Archaeology, invisible power, fundraising targets & donor-advised funds

Our Director, Mike Zywina, brings you our latest edition of Unconventional Wisdom, a round-up of brilliant insights from great minds across the charity sector. This month: invisible power in bid writing, surprising insights in charity policies, common pitfalls in target setting, and how donor-advised funds work. And more.

Who Signs Your Proposals? The Invisible Architecture of Power in Program Design
Written by Jessica Oddy-Atuona and published on LinkedIn

"The architecture of proposals might seem technical, even boring. But it's profoundly political. Every choice we make, from word selection to budget allocation, either reinforces existing power dynamics or disrupts them."

A must-read for any bid writer, exploring how and by whom charity programmes are really designed. Jessica explains how our "wordsmithing" as bid writers gives us invisible power – our activity descriptions and budget lines shaping the reality of what gets delivered, often far away from the people who know the context best and are impacted the most. We've all been in that position where a project gets designed on the hoof in the run-up to an application deadline. Now, it's time to think twice about that process. While written from an international NGO perspective, this article contains practical tips that are relevant for every bid writer.

Donor Advised Funds: Who uses them and what do fundraisers need to know?
Written by Adriana Lowe and published by CAF

This is a helpful overview of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), which are becoming more common in UK high value giving. A DAF is a giving account managed on behalf of a donor by an independent provider – they have legal control over the fund, making donations in line with the donor's wishes. While this professionalises the process, it means charities have little or no direct contact with the donor. Adriana – both a DAF administrator and a DAF owner – answers some common questions about DAFs, including who owns them, how to engage DAF providers, and how you could still build a relationship with an anonymous DAF donor.

We can’t ask new patients to donate, or can we?
Written by Saarah Abdeen and published by SOFII

"At a time when it’s harder and more expensive to acquire people who support our work, why do we add barriers to engaging with those who are most connected to what we do?"

As fundraisers, we sometimes formulate reasons in our head why we shouldn't ask – it's too soon, too much, too insensitive. But Saarah, winner of Australia's "Myth Smashers" fundraising prize, challenges the myth that people who recently started using a service shouldn’t be asked. Drawing on both her personal experience of her Dad's cancer diagnosis, and her professional experience at Glaucoma Australia, Saarah explains how having the choice and chance to give back to a service can be empowering, and how asking with care and consideration can work. There's helpful learning in here for everyone, even if you're not a medical charity.

Small Org Archaeology: What your "dusty" files are trying to tell you
Written by Flóra Raffai and published on LinkedIn

Channelling her inner Tony Robinson, Flóra – a small charity coach, trainer and consultant – makes the case that your organisation’s compliance policies and strategy documents provide a "paper trail" of your organisational culture. Just as archaeology looks at physical artifacts to understand how a civilisation functioned, your documentation can show what you really think is important and what you prioritise. And if your charity is experiencing recurring problems or disagreements, this is often a good first place to look. Time to dust off those files and look at them in a new light...

The Year-End Paradox: When the Budget Arrives Before the Breathing Space
Written by Rachel Holborow and published on LinkedIn

"If you’re the fundraiser [...] heading into April with a target that feels disconnected from everything you know about your portfolio: you’re not imagining it. Push for the conversation. Bring your data. Document your pipeline in detail and insist it forms the starting point, not an afterthought."

Crack out the party poppers and bunting...it's every fundraiser's favourite time of the year again! Not. Just as one daunting end-of-year fundraising target looms large, another pops up, as next year's budget is set. And too often, fundraisers either aren't involved in this process, or their recommendations get lost in translation. Thanks to Rachel for this timely article exploring the vital but often overlooked relationship between finance and fundraising, the importance of building more time into the target setting process, and the danger of starting with what your organisation needs and work backwards. Music to our ears.

What Each Generation Wants from Work
Written by Jinsha Joshy and published by CharityJob

And finally... new research from CharityJob has landed, exploring  what charity sector employees think about organisational values, workplace wellbeing, boundaries at work and career progression. What do charity staff really want from their work? What do they value most when looking for a new role? And how does this vary by age group? Jinsha talks through the most useful findings, which could help you to understand how best to attract candidates in a difficult market or persuade your people to stay with your organisation.