Phoebe and Rob talk about how she and her colleagues have helped supporters understand and see the value of claiming Gift Aid. The project has been worth around a quarter of a million pounds (and counting) to her charity, the RSPCA. And building from the example she shared in episode 100, Phoebe shares how they have been adding WOW moments to relationships with individual giving supporters at a crucial time. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! We would love to hear what you think. We are both on Linked In and on twitter Rob is @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

Settling on a specific day or week to proactively reach out to appreciate donors can be very powerful. And it’s especially valuable during tough economic times. In this episode, Rob talks to Alice Barley of Chance for Childhood about the positive results that have flowed (for supporters, fundraising and culture) from their recent thankathons. And she shares practical tips to help you do the same. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! Alice and Rob would love to hear what you think. We are both on Linked In and on twitter Rob is @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

Recruitment and retention of fundraisers is as challenging as it’s ever been, so this time we share more ideas and examples to help you attract and keep great fundraisers. This is the second half of Rob’s recent interview with retention expert, Paul Nott. They discuss effective ways that some charities have long been bucking the trend and retaining talented fundraisers for longer. The themes include: ways to create a culture of ongoing learning; supervision meetings; inductions; and helping colleagues feel appreciated. If you want to share this episode to help other good causes, thank you very much! And Paul and Rob would love to hear what you think. We are both on Linked In and on twitter Paul is @paulconsulting and I am @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

As recruitment and retention of fundraisers become ever more important, in this episode we share ideas to help you keep good people thriving at your charity for longer. Paul Nott and Rob share examples and various things that some charities do to buck the trend and retain talented fundraisers. This includes mindset, powerful ways to build trust, help people feel appreciated as well as connected to the mission. Paul has many years’ experience in fundraising and in recruitment, and now his primary focus is on helping charities to attract and keep great people. If you want to share this episode because you think it will be help other good causes, thank you very much! And Paul and I would love to hear what you think. We are both on Linked In and on twitter Paul is @paulconsulting and I am @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

To celebrate our 100th episode, Rob spoke to two regular listeners, both with great fundraising stories to tell. Rachel Ketola shares how being proactive to create a series of small ‘WOW’ moments inspired one donor to increase his regular gift to the hospice from £50, to £1000 / month! And Phoebe Cooper explains some things she and her colleagues have done to make it easier for donors to keep supporting as the cost-of-living crisis affects many people’s ability to give as much as they’d like. If you’d like to get in touch or share this episode with other charities, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! You can find all three of us on Linked In and on twitter Rachel is @r_ketola and Rob is @woods_rob.

After studying fundraising success for nearly two decades, Rob has found that great results rarely come from one stroke of brilliance. Rather, it usually comes from doing helpful (very do-able!) things consistently. In this episode, Rob shares examples of fundraisers who have used habits to create fabulous momentum, as well as an approach he has learned from BJ Fogg’s fascinating book Tiny Habits. And he uses examples to show you how to apply this technique in your own fundraising. If you’d like to get in touch or share this episode with anyone else you think would benefit, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I’m on Linked In, Rob Woods, and on twitter at @woods_rob.

When you hear real examples of your charities’ work, that connection to an important ‘why’ has a powerful effect on your fundraising mojo. But in most charities this doesn’t come naturally. It takes a deliberate decision to search out and share these stories. In this episode Rob is joined by Bright Spot trainer Ben Swart, to share ways that some fundraisers and leaders have improved the way they consistently find and share stories, and enjoyed improved results. And they include practical tips you can try. If you’d like to get in touch or share this episode with other charities, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! You can find us both on Linked In and on twitter Ben is @benswart and Rob is @woods_rob.

Ciaran Biggins is an experienced fundraiser and the founder of MindFood, a small London charity which uses gardening to help people improve their mental health. In this episode Ciaran shares tactics that have helped him raise funds for his small charity, including a tool he used to increase their success rate with trusts and foundations – last year 100% of their approaches were successful - and several tips and shortcuts for finding funders. If you want to share this episode – THANK YOU!! – or get in touch, Ciaran and I would love to hear from you – we’re both on Linked In, and on twitter I’m @woods_rob.

Ciaran Biggins is an experienced corporate fundraiser who over a decade ago decided to set up a social enterprise to help people with their mental health, called MindFood. It later became a charity. In this episode Ciaran tells the story so far, and shares ideas and examples of how he has raised funds for this small organisation, including ways he has adapted techniques from his corporate partnerships background. If you want to share this episode – THANK YOU!! – or get in touch, Ciaran and I would love to hear from you – we’re both on Linked In, and on twitter I’m @woods_rob.

This time Rob interviews Martha Awojobi, who two years ago changed the focus of her career from fundraising to anti-racism consultancy for the charity sector. One of Martha’s many achievements is leading the ground-breaking BAME Online fundraising conference. This wide-ranging discussion includes the extra energy you get from becoming clear on your values; tips on how to be brave; and reasons why progress with anti-racism work in our sector has so far been so hard. Martha also shares a sneak peak at some of the exciting sessions coming up in the next BAME Online Conference. If you want to share this episode or get in touch, Martha and I would love to hear from you – we’re both on Linked In, and on twitter Martha is @MarthaAwojobi and I’m @woods_rob.