Fundraising basics for small voluntary groups and charities

Slide 1

Hello and welcome to this recording from Support Cambridgeshire. This training introduces the basics around fundraising that any group should consider.

• You’ll find the guidance links to all the materials mentioned in this recording at the end of the accompanying transcript.
• This recording focuses on fundraising through encouraging donations and contributions to activities and events. If you want to find out more about applying for grant funding we have another recording you can look at called Funding Application Tips and you can also look at our Support Cambridgeshire 4 Community funding database available for free on our website which gives information about funds for not for profits in Cambridgeshire.

 

Slide 2

Fundraising provides vital unrestricted income for small charities.  Unlike most grant or contract funding, it is not usually ring fenced for a particular purpose and can be used to cover essential costs that support the delivery of the group’s mission or build reserves that can be used at the discretion of the trustees to build sustainability.

However, with changing economic conditions and new trends in donor expectations, staying effective means adapting and refining your fundraising approach. In this session we’ll look at some key fundraising trends , explore a basic fundraising strategy, discuss building a supporter base, highlight the importance of a strong case for support, touch on the fundraising mix, and finally, outline some tips for planning your fundraising activities.

 

Slide 3 

Key Fundraising Trends include

• The need to focus on donors from all age groups although older donors remain important for regular donations and legacies, younger donors are more likely to engage in events and in fundraising volunteering
• Digital Fundraising continues to be important despite the return and growing popularity of in person events. Digital fundraising includes donations made through websites and giving platforms as well as social media and email marketing. Mobile-friendly giving is key with more people than ever browsing and donating through mobile devices.  Areas of focus include:
  • Livestream fundraising – this has been steadily growing on platforms such a Twitch involving people making donations while watching others play online games
  • In person events using digital fundraising tools have also been growing in popularity. Both those centred around socialising such as quizzes and coffee mornings and exercise challenges such as fun runs.
• The need for greater transparency in relationships with donors: Donors want to know exactly where their money is going. They want to see impact through storytelling, social proof, and real-time updates. The most popular causes continue to be health, children and animals with most individuals supporting 2 or 3 causes
• Opportunities for Corporate Partnerships: Businesses are increasingly looking to align with social causes both to appeal to the values of their staff and to deliver on their social responsibility commitments.
• Environmentally conscious campaigns appeal to many donors, especially younger ones, but groups need to ensure they make this alignment with integrity and avoid green washing.

 

Slide 4

Fundraising insights

Given these trends what sorts of things could you do to improve fundraising success?

• Set fundraising targets and developing fundraising strategies to meet these targets
• Diversify sources of income
• Manage data to gain an understanding of your supporters and their patterns of giving behaviour.
• Make use of AI’s potential to utilise data to anticipate supporter need, predict behaviours and improve efficiency. As well as using free AI packages to help generate resources.

 

Slide 5

A Basic Fundraising Strategy

A fundraising strategy is essentially a roadmap to achieve your funding goals over the next few years. Creating a strategy doesn’t have to be complex:

1. Start by reviewing where you are now with your fundraising:
   1. How much did you raise in the last couple of years? Which of your activities and events were most successful in raising funds?
   2. Who are your existing supporters and how do they support you? Include those that give you their time and in-kind support to help raise funds as well as direct financial contributions. Are your supporters’ individuals in your local community, small businesses, specific groups with a passion for your cause or some other group?  Think about what you know about your supporters and how you can build a closer relationship with them.
   3. What is the environment you are operating in? Do you have competitors for funding? What are the likely barriers to supporter engagement? For example, cost of living increases or demographic change.
2. Set your goals: Define how much money you need to raise over a particular period and why.  If you have a business plan this should be reflected here. Be specific – knowing your exact funding requirements and purposes will make it easier to communicate this to supporters.
3. Select Fundraising Methods: Choose the tactics that best fit your resources and audience, we’ll discuss this further when we look at the fundraising mix.
4. Allocate Resources: Who can you involve and how, what budget can you afford to allocate?
5. Finally, continually monitor your efforts, and don’t hesitate to adjust your tactics based on what works and what doesn’t.

 

Slide 6

Developing a Supporter Base

For small charities, a cohort of loyal supporters can be more valuable than simply aiming to grow your number of supporters.  Loyalty is developed by creating relationships.  Here are some points to consider:

Keep in touch: Send out regular updates and stories via social media, emails, and newsletters to help build your community around your cause. The most effective messaging will outline the positive difference their support has made to your beneficiaries.

Show appreciation: Thank your donors so that they know their contributions matter and are valued.

Find ways to engage people: Not everyone can give money, so consider ways they can volunteer, share your cause, or contribute their skills.

Create Donor Journeys: Think of the donor relationship as a journey, from first contact to regular giving, advocacy, and potentially legacy giving. Nurture relationships at each stage.

 

Slide 7

Developing a Strong Case for Support

A compelling case for support is critical – it’s what communicates the need and urgency of your cause. To develop this effectively:

• Clearly Define the difference you want to make: What problem are you solving, and why does it matter? Describe how contributions make a tangible difference.
• Share Stories: Facts and figures are essential, but stories create emotional connections. Share real stories of those whose lives have been changed by your organisation’s work. You may want to make it clear if you are intentionally keeping beneficiary identities anonymous.
• Show Accountability: Highlight how donations are used. Transparency and accountability build trust and show that you’re responsible with funds.
• Include a Call to Action: Be direct about how supporters can help. Whether it’s donating, volunteering, or spreading the word, make the call to action clear and easy to follow. Don’t be shy about making an ask here is a lot to be said for a big red donate button.

