Fundraising Strategy
Virtual Summit
Speakers & Sessions
The data you need to make decisions
In a data-driven society, we know that data is important to make good decisions. But as we all know that can be easier said than done, particularly in charities. In this session, we discuss the foes of data: the seven deadly sins of data practices that actually short-circuit our decision processes. Next, we discuss the foundations of good strategy and how many times we conflate other ideas with strategy. Finally, we talk about the features of good strategy. At the end, you’ll be able to answer the question: does your data help you focus so that you can make the best decision possible and do the next right thing.
Cherian Koshy, Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) & AFP Master Trainer is an internationally recognized expert in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. He is the Director of Development at Des Moines Performing Arts and works with hundreds of nonprofits each year to help them solve their most intractable problems. His sustainable models have taken a struggling organization from five to seven-figure revenues in less than five years. He serves on numerous boards including Association of Fundraising Professionals Global. His industry-leading thought leadership has been featured in Advancing Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Institute of Fundraising (UK), and dozens of blogs, webinars, and podcasts. With 20+ years of experience, he is one of the most sought-after trainers and speakers in the nonprofit sector. As a coach and consultant, he helps struggling nonprofit leaders find strategies that give them back time and develop sustainable revenue.
Strategy is a feeling
Could there be a more confusing word than ‘strategy’? In this session, Chloë shares her personal journey in finding a decent definition. A journey that bought her right back round to where she started: to a more human, heart-led place.
I’m a Fundraising Strategy Consultant, meaning I’m nosy for a living and always on the hunt for what might get people putting their hands in their pockets and donating. But as much as I love getting lost in stacks of insight, I believe strategic thinking shouldn’t be confined to an ivory tower. I believe the thinking should live and breathe out in the trenches with you, the fundraiser, helping you generate emotional value for the people who care about your cause every day. It’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring the thinking closer to the fundraiser.
Over 15 years, I’ve worked for WaterAid, Good Agency, and now, as a Consultant, I get to call charities like British Red Cross, FareShare, Teenage Cancer Trust and Barnardo’s my clients. I specialise in Individual Giving, Legacies, Innovation and everything in-between. www.chloeamstein.com
The key questions to consider when developing your fundraising strategy
To round off the summit join a panel of five fundraisers with diverse background and experiences discussing what fundraising strategy means to them, how to involve non-fundraising colleagues, supporters and people with lived-experience, how to ensure strategy stays live and how best to strike the balance between fundraising right now versus what’s needed in the future.
As SeeAbility’s Executive Director of Innovation and Social Impact, Desiree D’Souza leads SeeAbility’s fundraising and volunteering, marcomms, employment, digital skills and engagement teams. Together these seek to deepen the impact of the charity’s work so that many more people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss have the opportunity to participate and contribute as equal citizens.
Desiree is an experienced leader with a specialism in building long-term, partnerships including with leading corporates. Over her career, many of these have delivered transformational education, employment and advocacy opportunities for people with disabilities in the UK and internationally.
Outside of work, and since recently moving out of London, Desiree enjoys exploring the Sussex countryside (and getting to grips with country life!) with her young daughter and husband.
The key questions to consider when developing your fundraising strategy
To round off the summit join a panel of five charity experts with diverse background and experiences discussing what fundraising strategy means to them, how to involve non-fundraising colleagues and supporters, how to ensure strategy stays live and how best to strike the balance between fundraising right now versus what’s needed in the future.
Donna is a senior digital marketer for youth charity The Prince’s Trust which empowers young people to secure a job or start a business. Pivoting between youth recruitment targets and fundraising goals, she works with her team to deliver innovative content solutions to grow, engage and deepen loyalty amongst The Trust’s community. Prior to this, Donna worked in PR and communications for a range of public sector and hospitality clients.
Outside of work, Donna is a CharityComms mentor which complements her counselling studies. She also enjoys running and visiting the Tate Galleries. Last year Donna was voted a top 10 Charity Digital News BAME Digital Leader.
The value of models and theories
This session will cover the positives (and some of the negatives) of using models as part of your strategy development process. Claire will go on to introduce three different models and to describe how you might use them as you pull together your strategy.
