19 Ways to improve your fundraising

Despite your desperate hopes and prayers, donors are unlikely to just wander into your organisation. You need to get out there and look sharp, and the Enfys Acumen has the tips to help you do it.

Why don't you print this out, post it up and integrate it into your fundraising plan—and get ready for tons of new donations.

First the basics...

1. Create quality (well-written!) fundraising materials

2. Greet potential donors (that’s everyone!) with style

3. Focus as narrowly as possible – narrow your target audience to highly qualified prospects

4. Make the most of meetings – go along for a purpose, not just because you are expected to be there

5. Find out what other fundraisers are doing and learn from them

Then get friendly...

6. Offer your help

7. Offer case studies of what your organisation does

8. Network

9. Cross-promote with other charities in your area

You must get online...

10. Offer an e-brief

11. Don’t wait for donors to find you online, use blogs, submit PR, get links to your website

Spread the word...

12. Go to places where your best prospect donors are to be found

13. Become an expert in your field

14. Host a seminar

15. Get local news coverage

Remember customer service...

16. Thank you, Diolch, Merci, Gracias

17. Offer commitment – a guarantee

18. Get them talking about you

Spreading the word again...

19. When in doubt, pick up the phone

If you need help with any of the above, why not contact us, we would be pleased to help. Click here

Success - creating a life that matters

Are you a successful person? That is a huge question isn’t it? What does success mean? Do you judge success by how much money you have in the bank? How many people you people you employ? Is it determined by the kind of car you drive or the type of house you live in? Success can mean different things to different people can’t it?

I came across a great book recently called Success built to last: creating a life that matters. It is written by Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery and Mark Thompson. They have focused their work talking to over 200 people the world over who have achieved great personal success and fulfilment that will last their lifetime and beyond. Some of the people are famous some are not – just ordinary people who share powerful patterns of lifelong success. I don’t want to give the whole story away and thoroughly recommend that you read book yourself, but would like to share this quotation with you:

“Healthy, sustainable societies require the creation of healthy, sustainable organisations, and great organisations and societies can only be built by human beings who can grow and create meaningful success.”

The book talks about three simple pieces that must fit together for lasting success:

• Meaning

• Thought

• Action

The authors stress that putting these pieces together is not an easy process, but that is what the Enfys Acumen is all about isn’t it?

If you need support to develop your understanding of what the meaning of success is to you, to develop the kind of thought patterns that encourage you to be succesful and to plan the actions you need to take, then why not get in touch today.

Springtime - the promise of a new beginning

As the mornings and evenings grow lighter and as the last of the winter frosts disappear, there is a great feeling of a new beginning. The first trees are in blossom and the others have green buds. The grass is starting to grow faster than even the most avid gardener can mow it. Readers of the Enfys Blog will know that I am a keen gardener and get great pleasure from getting my hands dirty in my allotment, watching seeds I have planted, pop through and the satisfaction that comes from lovingly tending them and harvesting the benefits later in the year. I am confident that a bit of manual labou is really good for the soul and it is true what they say about your own produce tasting so much better than anything you can buy in the shops.

Now don’t you think that this is a great time of year to look back at those New Year resolutions, to review progress and to take any corrective action needed. As a coach with a keen professional awareness of the way that the seasons can affect our feelings and attitudes, can we ponder a little?

The chances are that you made those January resolutions in the midst of a cold, grey and wet winter. That probably made your emotions and optimism pretty cold, grey and wet too. But, when the natural world is bursting with the promise of a glorious spring and the warmth of summer, this is an ideal time to decide that you too will start over and put right anything that you feel needs correction in your own life.

Unless we humans interfere with nature, it has its own graceful balance, don’t you agree?. The old and used makes way for the new and vibrant. Anyone can do the same with their own thoughts and attitudes. Perhaps those fondly held beliefs that served you well in the past are due for an overhaul. Perhaps it is time to restore your own natural balance.

I’m a great believer that balance means harmony rather than discord and I suggest that this should include a brief but thorough examination of all the areas of your life - relationships, career, health, finances, leisure and talents.

Let me describe one coaching client to you:

This man was a success by most material measures. Despite his large house, ample income and luxury car, he was an unhappy person. He had spent so much energy building his business that he had no time left for all those other aspects of his life. As our coaching sessions progressed he began to work on restoring the balance. Within weeks he had found happiness too and without putting any of his material gains at risk either.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of his approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact me anytime to find out more.

Let me finish with this - Just think, you would have to be a very cold individual indeed to totally ignore the promise of this time of the year. So take some of that promise for yourself and then make sure that it is a promise that is delivered. You deserve nothing less.

Teamwork and bicycles

My daughter Elinor came home the other day saying that her primary school would be starting an after-school cycling proficiency club in a few weeks and she wanted to join. This got me thinking as always and I remembered an article I wrote some time ago about teams and thought it was worth resurrecting it in the Enfys Blog.

Now teams are one of those areas that some people assume look after themselves - put a few individuals together, call them a team and off we go, but a team is just like a human being though, isn't it?. It is born, grows up and hopefully reaches maturity. It has its own personality, its own needs and characteristics and its own pattern of development.

Just putting half a dozen people together in the same place to work does not make them a team. It makes them half a dozen individuals in the same place. If teams develop well, everybody wins. If they don't, well who knows what might happen, but it is unlikely to be as positive or successful as it could be.

Why not take a few minutes to think about a team that you belong to.

• Does everyone know exactly what the team's purpose and objectives are?
• Is the leadership style and approach participatory, not autocratic?
• Do the team members between them have all the skills and attributes the team needs?
• Is the climate one where people are always open and honest and don't hold back?
• Do team meetings and discussions help you to operate as a real team?
• Do you regularly ask the question, "how are we doing as a team?"

Let’s get back to that bicycle…

Think about a bike and you see that it works because there is a whole range of different components: wheels; pedals; a frame; handlebars and so on. Some components look shiny and some, like the saddle, should make you feel comfortable. The chain on the other hand is probably greasy, and you don't really like getting your hands on it, but you can't operate effectively without a chain.

The makeup of a team is much the same, isn’t it? There will be some people who play a part you are very comfortable with and others you find difficult to handle, who make you feel uncomfortable.

But… teams are people aren’t they? They are not parts of a bicycle. And because teams are people, they are emotional and have feelings.

A key hallmark of an excellent team is its members’ ability to say what they think or feel, without putting other people down or being put down themselves. For individuals to make a worthwhile contribution they have to feel valued and listened to, even if they don’t always get their own way. They have to feel other people want to hear from them.

What kind of team member are you?

• Do you listen to other people’s contributions? Remember - listening is an active process. It isn’t the same as waiting your turn to speak

• Do you accept that you aren’t the only one with feelings who get hurt? Everyone does, so put yourself in their shoes and don’t take it personally or make it personal

• Do you recognise the importance of all the other team members and the roles they play? Accept that someone is trying to make a positive contribution and accept that a quiet individual may need encouragement to speak their mind

• Do you deal with the facts, not the individual? If you disagree with a point of view say “I disagree with the point of view”, not “That’s stupid”

• Do you respond or do you react? Think for a couple of seconds before you launch in with a personal counter-attack, especially when it is someone whose team role is very different to yours

Is it time to give your team some TLC?

There is no need to struggle with trying to make the group of people you work with or sit on the same committee with you into a team. The Enfys Acumen would be delighted to give you the help you need. Why not get in touch today?