Small Charity Fundraising - Challenges and Opportunities

Alex Swallow, Chief Executive of the

Small Charities Coalition/Charity

Trustee Networks

What I’ll discuss

• Problems of fundraising for small charities

• Possible solutions

• How fundraising can help your organisation (beyond

money)

• What are the challenges/opportunities?

Problems

• Lack of time

• Lack of specialism

• Competing with bigger organisations

• Lack of profile/supporter base

• Niche cause

• Whose responsibility?

Solutions

• What’s the money for?

• Where can you get it from?

• What is your Unique Selling Point (USP)?

• Embed fundraising in the culture of your organisation

• Don’t reinvent the wheel

How fundraising can help your organisation (beyond money)

• Helps you get to grips with strategy

• Same for cashflow

• Same with measuring impact

• It helps you articulate what you are about/refine vision if

necessary

• Helps with your sustainability into the future

Current challenges/opportunities

• Economy

• Changing funding

environment

• Staff cuts/focus on core

service delivery- who will

fundraise?

• Your help is desperately

needed

• Best to be prepared for

change

• Pain now, strength later

• Fundraising can be fun!

• People don’t know you

need help

• Learn from others

(including today)