the border creating a regime that is more conducive and more favourable for raising cash.

The industry has been caught out – that much is obvious. Not through bad practice specifically but because it has rested on its laurels for too long. Three bodies currently preside over fundraising guidance in the UK. That’s crazy.

And because the industry couldn’t sort itself out we got it imposed on us. We can only blame ourselves for that.

People need to feel motivated to give and to keep giving
People need to feel motivated to give and to keep giving

Yet the public still want to give. That’s not changed. The problem is now they rightly want greater assurance their money is being spent wisely and not on big salaries and unnecessary running costs.

My consultations approach fundraising from a back-to-basics approach. I tell charities that while the big charities have the publicity and resources, charity begins at the local level. The greatest lure for the public is that a charity is local and supports its community.

That’s why the local football team can rake in thousands from a weekend bag pack at a supermarket: people relate and enjoy supporting their own. Fundraising has lost its way: the big charities have monopolised giving to such an extent smaller charities – which are the lifeblood of the sector – don’t feel they can compete.

People need to feel motivated to give and to keep giving. The occasional donor is actually the most common type in the UK so fundraising is often about directly approaching the public and asking them to give.

Regular donors – those who sign for direct debits – are small in number but raise a massive amount of cash. They are highly sought after because it means a charity has a reliable income source from donations, which is normally the most fickle of income sources.

And that’s where it all went wrong. As the bigger charities got more desperate to ensure their standing costs, they became more direct in their approaches and more commercial in their philosophies. That was a huge mistake.

The industry is in a state of flux but that’s all. Fundraisers have a more important roll to play more than ever. But then I would say that wouldn’t I!