Dr Claire Routley has worked in fundraising for over fifteen years, for charities large and small. In 2011, she completed a PhD looking at why people choose to leave charitable legacies. She is now a fundraising consultant, and a tutor for the Institute of Fundraising’s qualification courses. She is also a member of Rogare’s international advisory panel. She continues with legacy fundraising research and was named AFP’s emerging scholar 2017.
What can Fundraisers Learn from Shigetaka Komori, the CEO of FujiFilm?
This session will look at key insights from CEO Shigetaka Komori’s approach on not only how survive but also thrive from external disruptions. It will also highlight the key strategic management tool he employed during his company’s transformation to become a world leading social innovator – a tool which every fundraising manager should be aware of.
Dr Shabbir is a former Director of the World Marketing Summit and Co-Chair of the Academy of Marketing. Currently, he teaches Social and Not Profit Marketing at the University of Hull and is a senior member of the Institute of Fundraising’s Academy team. Dr Shabbir has delivered bespoke
training programs for both not profit and corporate organizations (e.g. International Red Cross, FujiFilm Holdings, etc).
The key questions to consider when developing your fundraising strategy
To round off the summit join a panel of five charity experts with diverse background and experiences discussing what fundraising strategy means to them, how to involve non-fundraising colleagues and supporters, how to ensure strategy stays live and how best to strike the balance between fundraising right now versus what’s needed in the future.
Fiona is an experienced and passionate fundraising, campaigning & brand strategist. Over 15 years she has been trusted by clients and colleagues to deliver results and smash fundraising targets in response to a wide range of briefs and challenges.
She has a track record of being at the leading edge of innovation, and widely recognised for launching mobile fundraising in the UK, US and Australia.
Fiona regularly appears at leading sector conferences, focusing in particular on how innovation and diversity are critical for future prosperity.
The British Red Cross approach to developing a people-centred fundraising strategy
We’re in the midst of creating a new Fundraising Strategy for the British Red Cross and we want to give you a snapshot of our journey so far. We’ll be sharing how we are developing the strategy, how we are putting people (our supporters, staff and volunteers) at the heart of our approach and why we think that being people-centred is essential for success.
Katie is an experienced senior leader in the charity sector, currently Director of Fundraising Strategy at the British Red Cross. She is responsible for developing an ambitious transformation programme for fundraising and supporter engagement at British Red Cross, alongside leading on fundraising innovation, supporter experience and planning and performance. In the past she has held senior fundraising roles at Diabetes UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, and has worked in a range of other UK charities including NSPCC and Bliss. She is a trustee of Cosmic and a member of the advisory panel for Missing People. She lives in Twickenham with her boyfriend and very demanding cat, Splodge.
The British Red Cross approach to developing a people-centred fundraising strategy
We’re in the midst of creating a new Fundraising Strategy for the British Red Cross and we want to give you a snapshot of our journey so far. We’ll be sharing how we are developing the strategy, how we are putting people (our supporters, staff and volunteers) at the heart of our approach and why we think that being people-centred is essential for success.
Lesley is a fundraiser and supporter experience specialist who applies people centred approaches to everything she does, including strategy development. She is best known for banging on about supporter experience and research, co-founding Fundraising Chat and wearing tartan trousers.
Fundraiser Maeve’s Top 10 Fundraising Tips for 2021
2020 was un*********ed. There’s no question about it. But rather than talk about that, let’s talk about how what happened before can inform what happens now. 2021 fundraising strategy needs to be different, and if you make the right moves, there is huge potential for success. This session will be fast-paced and practical with Maeve Strathy’s top 10 tips for fundraising in 2021.
Maeve Strathy is a passionate and driven leader in fundraising and marketing.
As Blakely’s Vice President, Client Relationships, Maeve is proud to lead a team of Strategists and Account Managers, working together to meet and exceed their clients’ fundraising goals. She is enthusiastic about coaching teammates to bring out their strengths and make the time they spend working fun and purposeful.
Outside of her day-to-day work, Maeve keeps things low-key with her partner Dee and their cat, Cat Mackey. She loves cooking, reading, and spending time with her nine nieces and nephews.
The key questions to consider when developing your fundraising strategy
To round off the summit join a panel of five charity experts with diverse background and experiences discussing what fundraising strategy means to them, how to involve non-fundraising colleagues and supporters, how to ensure strategy stays live and how best to strike the balance between fundraising right now versus what’s needed in the future.
