EFA-logoEFA-logoEFA-logoEFA-logo
  • About us
    • Our board
    • What we do
    • How we work
    • Ethics
    • Our history
    • Privacy Policy
  • Membership
    • Member benefits
    • EFA members
    • EFA associates
    • Join EFA
  • EFA Certification
    • Certification news
    • Why EFA Certification?
    • Standard Competence Framework handbook
    • Advanced Competence Framework handbook
    • EFA qualifications
    • Applying for EFA Certification
    • Certification committee
  • Public Affairs
    • Public Affairs news
  • News
    • Fundraising Europe
    • Latest news
    • Latest features
    • EFA news
    • European Fundraising Podcast
    • Contributor guidelines
    • Advertise with EFA
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • 2022 Nonprofit Pulse survey webinar
    • 2022 EFA Skillshare and AGA
  • Resources
  • About us
    • Our board
    • What we do
    • How we work
    • Ethics
    • Our history
    • Privacy Policy
  • Membership
    • Member benefits
    • EFA members
    • EFA associates
    • Join EFA
  • EFA Certification
    • Certification news
    • Why EFA Certification?
    • Standard Competence Framework handbook
    • Advanced Competence Framework handbook
    • EFA qualifications
    • Applying for EFA Certification
    • Certification committee
  • Public Affairs
    • Public Affairs news
  • News
    • Fundraising Europe
    • Latest news
    • Latest features
    • EFA news
    • European Fundraising Podcast
    • Contributor guidelines
    • Advertise with EFA
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • 2022 Nonprofit Pulse survey webinar
    • 2022 EFA Skillshare and AGA
  • Resources
✕
Steph Siddell
How to get your trustees on board
December 8, 2016
Gosse Bosma
Your Voice: Europe’s fundraising sector needs a collective voice
December 8, 2016

Expert View: Don’t keep it to yourself – share great fundraising ideas

December 8, 2016
Categories
  • Expert View
  • Features
Tags
  • Innovation
Sue Kershaw

Sue Kershaw, SOFII

Peer-to-peer learning is by no means unique to the voluntary sector, but it’s often one of the things charities and commercial partners do best. Sue Kershaw, development director of SOFII (the Showcase of Fundraising Inspiration and Innovation), talks about some of the most inspirational campaigns to have been showcased at the recent I Wish I’d Thought of That event.

Brilliance is for sharing and we all love to be inspired. Our willingness to share what we do best and our mistakes is one of the things that makes our sector so special and can make all the difference in enabling charities to develop and really change the world.

This year’s I Wish I’d Thought Of That (or #IWITOT as it’s known by the cool kids) was trending on Twitter in London on Wednesday 30th November and that’s no mean feat.

Why was there such a buzz? It’s all about sharing some of the best and most inspirational campaigns so that we can learn from one another. The concept is that presenters don’t talk about their own work, but instead focus on the fundraising of others. Cynicism is left at the door along with egos and we can all share our passion for the sector.

So, what were the common themes that emerged from last month’s event. The first was about using innovative technology to enable existing behaviour such as Blue Cross and their use of trained dogs wearing jackets with contactless payment devices sewn in (Tap Dogs); digitising point-of-sale collection tin as with Pennies; and the use of virtual reality and immersive experiences by WWF UK with Thumbs Up For Tigers.

Another common theme was putting your donors and beneficiaries at the heart of your communications – sometimes the same individuals can be both – and not letting your organisation’s brand obscure the message. This was true of heart-breaking campaigns like Emmy & Jake’s Tandemonium for the Royal Marsden and Tommy’s #misCOURAGE.

A chilly social experiment from SOS Children’s Villages Norway, raising money and clothing for Syrian children, centred on people’s responses to a shivering boy at a bus stop in Oslo, helping them connect with the cause.

And who could fail to fall in love with Jean Bishop ‘the Bee Lady’ who’s raised over £100k for Age UK? Audition winner Alfie Waldron of Open won the IWITOT audience vote for best fundraising idea by sharing Jean’s story.

Other examples of charities giving their donors the opportunity to tell their own story and exploit the power of social media included Knickers Model’s Own for Cancer Research (a daughter’s personal challenge in honour of her mother) and the Helen Titchener (nee Archer) Rescue Fund that leveraged the plight of a fictional BBC Radio 4 character to raise money for the charity Refuge.

There were so many other amazing campaigns featured that will continue to inspire fundraisers across the world for years to come.

At the end of the day, it is because fundraisers are willing to share their successes and failures so openly, that the sector can grow and develop, nurturing innovation and changing the world. So please share your brilliance too.!In this way, we can improve our practices everywhere for the benefit of fundraisers, donors and the organisations and causes they all serve.

About Sue Kershaw
As development director of SOFII and a fundraiser herself, Sue is passionate about helping fundraisers share what they collectively know, learning from one another. SOFII is a free service run by fundraisers for fundraisers, which is all about spreading great fundraising ideas and encouraging young, fresh, untested talent. SOFII has delivered seven IWITOT events, also helping fundraising associations run their own versions in Ireland, Sweden, France and Australia. Find out more and share the best of your work at www.sofii.org.

Share

Related posts

January 18, 2023

Special focus: What can nonprofits expect from 2023?


Read more
A heart drawn in the sand on a beach. Photo by Khadeeja Yasser on Unsplash
January 18, 2023

Harriet Jones-Day: Philanthropic psychology – what is it & what can it offer?


Read more
Sand runs through a timer. Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
December 7, 2022

Patrick Gibbels: Crunch time for e-Privacy


Read more

Most popular posts

Search news by country or category

Search news by date

Popular topics

  • Research
  • Individual giving
  • Coronavirus
  • Professional development
  • Digital
  • Legacies
  • Philanthropic trends
  • Events
  • Collaboration
  • Tax incentives

Registered Office

James Wattstraat 100
NL-1097 DM Amsterdam
Netherlands

EFA is registered at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce
Reg. No. 34212817

Contact

Executive Officer, Denise Dawes
denise.dawes@efa-net.eu

Media enquiries:
news@efa-net.eu

Follow us

Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn

Search

✕
© 2021 EFA | European Fundraising Association. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Read More
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT