Welcome!

Two reasons why an ageing society has to be

brilliant, for fundraisers and fundraising…

• Lots more older people.• Older people give lots more money.

What does an ageing society mean for charity fundraising?

8.493million in 2010+65s 13.823 million in 2033

5,330,000 more potential donors!

© Ken Burnett 2014

Bingo! – we’re about to enter fundraising’s Golden Age.Why not? Many more donors, all living longer, the only sector other than the mega-rich to flourish in this recession, with 80 per cent of disposable income and now, time to change the world.

‘Good ideas, lifelong experiences and the wealth of spare time are

assets we cannot afford to ignore. ...it is time to invent a new

stage in life – after career and before retirement – in which older

people give back to future generations, utilising a ‘windfall of

talent’.’

The Observer comment column, 22nd December 2013

Great – and it doesn’t even mention the money!

Meet Beryl and Clive

• Nearing or into retirement • Well heeled and comfy.• Preparing for a life of busy active fulfilment.• Want to be useful and to make a difference.• A bit cynical and demanding/ hard to please.• Looking for the meaning of life.

Fundraising is all about donors…

Acquisition

Fundamental truth

Retention

Development

• People are not rushing to join us.• … too often they don’t enjoy the experience while they’re with us.• …and too many don’t hang around long enough/ repay their acquisition costs.

But…

A perhaps unacceptable truth

Donors such as Beryl and Clive don’t want to be acquired, retained or developed.

At least, not the way we do it.

An unsustainable equation

Costs of acquiring one donor: the accepted norms

• F2F regular donor £160• £5 ask via mobile phone £90• Two-step regular gift conversion £164• £3 regular donor via radio or press £72 to £140• Tests that don’t work £ a lot more.

From viewpoint of a donor giving an average £5 per month: Time to recover acquisition cost: 2 years +

This is not attrition. This is us, failing to keep donors.

What might Beryl and Clive say to this?

Issues for fundraisers around an ageing population.

Issues for fundraisers for the next 20 years, whatever the donor’s age.

Cracking donor retention • Engage with the right donors in the first place, in the right way.• Find what matters most to your donors.• Make sure all donors are emotionally happy.• Switch the focus from past transactions to ongoing commitment.• Remove all the retention barriers – attitudes, dull communications, crap service, silos, improper attribution, not being distinctive/different, distractions (premiums etc), etc.• Identify committed donors. Delight them regularly.• Do everything much more quickly.• Give great feedback.• Invest in retention, communication and donor service.

The formula for fundraising magic is simple: leadership, emotion and inspiration + astute acquisition + great service and experience for donors = retention + commitment = increased lifetime value.

Mystery shopping tests show this isn’t happening.

‘Charities consistently failing to get even the basics right.’

Kids playing at fundraising.

Change is possible.

Shouldn’t be too hard to do.

Some basics of donor retention

A brilliant emotional

appeal. Really rapid

reassurance for

responders: ‘You’ve done something

great’.

Frequent fast,

fabulous feedback.

An appropriate, tailor-made

donor journey.

More frequent fabulous feedback

showing the difference

donors make.

Consistent creative

communications that respect

the donor’s preferences.

Donorballs© Ken Burnett 2014

HOW DO WE INJECT A

RIGHT THROUGHOUT OUR SECTOR?

Time for a paradigm shift.

The two major influences on whether or not we’ll attract and keep donors

• The experiences our donors get, particularly in the early stages of the relationship.• The influence of the people who deliver those experiences.

Back to Beryl and Clive

How can we get them to share our dreams?

Some facts about the well-intentioned, affable, still-active

elderly• They are living longer.• There are many more of them.• They have an extra active decade.• They’ll be eager to get involved with something great.

• They want to belong.• They don’t expect to be paid.• They want to enjoy doing good.• They demand to make a real difference.• Their first priority is ‘legacy’.

So, how do we convert well-intentioned, affable,

still-active elderly people to be

The message young, hot-blooded, determined patriots simply couldn’t resist.

• You will most probably die…• …or at least, be scarred for life.• If you live, you’ll get to sit with your grandchildren and proudly show them those scars… …and say, ‘that was us. We did that!’

Agincourt 25 October, 1415

We need something similar.

A message older, wiser, wealthy change makers with time and money to spare simply can’t resist.

A new, ambitious resolve.

A new, ambitious offer.

You too can be a

…and say, ‘I was there, I did that!’

What would it take, for Beryl and Clive to become Change

Warriors?• Time and money.• Useful activity. A job that really needs doing.• Sharing the dream. The difference we will make,

together.• Good companions. Opportunities for socialising.• Good environment.• Milestones along the way.• Recognition.• Evidence that they’re making a difference.• Emotional engagement: regular reminders and

brilliant emotional feedback.• Need and reward, with style and speed.

A few organisations will stand out, and do things differently.

What will our sector look like, to potential donors, in 5-10 years time?

A few organisations will stand out, and do things differently.

Some of them may even get it right.

Most will fail, unless we change four things(and all involve investment).

Investment in • People: leadership and

development. • Retention strategies.• Communications.• The donor experience (ie, excellent service).

© Ken Burnett 2014

Four things that must change

Thank you.

© Ken Burnett 2014

‘Evolution is about the survival of those who adapt best to change, rather than those who are fittest.’

Charles Darwin