Sole fundraiser and first ever fundraiser for Adoption Focus. I’ve built the fundraising function of the charity from scratch. When I joined there was – no policy, no procedure and most of all no strategy! I seem to have a track record and “knack” for going into organisations that have little to no systems and processes in place. Setting it all up, getting them up and running then almost doing myself out of a job….
Oh, I’m also a Harry Potter geek, a tea and gin lover and a sort of foodie.
Making your strategy usable every day
A strategy is not a document on a shelf. It is a guide for you and your teams to go in the same direction to the same goals. Hear from Nicola and Fee as they chat about how the engagement strategy at Oxfam moved from intent to action.
Nicola is a leader in fundraising having been in the sector for over 25 years, as a practitioner and consultant.
Now at Prostate Cancer UK, her last permanent role was as Director of Engagement at Oxfam, where for 3 years she led a strategy aimed at deeper engagement with all supporters, addressing public perception and internal changes along the way.
At this summit, she chats about strategy implementation at Oxfam.
Making your strategy usable every day
A strategy is not a document on a shelf. It is a guide for you and your teams to go in the same direction to the same goals. Hear from Nicola and Fee as they chat about how the engagement strategy at Oxfam moved from intent to action.
Fee is a communications and marketing specialist who has worked with Oxfam for 14 years leading on their retail brand and audience marketing strategies. Now leading the development of Oxfam’s Engagement strategy. At this summit, she chats about strategy implementation at Oxfam.
Niduk D`souza
How to consistently start building your individual giving file
One of the greatest struggles charities and NGOs contend with is building a file of regular, monthly donors. In this session, you will walk away with a simple tactic to get on track to on-boarding new monthly donors.
Niduk D’souza is a nonprofit leader and advocate for over 18 years. From working at the grassroots with small community organization across Africa and Asia to large donor organizations in the UK and North America, Niduk has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise more money, think strategically and implement their programs effectively.
In 2015, Niduk launched her latest social enterprise, Impact With Intention and NGOu, an online educational platform for nonprofit leaders. Taking her years of experience teaching and practice in the field of helping nonprofits both online and in-person she has designed this educational and learning resource for small nonprofit changemakers and leaders to strengthen their capacity across 4 pillars: Governance; Fundraising & Communications; Project Management and; Monitoring & Evaluation.
Niduk has also recently joined UP Fundraising, where she is Vice President, leading a new division focused on digital innovation, marketing and strategy.
Previously, Niduk founded and ran an international development consulting practice working global across all major development focus areas. Recent engagements have included working with UNICEF, DFID, Global Fund in East Africa. In 2018, her practice was acquired by PGM Africa, where she is now a Director.
Niduk has also served on the boards of a number of nonprofits from development charities. Earning the Max Rotman Humanitarian Award, Niduk was also recognized as a community influencer for visible minorities and women by the Canadian Armed Forces.
Niduk holds a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Industrial Relations from McMaster University. She conducted a review of minimum wage policy in Ontario for the Ministry of Labour. She continued further academic work in worker’s rights, economics and law, at the London School of Economics and Political Science earning a Masters in (Economics) International Management and a Masters in Research Methodology and Statistics at Middlesex University while pursuing her doctoral research. Most recently she completed a case study on Coal Mining in Mozambique and the Leading of Nonviolent Social Movements at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She has published and presented at numerous conferences.
Fundraising Post-Pandemic & Beyond
In this session, we will explore some of the key technological and societal trends that are likely to shape the ways in which we are able to support good causes in coming years – and what those developing fundraising strategies therefore need to be thinking about.
Rhodri Davies is Head of Policy at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), and also leads Giving Thought – CAF’s in-house think tank focussing on current and future issues affecting philanthropy and civil society. He is the author of Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain, which traces the history of philanthropy in Britain and what it tells us about the modern context. He has researched, written and presented on a wide range of topics – from charity taxation to the civil society applications of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence – and presents a bi-weekly podcast exploring philanthropy and civil society issues (https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/blog-home/giving-thought/podcasts-from-giving-thought).
