Fundraising hits £2 million mark for new hospice in Ipswich

Today we are featuring a fantastic achievement in fundraising.

The Treehouse Appeal begun by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices in March will result in a new hospice for children with life threatening conditions and their families in Ipswich. The site is green and spacious, and the hospice will be full of modern resources, increased capacity and privacy.

http://www.each.org.uk/how-to-help/treehouse_appeal/what_is_treehouse_appeal

This is the kind of news that makes it easy to see why so many people want a career in fundraising. We feel it’s extremely important to highlight the amazing work fundraisers do.

So the Treehouse Appeal is doing very well – leave us a tweet or a comment about your fundraising campaigns too!

Tim Wiltshire

Institute of Fundraising Academy

From Good to Great

Take time to consider your fundraising skills and responsibilities.

Career development is often dependent on networking, qualifications and experience, but if you can score well in your competencies you will find that your abilities make you a highly marketable fundraiser.

At the Institute we like to offer our members an Individual Training Needs Analysis to assess their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore encourage them to make improvements to develop their careers.

One example of this was a call we made to a member who wanted to become a freelance fundraising consultant, yet she lacked experience in certain areas of fundraising. As such when we ran through her competencies some of her scores were low and provided us with an opportunity to discuss her career direction.

On one hand she could attempt to gain further experience with her current employer by asking for responsibilities in fundraising areas she has yet to develop skills within. Alternatively a qualification could provide her with the knowledge to expand into these areas. She could take the Certificate or Diploma in Fundraising to gain a broad insight into all areas of fundraising, or with a Masterclass she could focus on whichever specific area she requires.

Don’t be afraid of writing down all the attributes and responsibilities required in your current job role and the job roles you are aiming for in the future. Score yourself from 1 to 10, decide which scores to improve and take yourself from good to great.

Tim Wiltshire
Institute of Fundraising Academy

Public Library closure threat means more call for Professional Fundraisers

The potential public library closures as a combined result of public spending cuts and reduced usage have been in the news this week.

In response to this, the third sector will surely be called upon to combat the closures.  Closing something so integral to the community as a library will not go down lightly.  Fundraising professionals should be prepared to offer consultancy or to develop their own responses to these closures.

This might mean that as fundraisers we are entering areas they we have never worked on before, which can be intimidating.    

As we enter an even longer period of financial uncertainty, more and more factions of private and public sector industries will look to the third sector for assistance to help them retain their donors, uphold their causes and obtain new clientèle.  

Learning new skills that will contest brutal spending cuts will be a worthy investment for third sector organisations.  The time for standing still has passed; if we are to flourish we must develop and counteract. 


Take your learning to new levels - enter in our Academy courses for the opportunity to develop your career while assisting with causes you feel strongly about.  Personal Effectiveness Courses from the Academy help identify specific training needs and apply them to your chosen industry:


http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/iofacademy/get+qualified/professional-courses/personaleffectiveness/

Sarah Bradley 

Institute of Fundraising Academy 

We Teach Success

Following on from our weekly Academy email, this weeks blog topic relates to teaching success, training and development.

Noe (1986 pg736) cited Campbell et al (1970) stating that 'Training is defined as a planned learning experienced designed to bring about a permanent change in an individual's knowledge, skills or attributes.' 

I love this definition as it truly encompasses all the elements development should target in an individual - success can be measured through the output received from the input given.  Provide an individual with the tools for success and what they produce will outweigh the investment. 

From a managerial point of view, regardless of the industry, Wick et al (2010) states, 'Business leaders are charged with investing...resources in the way that produces the best possible outcomes for the organisation's stakeholders - customers, employees and shareholders.'   In charitable organisations the 'best possible outcomes' are the production of resources that allow the charity to do what it does best.  

Woody Allen once said, 'The first rule of success is turning up'.  Taking the first steps towards professional development is a display of how committed you are to your own, and your organisation's success.  The Institute of Fundraising Academy courses are the infrastructure on which to build an advantageous charity.

You will learn from acclaimed tutors like Adrian Sargeant and Stephen Pidgeon, who are the best in their field and at the top of their game, will mean that what you learn is the best.  

Get more information about our training courses today for your future success. Remember Allen's first rule and turn up! 

http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/iofacademy/academy-training-calendar

Don't be left behind -  Subscribe to our weekly Academy email:

academy@institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

Sarah Bradley

Institute of Fundraising Academy

 

Noe, 2 (1986) Academy of Management Review.  Trainee's Attributes and Attitudes:  Neglected Influences on Training Effectiveness.  Volume 11(4) pages 736-749 [Online] Avaliable at: http://www.jstor.org/pss/258393 Accessed 30th Nov 2010. 

Wick et al (2010) The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning:  How to turn Training and Development into Business Results.  John Wiley and Sons, US. 

Fundraising and Social Networking

Arts & Business' Event on Fundraising and Social Media is running today (23rd November):


http://www.artsandbusiness.org.uk/Events/2010/oct_dec/se-fundraising-using-social-media.aspx

This event could not be more relevant to what we are attempting to do in the Institute of Fundraising Academy; utilising available mediums in order to get our services out there!

The reason?  To increase awareness of the importance of qualifications in your chosen profession. By developing you, we help develop your organisation! 

Check out our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Connect and begin networking! 

