How do you shift power to those with experience of the issues your charity addresses? And what are the many benefits of this approach? This time, Rob talks to Lulu Smithwick, Senior Public Fundraising Manager, and Shukry Adan, a former Expert by Experience Fundraising Advisor, for Refugee Action. They explain the charities’ approach, which aims to make the process valuable to the group, as well as good for fundraising. And they describe some of the creative ideas and insights that contributed to, among other things, a 25% increase in results for their individual giving appeal and a very successful Radio 4 Appeal. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU! And we would love to hear what you think. Lulu and Rob are on Linked In and on twitter Rob is @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

Dramatic rises in the cost of living continue to create challenges for charity fundraisers, and as we move towards autumn and winter, the challenges may well get tougher still. So in this episode, Rob shares an excerpt from the recent Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders, in which he shares three ideas that he believes will help many fundraisers to do well in spite of these tough times. In particular, he shares tactics and examples to help with: messaging during tough times, sharpening focus and managing your state / mindset. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! I’d love to hear what you think, eg through Linked In – Rob Woods - or on twitter at @woods_rob; or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising. Key words

If you’ve ever wondered about ways to attract / receive donations from people interested in cryptocurrency, check out these two episodes with Nicola Gunn (episode 105 and 106). In this, the second half of our chat, Nicola explains how her charity has attracted and received valuable donations through NFTs (non-fungible tokens). We also discuss some risk factors to weigh up and potentially mitigate if you decide to explore crypto-philanthropy for your charity. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, THANK YOU! And we would love to hear what you think. On twitter we are @NicolaGunn_ and @woods_rob, we are both on Linked In or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

Nicola and Rob talk about her charity’s progress and learnings in raising funds through crypto-philanthropy. Nicola demystifies key concepts; talks about some fabulous successes so far, including a gift worth £87,000; and shares lots of tips to help other charities interested in exploring the opportunities. If you want to share this episode with others you think it would help, thank you! And we would love to hear what you think. On twitter we are @NicolaGunn_ and @woods_rob, we are both on Linked In or you can follow Bright Spot on Instagram at @brightspotfundraising.

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.