It had to be done – it
almost certainly has been done on a million blogs on a million other topics too.
What can fundraising learn from London 2012? Here, in no particular order, are
the top 5 things I, Kathryn Brooke, think we can learn.
One - Being British is no bad
thing.
We’re cool again. If you are a British charity that is nothing to shy
away from. Yes we need to be sensitive to our beneficiaries – I am in
particular thinking international charities here.
We don’t want to go back to
selling some colonial idea of the white man in the safari suit saving the day.
But for us UK fundraisers our donors are (mostly) British - so let them
know they are supporting a British charity. They are playing their part in the
good our country can do.
Two - Merchandise is also cool.
Whilst I was never an Olympic cynic (I spent 7 years in pre excitement build
up,) I never in a million years thought I would buy myself a ‘Team GB’ T-shirt
or an official GB running top (for when I bumble along at the pace of a snail),
or even a Wenlock (yes the weird looking toy thing!), but I did.
Now whilst I
am not suggesting you go out and spend your entire fundraising budget on toys
and t-shirts, I think there is something about getting people to feel so proud
of their charity that they want to wear our tops or buy our mascots.
Making people want to feel
proud to support your charity can only have a good effect. And that effect
could be they wear your t-shirt, But if you don’t have merchandise it could
just be that they tell their friends about you or just keep that regular gift
coming.
We must make sure our communication is making people feel proud of what
they have done and not just telling them all the things we have done.
A great example of this is
the lottery posters thanking everyone for their support – you haven’t just
bought a lottery ticket – you’ve got Jessica Ennis a gold medal!
Three - Volunteers are amazing.
Weren’t the games makers great? I found myself high-fiving them again and again
– me, a grown woman, doing that. And as morale started to drop a little when I
was held in a queue to Stratford station, who was there to pick everyone up and
make sure we went home with the excitement that we arrived with? All
volunteers, just doing their bit.
Now how many of us having sighed deeply
when an email comes round saying ‘we have a volunteer in for the next 3 weeks
so please think of how they can help you’? I know I have been guilty of this;
having thoughts like ‘in the time it takes me to explain I could have done it
myself’ and ‘I just need to get my head down today, I don’t have time to answer
a load of questions’.
But actually we need to
remember volunteers are amazing. They come and work for free. FOR FREE. That is
a massive gift to give. And with a bit of (yes I know) time and support they
can do so much for your organisation, not just in terms of work but in the good
word they spread to everyone.
Four - Competition can be good.
Yes it is the taking part that counts, but look at David ‘4 Golds’ Weir; it is
about the winning too.
So how can we use this to improve our fundraising?
Obviously it has to be done carefully and is not just about who gives the most
money. It has to be relevant to your cause and to your fundraising. And
throwing out prizes left right and centre is possibly not going to make it
look like you are spending money wisely.
However, when done well, it
can really add benefits. The most obvious place for it to work is probably
community fundraising and I really like this idea from Save the Children (Target 150).
But it can also be used for telephone and street fundraisers. The incentive
doesn’t have to cost money or take time. A card to say thank you each week to
the best performer or a spare cup, t-shirt or pen can really motivate and
encourage the team.
Five - It’s all about the emotion.
Anyone else feel like the Games became the new romcoms? I felt like I should
have been watching them with a box of chocolates, glass of wine and massive
packet of tissues. Yes it’s about the sport and excitement on the day. But it
is also about the sheer determination and dedication it has taken everyone to
get there.
We can sit and talk
rationally about the games – about the costs, about the benefits to future
generations, the development of the east end, but really it is the personal
stories that make the lips wobble and the tears flow.
So the next time someone
says ‘why do you need a case study, you should be explaining the context, not
just talking about one child’ - ask them what made them cry at the Olympics? The
positive impact infrastructure redevelopment will have on the East End or Mo
Farah hugging his daughter?
I mean, come on? I am on my way to donate to the Mo Farah Foundation as I
type.
Kathryn Brooke
