By Charlotte Urwin, Head of Policy at the Fundraising Regulator
The year’s end is an appropriate time to reflect on the past, present and future. If we had a fundraising equivalent of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, what messages would the ghosts bring for us? And what insights can we learn – embracing the sentiment expressed by Ebenezer Scrooge: “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future… I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”
Past emergencies fundraising
I think that the ghost of the past would reflect on the generosity of the UK public throughout the coronavirus pandemic and seen in response to the Ukraine conflict. In the UK, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has now raised over £380 million, whilst individual charities and online fundraising platforms have also seen wildly successful appeals.
Some of these emergency appeals were from charities which had never launched such an appeal before. One lesson, explained in more detail in our recent Annual Complaints Report, is the importance of clear campaign messaging. This includes being specific about the cause for which you are fundraising and whether the appeal is for a restricted fund or general funds. Including a secondary purpose means that you won’t need to worry about what might happen if you raise too much, or not enough, donations. I’d also advise communicating as soon as possible how donations are being used to encourage openness and honesty.
Challenging circumstances of the present
The ghost of the present would talk about the cost of living crisis, which creates the possibility of increased demand for charity services when donors may be less able to give. An important lesson is thinking about an appeal’s tone and content. As people find themselves in increasingly difficult circumstances, fundraisers may seek to use more emotive communications to get their messages across. But, as laid out in the Code of Fundraising Practice, your marketing communications must not contain anything likely to cause fear or distress without a justifiable reason and where justifiable, it must not be excessive.
Reflecting on the public mood can be helpful. Recently, I’ve seen fundraising campaigns which recognise that, whilst the public is very generous, some donors may not feel able to give at the moment because of increased personal costs.
Future opportunities to come
The ghost of the future would show us what good fundraising practice would look like in 2023 and beyond. In many ways, that image will be familiar to the fundraisers of the present. However, the future of fundraising is increasingly taking place in a digital world and includes managing a wide portfolio of different methods – something we are considering as part of the review of the code.
A final learning point is to make sure that you provide appropriate training to fundraisers so that they are up to date as practices evolve and are ready to explain honestly, openly and respectfully about why and how they are fundraising if asked. Our guidance on key behaviours illustrates how these values should be at the heart of any public interactions. If you work with a fundraising agency or partner, talk to them about their approach and agree appropriate measures for monitoring and compliance before activities start. We also anticipate seeing increasing levels of engagement between commercial organisations and charities, so making sure that you have the appropriate agreements to underpin these arrangements is vital.
Whether you are a fan of the original novel or prefer your Christmas carol with muppets, remember that the story ends on a positive note, showing the value of charity and community. An important reflection to take forward into the future.