Case study: iThemba Lethu and In-Contact Client Overview iThemba Lethu are a long-established NPO who provide childcare and youth development to the Cato Manor area in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Whilst having a babies home and breastmilk bank, they have extended their reach by getting funding for schoo...

I am often asked to review or assess organisations’ funding proposals, application forms and concept notes, and provide feedback. Having looked at over 50 proposals in the last six months, I find that I have flagged one point in almost every proposal: the problem, issue or crisis is not clearly e...

The Charity Aid Foundation (CAF) produces the comprehensive annual World Giving Index showing their analysis of donations of money, volunteer time and assistance to strangers around the world. Almost 150 000 people in 142 countries were surveyed. Aside from obtaining demographic an...

We order a ride, food, groceries and bank online, but why can't doing good deeds be just as simple? The online donations platform, 10 Bucks Only, hopes to change that and help NPOs become more accessible to potential donors by simplifying the online donations process. The concept is simple - ma...

Love them or hate them, if potential donors (or even existing donors for re-applying) have forms and require them to be completed, this must be adhered to. Application forms can be tedious. However, some donors take the trouble to draw them up, as they are clear on the specific information that t...

Two of the most neglected and, in the fundraising context, misunderstood words are: ‘thank you’. Whether donors are individuals, the family members of someone who left a bequest, companies or trusts, expressing gratitude is often overlooked. And, as fundraisers know, ‘thank you’ is the start of t...

Don’t even consider arranging a fundraising event in the UK if you don’t have a drawcard to guarantee that it is sold out, or at least a large, active and dedicated UK-based volunteer events committee. I was alarmed when I contacted several UK event organising companies about their services. I re...

Gift Aid is one of the greatest benefits of fundraising from individuals in the UK. It is also hard to wrap one’s head around as it’s unique to the UK and those who don’t pay British tax struggle to understand the concept. Simply put, Gift Aid means that when an individual British taxpayer makes...

Although UK donor trusts support charitable, developmental, educational and faith-based initiatives worldwide, raising money from these lucrative sources is not as simplistic as writing a proposal or completing their forms, attaching stipulated documents and ...

"The future of fundraising and storytelling using AI will be a delicate dance between technology and human connection." Storytelling is the heartbeat of fundraising communication, breathing life into our cause and impact and connecting us to our audiences. Fundraising communication has th...

The 18 UK donor trust representatives (ranging from a CEO of a multi-million pound entity to medium-sized trusts and small family trusts) consulted for the book I wrote, Fundraising from UK Donors, were unanimous in not meeting with fundraisers visiting the UK.  Their reasons for declining meeti...

BackaBuddy, South Africa's leading donations-based crowdfunding platform, is reshaping the landscape of online fundraising with an announcement that promises to elevate the efforts of registered non-profit organisations nationwide.  Effective immediately, BackaBuddy is ...

While most donors make sure they undertake due diligence to ensure the recipients of their funds are ethical, accountable and transparent, it is rare to find a non-profit organisation taking the same trouble to check their donors’ reputations and records. Last month, thanks to the whim of a capr...

I registered Hashtag Nonprofit as a cause on ShopDonation and tested their system. Here is what I found.  What is ShopDonation? ShopDonation is a website that uses affiliate marketing, where online retailers pay commissions for referrals, to raise money for causes registered on t...

Financing a non-profit organisation has always been one of the most significant challenges faced by such ventures. However, leveraging technology to secure recurring donations and automate tedious administration, means that in this day and age, sustainable funding is no secret. “Non-prof...