On Thursday 7th November nearly 500 charity bods came together in person and online to hear from 13 brilliant fundraisers all sharing the idea from across the sector that they wish they'd thought of. Led with energy, charm, humour and excellence by Cam St Omer-Donaldson (did she mention she's a previous IWITOT winner? 😉) and Josh Leigh the energy in the room was phenomenal, inspiring and uplifting. EXACTLY what we all needed.
I had so many brilliant learnings from everyone who spoke. Here's my very favourite takeaway from each speaker.
Manon Oliver Idea: Lacoste & IUCN partnership As part of the partnership the famous crocodile logo was replaced with endangered species. sold out in 24hrs raising $325k. There was just over 1000 shirts made - each one the number of that species remaining in the wild. They sold out in 24hours raising $325k. You might think 'but if they made more they could've raised more' - nope. Online donations quadrupled as well as countless other successes with media and reach. My takeaway: Don't be afraid of 'scarcity mindset' - it could be your biggest attraction and talking point. Alex Day Idea: Aberfan disaster and how communities came together Alex talked about the Aberfan disaster. He highlighted how the Mayor acted quickly, writing to fellow Mayors and leaders asking for their financial support, and also inspiring stories of groups fundraising and most interestingly of all - how th Kray Twins were the campaigns biggest individual donors.
My takeaway: Communities are powerful. Don't limit what you think they can do. If you have an appeal - inspire people to fundraise, volunteer and spread the word - not just give. You'll reach more people and be able to do more as a result.
Noha Al Afifi Idea: WaterAid's "What Jack gave" legacy campaign Not going to lie - this one made me cry. WHAT a powerful video, emotively and personally told. I wish I'd thought of this one too! My takeaway: Simplicity is the hardest thing to do. Don't overcomplicate your ask or your story. And most of all think carefully and clearly about your Call to Action to make it stand out.
Gemma Ford Idea: Get on a Roll campaign sharing the signs and symptoms of Bowel Cancer.
The idea originally from a supporter who took it to their employer - M&S. the campaign has now grown to 11 partners. And amazingly 38% of general public could then spot signs of bowel cancer - a huge increase to before the campaign.
My takeaway: Not all ideas need to come 'from' the charity. Keep your eyes and ears open to what your supporters are saying and suggesting.
Matt Zeqiri Idea: Afrikids are moving their fundraising to be led in-country rather than from the UK. This is no mean feat but it's already leading to great successes with corporate partners and a marathon runner. My takeaway: This quote Matt shared sums it up perfectly
Idea: The Good Gym is a movement that combines sport, volunteering & being a fundraising charity. Growing from one man helping someone in Hackney to 27k volunteers. Good Gym has raised £5.6m in 5 years - 27% from members donations.
My takeaway: Don't pigeon-hole your volunteers. Many of them want to, can and will give donations too. Provide those opportunities.
Idea: Bowel Babe fund for Cancer Research UK is a supporter driven fund originally set up with a target of "350k. Through Deborah's story when she died the fund had raised £7m (and it's still going) Over 50% of the donors to the original page were brand new to CRUK.
My takeaway: Inspire your supporters to have the ownership to tell their own stories in an authentic and genuine way. Stories are powerful, and people will be inspired by authenticity. (Fun fact - I have this quote as a print on my wall. Minus the bit about poo! 😁)
Lucy Minshall-Pearson Idea: The RHS Giving Back programme, allowing charities to have a garden worth £250k at the Chelsea Flower Show. Any charity can apply and the benefits far outweigh the immediate value of the garden.
My takeaway: I've seen a real example of this with one of my fab clients when their IG banker campaign focussed on a gardening project, met Events and Volunteering with their garden, and launched the Community Team's Open Garden's campaign. What a brilliant example of bringing Public Fundraising together. Bloomin' lovely to borrow Lucy's pun!
Karry Lau Idea: Special Books for Special Kids is a lovely small charity in America that uses authentic and honest storytelling to support families directly. The video Karry shared also made me cry in the best way as it was so joyful.
My takeaway: I loved that the charity using Patreon to raise funds - don't be afraid to explore other ways of giving - especially if they work for your audiences.
I was invited to be a sponsor of a speaker at IWITOT and was honoured to sponsor Karry as she spoke about Storytelling. I believe strongly in championing new voices and giving back to the sector. Thank you to IWITOT and SOFII for giving me the opportunity to do exactly that.
Jodie Thompson Idea: Blue Cross and Pets Foundation partnership gave customers at Pets at Home a variety of ways to support their 'pets foodbank' to help people struggling to keep their furry family members at home. The campaign offered opportunities to buy pre-packed food parcels, buy merchandise or give cash instore or online. My takeaway: The best partnerships think about how to mobilise and inspire customers and audiences that also share the same values and changes they want to see.
Idea: The value-exchange "TLC" campaign from Breakthrough Breast Cancer (now Breast Cancer Now) This wasn't another pin badge or tote bag like so many value-exchanges at the time. It was a life-saving guide helping women to identify signs of Breast Cancer and get checked sooner if they were concerned.
My takeaway: 12 years later the campaign is still going strong, and is now being used by many other charities and the NHS. When something is working, keep building, keep evolving. We don't always need to reinvent the wheel.
James Fletcher Idea: Paddy Power and Prostate Cancer partnership, focussed on the darts championship. This campaign showed excellent audience understanding and important cause-led messages. It raised £1m and an additional £40k+ from community darts groups.
My takeaway: Don't forget about warming up and engaging your audiences throughout a campaign. Especially think about the audiences who will most closely link to and resonate - loved the community fundraising add on with darts groups!
Athar Abidi Idea: Athar shared a brilliant idea that actually didn't come from a charity. Combining cheekiness with a bit of bravery, Jonny Banger created these t-shirts and sold them during lockdown to provide food parcels.
My takeaway: Although not an idea many charities could recreate it showed the importance of having a brilliant idea and getting it into action fast.
I used to live-Tweet events like this but since that is now the bad place I gave live Insta-story updates a whirl instead. They're all saved to a highlight on my profile if you want to check it out and feel like you were there. (And if you were following along on the day and messaged me to say it felt like you were there - thank you! I'll definitely give this a go again) Want to watch these brilliant sessions in full? You can buy a recording ticket from SOFII and support their work inspiring the fundraising community.
What was your favourite session?
Or what is the idea from across the sector that you wish YOU'D thought of?
Or if you have a fundraising idea that you want to get off the ground at your charity but need a helping hand - please get in touch on hello@fundraisersarah.com for an initial cuppa and a chat. I'd love to hear your idea and see how I might be able to help.
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