The key questions to consider when developing your fundraising strategy
To round off the summit join a panel of five charity experts with diverse background and experiences discussing what fundraising strategy means to them, how to involve non-fundraising colleagues and supporters, how to ensure strategy stays live and how best to strike the balance between fundraising right now versus what’s needed in the future.
Scott was the Co-Chair of the Learning Disability Partnership Board on the Isle of Wight and he chaired the Partnership Board for six years. Scott took on a national role with in the Department of Health in May 2009 as the Co-national Director for Learning Disabilities until June 2011.
In July 2011 he joined Mencap as a National Learning Disability Consultant. He started his role as SeeAbility eye2eye Ambassador in the summer of 2011 and he has taken on a permanent role with SeeAbility as an Eye Care and Vision Development Officer from July 2013. Scott is a visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire working with the learning disability nurses, as of August 2013. Scott has now taken on the role as Co Chair of Transforming Care Assurance Board to help reduce the number of people with learning disabilities staying in hospital and to go back in the community. Scott started this role in October 2015.
Scott won the making a difference award at the national learning disabilities awards in July 2017. Scott Is also represents organisations and professionals on the representative body for Learning Disability England September 2017. Scott was awarded the British Empire Medal and Name on the New Years Honours List 30th December 2017.
2019 Scott took on the role of Head of engagement at SeeAbility and is now leading a programme of work around the people we support having a bigger voice. 2019 scott was named on the Shaw Trust power list as 100 most influential disabled people in the UK.
Looking up and looking out
It’s easy to naval-gaze as we develop and deliver our fundraising strategy. But alongside the internal and our audiences we need to pay close attention to what’s going on outside. This session will remind you why it’s important to look up from your desk and get out there to find out what’s missing in your portfolio and importantly, why those in your networks are your best friends.
Sonya has been in the UK voluntary sector for 20 years. She has worked in both international development for organisation such as British Red Cross and Unicef and for domestic causes including HIV and sexual health, and domestic violence. Sonya is passionate about causes that challenge stigma and discrimination and promote an inclusion agenda. She currently sits on the Executive Team at Samaritans, the leading suicide prevention charity in the UK and Ireland. Top tip if you want to get Sonya’s attention – all things innovation!
Human Focused Strategy
Every strategic decision has a human consequence. Instead of thinking about the human element as an after thought to your strategy, bake it in from the start.
Think less about pyramids, and more about people.
Wayne is founder of Humanity Squared. His focus is on innovation, transformation and human centred strategy. He has worked in the charity sector since last century, half charity side and half agency. He has held senior leadership roles for Amnesty International, Refugee Action and Prisoners abroad, where his focus was on step change, transformation and people power. His agency side roles has seen him work with over 100 charities and NGO’s, all with the aim of connecting people ro causes they believe in, and mobilising them to drive positive change. He is also a trustee and leadership mentor. Wayne believes in the concept of ‘humans, not hierarchy’, and how collaboration and horizontal ways of working are the way forward. Wayne is a failed artist and a dreadful musician. He is also an aspiring human, husband, and father. He lives just outside of Brighton with 2 cats that hate each other.
How to bring people with you, particularly trustees and non-fundraising team members
Zoe Amar will help you identify common challenges in fundraising stakeholder engagement and then share how to tackle them using influencing techniques that will help you influence senior stakeholders or peers.
Zoe Amar is widely regarded as one of the charity sector’s leading digital experts. She founded digital agency and social enterprise Zoe Amar Digital in 2013. Their clients have included Sense, Anglia Ruskin University and The School for Social Entrepreneurs. Zoe is Chair of The Charity Digital Code of Practice. She writes for Third Sector about charities and digital issues and co-founded the Social CEOs awards . Zoe and her team produce an annual barometer of how charities across the UK are using digital, The Charity Digital Skills Report. She also co-authored The Charity Commission’s digital guidance for trustees, ‘Making Digital Work.’Zoe has twelve years’ experience as a charity trustee. She currently sits on the board of Charity Digital Trust (formerly known as Tech Trust). Previously, she was on the Board Audit and Risk Sub-Committee at the Samaritans as their digital expert. Before founding Zoe Amar Digital she worked for 5 years as part of the leadership team at a national charity which advised nonprofits about technology. She is the winner of an Inspiring Communicator award from Charitycomms. She was recently voted one of the 25 most influential charity leaders by Charity Times.