failed marketing campaigns, simple questions & moving house

‘Unconventional Wisdom’ brings you a regular selection of unique perspectives, innovative ideas and inspiring insights from across the charity sector. This second edition features a failed marketing campaign, an enlightening house move and a very simple question. So here’s some of the best recent blogs about charities and fundraising that you may have missed...

Nicole Bradfield: The backlash over charity's awareness campaign made us rethink our work
Published by The Guardian
Ice Bucket Challenge was the charity viral marketing phenomenon of 2014. A campaign to tap back into that energy on behalf of the Motor Neurone Disease Association should be simple, right? Nicole explains what her agency got wrong and why it caused a major backlash. A great insight into how people view campaigns and the current public fatigue with charity asks. Admitting your mistakes isn’t easy, but they can be inspirational for others.

Rachel Hunnybun: Let’s keep in touch
Published by SOFII
What happened when one charity sector professional and loyal donor contacted three national charities to tell them that she was moving house? The results were worrying, and Rachel thinks that many charities could learn a lot from the commercial world. Thanks to Rachel for a useful and timely reminder about the importance of treating donors like people.

Derek Humphries: Simple questions drive fundraising success
Published by 101Fundraising
In July this year, Derek climbed six mountains in three days to raise £13,000 for Lessons for Life Foundation. It all started with a simple question. Derek believes that fundraising is simple, but organisations make it complicated. His challenge to charities is: “What’s the simple question that your cause seeks to answer?” Define your core question and everything else flows from there...

Laura Croudace: Lessons from a charity shop
Published by SOFII
We try to showcase a broad range of views here, but make no apologies for featuring Laura for the second time. This blog touches on a topic we’re really passionate about – how charities can professionalise and develop great products to ‘earn’ income as well as attract donations. Smaller charities may not be in a position to open shops but the entrepreneurial principle behind it is worth thinking about, especially in today’s ultra-competitive landscape.

Ross McCulloch: Six successful Google AdWords charity campaigns
Published by JustGiving
Did you know that all registered charities can get almost £78,000 worth of free AdWords advertising and many other benefits from Google for Nonprofits? You may be unaware of this or, like us, not always sure how to run a successful AdWords campaign when there is so much charity competition and you are restricted to a maximum cost-per-click bid. So here are six success charity campaigns that raised money, helped beneficiaries or boosted trading income.