August 2009

Leo Orland to present at the
20th South Asian International Fund Raising Workshop

At the beginning of August fundraisers will gather in Jaipur, India for the 20th South Asian International Fund Raising Workshop.

Presenters at the conference this year will include Robejohn’s very own Leo Orland FFIA alongside over 30 of the world's leading fundraising experts, including Tony Elischer, Tony Myers, and Finlay Craig.

The 20th SAFRW will be a mix of case studies & presentations covering a variety of topics, and Leo with his 29 years of fundraising experience will present the following:

- Developing a Compelling Case for Support
- Direct Fundraising That Really Works
- Ingredients of Good Customer Service
- Strategic Planning – Your Road Map to Success

For more information and to register for the conference go to the South Asian Fund Raising Group website.

July 2009

Robejohn Presenters at FIA Skills Training Course

Once again, Robejohn were proud to present at the Skills 1 training course in July 2009.

Kathy John presented the Direct Marketing module and Leo Orland focussed on Relationship Marketing.

This reflects our commitment to developing fundraising skills in the Australian industry.

For more information about FIA Skills training go to the FIA website.

February 2009

Robejohn attends 32nd
FIA International Fundraising Conference

by Nikki Kerridge

I recently attended my first Annual FIA Conference in Sydney, representing Robe-John along with Kathy John, Leo Orland and Libby McMeekin. For four days, fundraisers from all over Australia came together to network, share knowledge and learn from each other.

Robejohn sponsored the Direct Marketing track of the conference and Leo also carried out two presentations in this stream. Fundraising 101 was a beginner’s guide including 7 key steps to becoming a brilliant fundraiser. The “Ask” on Paper was a workshop session, exploring the best ways to pitch the right ask, at the right time, to the right person through Direct Marketing.

This stream also included an interesting panel discussion comparing Direct Mail, Telemarketing and Face to Face as channels for acquiring Regular Givers. Each panel member presented interesting and very different case studies (from ChildFund Australia, Cancer Council NSW and Seeing Eye Dogs Australia). Key learnings included:

• Test and learn during appeal – The benefit of face to face and telemarketing is that changes or training needs can be identified and addressed immediately. Listen to your team, regularly check your data, adapt scripts and refresh staff training where required.
• Find the approach that is right for your product – Whilst Face to Face was a successful channel for ChildFund Australia to market Child Sponsorship; this success would not necessarily be replicated with a Cancer Council regular giving program.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket - Integration of different channels is essential in Relationship Fundraising - not just to acquire new donors but to welcome, retain, upgrade and continue a long lasting relationship with them.

Another highlight was the Funding Fundraising session, which advised on the best ways to gain greater marketing investment from their board, CFO or CEO. As well as taking us through some practical examples, other recommendations included:

• Be accountable for Marketing spend - make sure you know your marketing metrics
• ROI - If your approach to your acquisition investment is about affordability, then shift this to focus on return on investment
• Speak the language of the people you are seeking funding from - demonstrate clear financial measurements and projections and always be sure to emphasise lifetime value

Ted Hart presented an interesting talk on the Online Potential for Fundraising and Social Networking which included his 10 rules of e-Philanthropy. Ted’s presentation contained numerous tips and important points, these included:

• Make sure your website reflects your organisation’s values - Today 50% of people will check a charity’s website to find out more before donating – even if they then go on to donate offline
• Don’t view online fundraising as quick money - it should be approached like any other channel, as a key integrated step in a Fundraising strategy
• Your website needs to remain your main online presence – While charities certainly need to acknowledge Social Networking sites as a way to communicate with donors, there is little point in having a great Facebook page unless you have an even better website to drive donors to

Trish Egan gave a very practical talk on the 7 P’s of not-for-profit marketing. In addition to the classic 4 P’s of marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), Trish added People, Partnerships and Passion.

The conference itself really drove this point home. It was a fantastic opportunity for fundraisers to come together and realise they weren’t the only organisation with data problems, a weak bequest program or one of many other challenges. Furthermore it was great to witness how attendees were genuinely willing to offer each other support, and share advice, results and experience to help overcome the daily challenges fundraisers face.