personal development

It takes a lot of different things to ensure that fundraising is successful in an organisation: talented people, adequate budget, a convincing case for support and often a drop of good luck. But there’s something else that too often gets overlooked: organisational culture.

During our training courses and strategic planning work, we talk a lot about the importance of having a whole-organisation approach to fundraising and a fundraising-friendly culture – but it can be difficult to explain what this really means.

For me, a fundraising-friendly culture is when everyone in your organisation – whether that’s five, 50 or 500 people – recognises the importance of good fundraising to the bigger picture of your work, understands all the little things they can do to support your fundraising efforts, and feels motivated to play a part.

In this episode of the Fundraising Everywhere podcast, host Nikki Bell, Co-Founder of Fundraising Everywhere and Creator of Pizza For Losers is joined by Josh Leigh, Co-Founder of Hynt and Matt Middler, Transformative Coach to discuss the transformative power of embracing and learning from failure.

The trio dives into their personal experiences, share impactful stories from previous Pizza for Losers events, and highlight the significance of creating safe spaces for candid conversations within the fundraising sector. Get ready for an honest, inspiring, and fun-filled conversation that also teases insights from this year’s exciting Pizza for Losers event.

We’ve gathered our top 5 On-Demand sessions this month so that you can see what’s been popular in our community. You can check out the sessions by clicking on the thumbnails below.

A new generation are redefining what generosity looks like. Fia Ewings explores how charities can close the Gen Z engagement gap through transparency, digital-first experiences, and authentic relationships that turn values into action.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my first proper fundraising role.

I was one of two fundraisers in a small organisation. And when I say small, I mean small. My “office” was a spare bedroom in a housing estate that had been converted to a business park.

The kind where you’re never quite sure if you’re meant to be working or apologising for being there… I had to make a business case to buy a hoover.

But despite being scrappy, we had big ambitions. Proper, change-the-world kind of stuff. Having seen the work in person, I knew how much it mattered.

But day-to-day? I was scrabbling around in the dark.

I knew what we were trying to do. I just didn’t always know what to do next.

The charity sector is built on purpose, fairness and a desire to make a positive difference. But there is an uncomfortable truth we still need to acknowledge. As a sector, we’re not as diverse as the communities we exist to serve.

Recent research from Charity People and Oxford HR, Beyond Representation: How diverse is the charity sector?, shows that while some progress has been made, momentum has slowed in key areas. For fundraisers, this is not just an internal people issue. It directly affects income, influence and long-term sustainability.

Finding new donors and reactivating lapsed supporters is a huge challenge for any charity. However, Age Action in Ireland wanted to give it a try. Their recent direct mail appeal combines a long letter with hardworking lift pieces and a super matched giving offer. 

In doing so, they have created something special. The appeal is emotive and starts a conversation between the donor and the supporter. 

US-based fundraiser Pamela Grow recently said, ‘lapsed donors are not lost causes’ and this appeal proves she’s right. Keep reading to find out how Age Action reactivated lapsed donors, recruited new ones and secured large average gifts too!

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued guidance on the new “charitable purposes” soft opt-in under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). This allows charities to send certain electronic marketing without explicit consent, but only in limited circumstances.

If your charity relies on Meta ads to attract donations, fundraisers, legacy giving leads, or campaign supporters, you’ve probably already felt the impact of rising advertising costs.

Meta’s Q4 2025 earnings report (I read these things so you don’t have to) revealed an average of over 14% increase in the average cost per ad served in Europe last year. In our review of 2024’s Earnings Presentation we predicted a CPM rise between 10-15% in 2025, and as upsetting as it is to have predicted correctly, assuming the trend continues in 2026, as it has done for almost 3 years running, charities could reasonably expect a further 10-15% rise. That means your cost-per-acquisition (CPA) will increase (and your ROI will fall) unless you improve conversion rates (CVR).

Why does a payment channel strategy drive better management, greater value creation and ultimately greater impact?

Because generosity starts with a “yes”… but value starts with a payment.

We’ve gathered our top 5 On-Demand sessions this month so that you can see what’s been popular in our community. You can check out the sessions by clicking on the thumbnails below.

This might be controversial but I’m going to say it – your organisation is potentially spending lots of money on training that isn’t working.

Not because your team doesn’t want to learn- but because the way most training is structured in our sector sets people up to tick a box rather than actually grow.

And the cost is high.

According to Civil Society £28m alone is wasted on inefficient training – and our own Impact of L&D on charity staff research shows millions more could be lost from potential income.

How is this happening at a time when skills, confidence, and progress should be top priority?
What the Research Tells Us

A few weeks ago, Skillcast published their Lost Hours Report, a sector-by-sector breakdown of training efficiency across the UK.

Our sector came out with one of the highest “workforce development gaps” of any industry – but nearly half of all training effort in our sector is absorbed by basic or mandatory sessions. Refreshers that are perhaps required for regulatory needs, changes nothing when people get back to their desks; leaving only 40% of development time focused on the advanced, role-specific learning that actually moves people forward.

The result? An estimated £28 million lost annually in unrealised training spend, and the equivalent of 764 full-time roles worth of wasted capacity.

F2F fundraising remains one of the most powerful channels for acquiring recurring donors. Yet across many markets, rising Cost per Acquisition (CPA) and increasing pressure on ROI are leading organisations to question its sustainability.

One week after my last post on risk, filtering and value destruction in F2F, I’d like to focus on another uncomfortable but central issue for our sector: the retention of F2F fundraising teams AND what we choose to invest in (or not).

There are not many topics that can make a room full of fundraisers sit up quite like data protection.
Not because it is glamorous. Not because anyone is desperate for another policy update. But because the second the rules around supporter communications change, the questions start flying.
Can we email more people now?
Should we?
What counts as interest?
And how do we use this without damaging trust?
That is exactly why the new charitable purpose soft opt-in matters.
The change comes from the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. It creates a new route for charities to send some electronic marketing, including emails and texts, to people who have shown interest in or offered support to the charity, without relying on traditional consent, as long as specific conditions are met. The Act received Royal Assent on 19 June 2025, and the relevant soft opt-in provisions came into force on 5 February 2026.
That sounds simple enough on paper. In practice, there is still a lot for charities to think through.
Because this is not just a legal change. It is a supporter experience decision.\
This blog has been inspired by one of the talks from our London In-Person event. The session was titled: BREAKING NEWS: Email Soft Opt-in now in force in the UK delivered by Mark Burnett, CEO of Hope&May.

We’ve gathered our top 5 On-Demand sessions this month so that you can see what’s been popular in our community. You can check out the sessions by clicking on the thumbnails below.