Brilliant charity campaigning, changing Lottery funding & the $10million donation out of the blue

For the final time in 2023, here's a round-up of some of the most interesting perspectives and niche ideas published recently by other fundraisers, experts and bloggers in our sector...

A series of innovative charity campaigns
Written by Henry Rowling and published on LinkedIn
2023 hasn't been the easiest year for charities, with the cost-of-living crisis and seemingly non-stop bad news stifling our ability to be creative and innovative. But Henry Rowling, Founder of Flying Cars Innovation, has come up with the perfect antidote. Every day in December, Henry has been sharing one brilliant and eye-catching charity campaign from 2023, starting with the "1,071 Bad Apples" campaign by Refuge linked above. Henry's daily posts have been a much-needed reminder of the power and creativity of campaigning - and much more wholesome than a chocolate advent calendar.

Oblivian starring Oblivia Coalmine
Created by Make My Money Matter and published on YouTube
Speaking of brilliant charity campaigning, we LOVED this video published a few weeks ago, highlighting the serious issue that £88 billion of UK pension savers' money is invested in fossil fuels. If you haven't seen it yet (and let's face it, it's been everywhere), the video features the brilliant Olivia Colman as a smug, latex-clad oil exec who has made her fortune from your pension contributions. Satire is an under-used technique in charity campaigning, but this proves how effective it is - a campaign destined to go viral, but with a very serious message. While we're at it, here's a handy guide from NCVO for charities looking to divest from fossil fuels.

Beyond words – how thank­ing can trans­form your rela­tion­ship with your charity’s supporters
Written by Mark Phillips and published by SOFII
Back on more conventional ground here - the topic of thanking your donors well feels as old as time, but that doesn't mean there's not room for improvement for a lot of organisations. Writing thank yous is still often seen as an admin task, but - done well - it's arguably your number one tactic for securing more donations and building better relationships with your supporters. So over to Mark for some interesting stats about the power of thanking donors, and some great tips for upping your thanking game.

​How National Lottery funding has changed
Written by Joe Lepper and published by Charity Digital
2023 saw a big development in the UK grantmaking landscape, with National Lottery Community Fund announcing a new strategy and a major overhaul of its funding. The headline news is a new set of funding priorities, increased support for small charities, and a 100% increase to the Awards For All maximum funding amount. But there are lots of changes to get your head around, and this handy article from Joe Lepper provides a fab overview.

What Donors Want - The Legacy of MacKenzie Scott With FRIDA, SAGE & Panorama Global
Created by Rachel Stephenson Sheff and Emily Collins-Ellis and published by IG Advisors
And finally...imagine getting a call out of the blue to offer your organisation a totally unrestricted, no-strings grant of $10 million, and having only two days to decide whether to accept? That's the position that two not-for-profits found themselves in when MacKenzie Scott came calling, and this podcast tells the story of their experience. The unusual case of MacKenzie Scott's donation to FRIDA - and FRIDA's brilliant response - features heavily in our regular talks about ethical fundraising and problematic philanthropy, so it's no surprise that this podcast is firmly on our Christmas listening list.