A warm welcome to our new fundraising team

To celebrate Scott and Charlotte joining the team, we asked Scott if he would like to write an article for our website, to explain a little bit more about fundraising and how he thinks it has changed over the last few years.

Take it away Scott…

Did you know that this week is Third Sector's ‘fundraising week’? It’s also British sandwich and British tomato week, so I imagine fundraising will be right at the bottom of your agenda.

But, please put your tomato sandwich down for just a few moments and feel inspired!

Over the past few years, fundraising has definitely moved on from being a static transition of funds between a donor and a charity. It’s becoming increasingly dynamic, with a growing emphasis on charities engaging with donors in many different ways to maximise their experience of supporting the charity.

Fundraising is definitely not a ‘one-way transaction’. The relationship shouldn’t stop once a fundraising pack has been sent, or a cheque received. A lot of people choose to fundraise for a charity to make a difference beyond just financially. It could be to feel involved with the local community, give back to a service that was there for them or quite simply a way to feel positive about themselves.

There is also lots of positive research to suggest that charitable fundraising in the UK is still very much growing. Here’s a couple of interesting statistics about fundraising in 2017:

• In the UK giving rose by 2.8%, with online giving up by 2.2%
• 4% of the UK public donate to charity in a typical month
• Millennials aged 18 to 34 are nearly twice as likely to donate to charity than those aged 55+ (82% compared to 42%)

The last one is my favourite, only because it’s my generation being shown in a positive light.

Admittedly, millennials prefer crowdfunding to directly donating to charities. Crowdfunding is a way of raising money by asking a large number of people to donate a small amount of money each.

However this is just one of many examples of changes in behaviour and times that makes fundraising such a varied and exciting area to be working in.

Having only been at Making Space a week, I have already heard of so many incredible fundraising stories. It seems to me that giving back is already embedded within the communities we serve, and I look forward to supporting future fundraising activities so that we can continue to be there for all those who need our support.

Do you have any fundraising ideas?

If you have any fundraising ideas, suggestions of where you would like the money raised to go or would like to discuss fundraising in your area, please do get in touch!

You can contact us by email: fundraising@makingspace.co.uk or by calling: 01925 581 773. I can also be found tweeting away at: @ScottSmith_MS!

Charlotte and I would like to thank everyone that has already warmly welcomed us to the team. We are excited to be working with everyone at Making Space to develop amazing fundraising opportunities for all of our supporters!

Now, go and enjoy your tomato sandwich…