Sarah Bradley

Institute of Fundraising Academy 

IoFA Facebook Page!

Institute of Fundraising Academy

Promote your Page too


It seems to be doing very well!  Check out the page for all manner of wonderful and exciting things including graduate testimonials from our courses, videos and photos!


Press 'Like' and follow us.






Sarah Bradley
Institute of Fundraising Academy 

Economic Climate dictates the need for Fundraising Professionals

As financial belts tighten and spending cuts hit the public and private sector; what does, or rather, what can this mean for the third sector? 


Last year I wrote a thesis entitled:  'Out of Recession Comes Opportunity', a theory which was affirmed using budget business models as an industry example.  However, can this thesis be applied to non-profit or social enterprise organisations? 


Not in it's entirety, no.  Third sector organisations don't have unlimited resources to spend on a convoluted marketing campaign involving Lenny Henry or equivalent.  Nor is their sole aim to produce mass profit for the sake of buying a Bentley and Princess yacht.  Still, the way to tackle any economic flux is to remain prepared and fully aware of how spending cuts will affect the sector you work in which, in turn, gives an insight into how it might be used for your advantage.


'Advantage?  What advantage? Are you a loony!?' I hear you cry. Well, I might be, but that's not the point. The point is this:  If the recession and 2010 Spending Review has taken away resources from others, then there is a gap.  Fill that gap with what they need to get what you need!


Fundraising Consultancy will become even more prevalent over the next 3 years; more factions of business will cotton onto the wonders of fundraising and realise they will need a Fundraising Professional to increase the funds they lost through budget cuts.


Becoming qualified as a fundraiser has never been more important.  Consequently, having the credibility and skills set to work in such a challenging environment is essential.  You wouldn't expect to take advice from someone who didn't have a clue would you?  No!


But don't let me dictate, tell me your opinions.  How can we challenge, or change, our current circumstances to benefit us in the long run?  What can we offer our members that will ultimately increase their chances of gaining those all-important donors? Who can, or should, we develop to take on these challenging roles?






Sarah Bradley
Institute of Fundraising Academy  

Are professional fundraisers born or made?

Oooh, good question.

Well, are they?  Let's explore this shall we:

We began this topic on our Academy Facebook page recently - one response read. 'I believe fundraising can be taught.  However some are better at it than others'.

Too true!  Of course!  Everyone is better at something, naturally, than someone else.  Nevertheless, if we all thought in these terms there would be no improvement or development due to people being so disillusioned.

Applying learning to your professional life conveys a sense of pride, as well as a real and tangible want to develop in your chosen career.  Bragging rights about something transferable and apply-able. 

Some people are born with the seemingly natural affinity to communicate effectively; however, that doesn't exclude those of us who don't know yet how to do this.  It's why we were given brain capacities surely? To fill them with the skills and knowledge to progress.

Avolio, B (2005) states that, 'When we say people who have lived through certain events see the world this or that way, we are saying something about their collective life model.' 

  In his book, Leadership Development in Balance - Born or Made, Avolio's point is that despite there being some correlation between being 'born with something' the majority of us are the people we are based on our life experiences.  This is how we develop!  And this, fair reader, is encouraging as it means that we can learn the skills we require to compete with those who have an apparent 'natural talent'.

Enough of the waffle!  How do we help you to develop?

 This was exactly the question we asked a few months back when the Academy was naught but a pipe dream; how do we give our members the tools to really make a difference?

Westhead and Storey (2009) got it in one when they expressed: 'There is almost complete support for the concept that an educated and trained workforce is a key element in the competitiveness of both individual businesses as well as the economy as a whole.'  Their academia on training and development in work is renowned.  

Training is an investment in longevity, a word more and more sought after nowadays especially since the spending review this year.  

What do you need to do as an individual to get the numbers?  What do you need to do as an organisation to prosper for your chosen cause?  

The academy offers courses that can encompass the industry as a whole, or specific training needs.  

The blog question, are fundraisers born or made? Has been answered by the members who have taken these courses and reaped the rewards.

But don't take my word for it, check out the prospectus online for their testimonials:

http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/iofacademy/Academywaystotrain

Sarah Bradley

Institute of Fundraising Academy

References:

Avolio, B (2005) Leadership Development in Balance:  Born/Made.  Lawrence Erlboum Associates Inc. New Jersey, US.

Westhead, P; Storey, D (2009) Training Provision and the Development of Small and Medium Sized enterprises.  Research Report. [Online] Available at: www.voced.edu.au/td/tnc_69.210

Not sure what to look at first?

Register your interest today and we will call you back for a discussion about your training needs.


http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/iofacademy/academyinterestform

It's Official, the Institute of Fundraising Academy has LAUNCHED!

Well folks, it's finally happened.  It's been a long time in the making, perfected, honed and sculpted by the Institute for everyone to partake in.


Click the link for more information:


http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/iofacademy

Welcome the the Institute of Fundraising Blog!

Here you will find up to date information relating to the Institute of Fundraising, be able to comment on events, network and basically have a good old natter!


Keep posted for updates from our keynote speakers, links to videos and pictures and information on our brand new Academy Launch offering accredited and renound qualifications in Fundraising for the purpose of your professional development!


Whew!




Sarah Bradley
Institute of Fundraising Academy