Growing your charity – things to consider for small charities

Before I start, I’d like to emphasise my passion for the charity sector and for those of you who work so tirelessly to make a difference; it’s truly admirable!

I work as a Charity Consultant for Blackbaud. We produce fundraising databases especially designed for charities, large and small, in the UK and internationally. We’re also very proud to have sponsored a number of events organised by The FSI this year. You’ll all know by now that The FSI offers free advice and training to small charities country-wide. They were founded by two visionaries, on a mission to build and share their extensive knowledge and elevate the voice of small charities. Any of you who have seen Pauline and Emma in action, will have first-hand experience of their infectious enthusiasm for small charities.

If you’re a small charity looking for some support and guidance, I can highly recommend getting in touch with The FSI. We have attended FSI events and training up and down the country, so if you see our eTapestry stand, please come and say hello! So far this year, we’ve been delighted to attend Small Charity Week, training events in Brighton and Bristol, and the annual fundraising conference in London. We’ll also be in Leeds with The FSI, this November.

So let’s get started on the key things small charities should consider when looking at growing your charity:

1. Appropriate messaging and reaching your audience is paramount for all charities. I’m forever fascinated by how charities do this; how they drum up interest and how they make enough money to fulfil their objectives - not to mention, the HUGE social media fundraising campaigns which seem to come from nowhere, take over the world and then disappear as quickly. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the ‘no make-up selfie’ campaign and the recent ‘ice bucket challenge’, both of which have completely swamped my Facebook news feed and most importantly, have raised millions of pounds and immeasurable awareness for great causes. In addition to every traditional method of fundraising, having a strong online and social media presence is more and more imperative.

2. I believe that many people outside of the charity sector don’t quite grasp the concept of how a charity needs to operate to be successful! It comes from vision, passion, hard work, intelligent and innovative staff, and significantly, from smart investment. Charities have to function in a similar way to any other business. Irrespective of sponsorship, support and gifts in kind, there will always be expenditure. The reality is that the majority of charities do have to pay their staff and pay their suppliers. My mum always taught me that nothing comes for free in this life. It’s an impossible ideology to assume that it does for a charity! The one true difference is that the funds generated by charities go towards the greater good, as opposed to lining pockets with gold. It’s the ultimate investment.

In true FSI spirit, I would like to focus on small charities; those with great ambition.  The types of charities who a few kind souls have really grafted for and who seek positive change. Hats off to you! After all, whilst the likes of Cancer Research UK, NSPCC and Comic Relief for example, are brand name charities in the UK now, they didn’t start out that way. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow! 

3. Small charities require input and learning from various sources, in order to achieve their goals and flourish - they need true sustainable support, be that training, access to conferences, advice clinics with The FSI, or working with Blackbaud to implement a new fundraising platform. Blackbaud aren’t just suppliers of databases; we’re embedded in the charity sector and focussing on how we can help smaller charities to increase awareness and income on an ongoing basis. We have a range of free webinars available on topics including ‘End of Year Fundraising’ to ‘The Importance of CRM’.

4. Quite simply, at some point, every charity needs a database. A place to safely and securely hold your donor information is the most important tool you could have. Think of it as a locked safe, full of diamonds. To quote The FSI Founder, Pauline Broomhead, “How can you afford not to have a database?”

I do want to briefly tell you about eTapestry as a database option, because it’s a product that I truly believe in and is one which can make a valuable impact to a growing charity. Importantly, eTapestry is affordable, it’s designed specifically for growing charities, and it’s cloud-based and easy to use (we appreciate that some people are less technical than others!). It also has loads of built in communications tools and online integration for you to spread the word about your charity. Ultimately, eTapestry is a relationship management database which enables charities to optimise supporter care, fundraising success and online presence. What more could you ask for? If you’d like more information or a free trial, please do visit the Blackbaud website.

Small and growing charities make up the majority of the charity sector – according to Charity Commission almost 88% are generating less than £500k annually. Be innovative, make smart business decisions and stand out! Keep up the good work.

Our free webinar, How to Improve your Small Charity’s End-of-Year Fundraising, is on 24th November at 2pm.To register your place, click here now

By Katie Gowers, Charity Consultant at Blackbaud Europe