Nobody cares about you: how to make insight-led fundraising decisions

We’ve all heard it: “We need to be more insight-led.” But what does that actually look like in practice?

In this session, Kit shows how to move from audience understanding to fundraising decisions that genuinely work – whether you’re running on bootstraps or sitting in a mega-boardroom, knowing your audiences should change what you do. Drawing on real projects with Comic Relief, VSO and Alzheimer’s Research UK, Kit unpacks how to use insight and testing to unlock better ideas, sharper creative, and better decision-making.

You’ll explore the lines between research and real-world testing – reflecting on everything from quant studies to community panels to live experiments. We want a world of less abstract theory, and more sleeves-rolled evidence that drives action.

Whether you’re in fundraising, marketing or doing a bit of both, this session will give you practical tools (and permission) to challenge “we don’t have time for testing” and “we already know what our audience wants.” Because done right, insight doesn’t slow you down, it clears the way.

Key learnings from this session:

• How to turn audience insight into real decisions – not just interesting research, but actions that improve fundraising results.
• Simple ways to test ideas early – from quick surveys to creative sprints and live experiments, even on a tight budget.
• How to stop guessing – use evidence to challenge assumptions and make braver, smarter choices.