 

Slide 8

The Fundraising Mix

The fundraising mix is the combination of methods you use to bring in donations.  The mix you develop will depend on your specific goals, resources, audience and attitude to risk.  The main elements of the mix are:

• Individual Giving: This can be one-time giving, such as a collection outside a supermarket or regular giving through direct debit offered by more committed supporters. It is essential that donors’ data is kept secure and that there is good communication to build relationships and to be responsive.  Individuals may also give by paying your organisation for goods or services
• Community Events: such as charity runs, bake sales, or fetes allow you to engage face-to-face with donors and build connections to create a wider base of supporters. This type of fundraising is resource intensive and requires careful management of costs to ensure a good return on investment.  You will find resources to support event fundraising in the transcript accompanying this recording and for larger events check out your local authority’s safety advisory group page – this covers advice around any licencing and permission required.
• Peer to Peer fundraising is when supporters raise money on your behalf via their existing networks typically through social media or donation platforms like JustGiving that can reach a wide audience with limited overhead costs.
• Crowdfunding for not for profits usually involves asking people to donate to a campaign run by an organisation to achieve a specific purpose and within a set time frame. Although we usually associate crowdfunders with online giving platforms, crowdfunding has been used to good effect for many years to raise funds, for example for community buildings.  Some crowdfunding platforms such as ‘Crowdfunder’ and ‘Space Hive’ offer access to match funding opportunities.
• Finally we have organisational giving: where businesses or organisations such as the Rotary Club may offer sponsorship, volunteering or in-kind donations

 

Slide 9

Fundraising Planning

In addition to creating a fundraising strategy you’ll need a shorter-term action plan. Here are some tips to consider:

Create a Calendar: Map out key fundraising activities throughout the year, considering factors like seasonal giving trends, annual events, busy delivery periods and your cashflow forecast.  For example, Giving Tuesday is a matched crowdfunding opportunity that takes place in December but requires groups to sign up for it in July   There is a link about Giving Tuesday in the transcript.

Create a budget:  Allocate funds to cover fundraising activities, keeping your budget realistic

Set short term targets: such as funds raised, donor retention rates, and event attendance. These will help you assess progress and guide future planning.

Evaluate and Reflect: Regularly assess your fundraising efforts. What worked well, and what didn’t? Use these reflections to feed into what you do.

 

Slide 10

Fundraising compliance

Any charity that is carrying out fundraising activity, even on a small scale, is subject the Fundraising Regulator’s code of fundraising practice.  The code exists to protect the public and encourage those involved in fundraising to follow best practice.  You can find a link to the code in the transcript.  The code includes a requirement to have an easily accessible complaints policy and to put in place safeguards on how to handle and bank any money collected.  Your organisation will also need to comply with other relevant regulations for example around safeguarding, health and safety, food hygiene and licencing.  See the links in the transcript for more on these.

 

Slide 11

Data protection

Data protection is crucial to ensure the privacy and security of supporters information from unauthorised access, misuse, or loss. This is important not only to comply with legal requirements – such as the General Data Protection Regulations – but also to maintain trust and credibility with your supporters.  Take a look at the links relating to this topic in the transcript.

 

Slide 12

In summary

Fundraising brings unique challenges and opportunities. By staying on top of trends, building a dedicated supporter base, creating a compelling case for support, mixing various fundraising methods, and planning strategically, your organisation can become more sustainable.

 

Slide 13

To find out more

For more detail on all of the topics covered here, check out the guidance links in the recording transcript.

You can also contact our team for help including help with policies and templates at

Info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk and you can join our online fundraisers network to link in with other fundraisers across the county.

 

Guidance links

For more information contact our team on info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk

Join Support Cambridgeshire’s Fundraisers Network

 

General background information

Fundraising facts you need to know in 2025 (Charity Digital)

Charitable Support Across Generations in the UK and Ireland (Blackbaud institute Nov 24)

UK Civil Society Almanac 2024 (NCVO)

UK Giving 2024 (CAF)

Introduction to engaging with business (Support Cambridgeshire/Get Synergised)

 

Fundraising resources

Guidance and resources for small charities (Chartered Institute of Fundraising CIoF)

How to build a fundraising strategy (Charity Digital )

How to boost your charity campaigns with AI (Charity Digital)

How to perfect the donor journey (Charity Digital)

Storytelling to support your goals (Support Cambs)

A-Z of the best fundraising ideas for charity (Charity Digital)

 

Livestream fundraising

Complete guide to livestream fundraising (Charity Digital)

Gaming for good fundraising pack (End Youth Homelessness)

Jingle jam

 

Events

The ultimate event power pack (Cambridge City Council 2024)

Ideas & resources (Eden Project)

Safer activities and events (NSPCC)

Event Safety Checklist (CCVS)

 

Local authority safety advisory group guidance:

Cambridge City Council

East Cambs DC

Fenland DC

Hunts DC

South Cambs DC

 

Data protection

Advice for small organisations (ICO)

 

Compliance

Community fundraising and events (Fundraising regulator)

Trustees and Fundraising a practical guide (CIoF)

 

Grant funding

Funding Application Tips (Support Cambridgeshire)

Support Cambridgeshire 4 Community funding database