Fund it! Workshop presentation

1. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
How to Save Your
Charity From
Bankruptcy In 6 Weeks
Bill Bruty
Director
Fundraising Training
Ltd
Slide 1

2. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Bill Bruty
Director of Fundraising Training
Ltd
Bill is a Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising, having been a
fundraiser since 1984.
He is a world-leading expert in grantseeking and the
development of fundraising practise.
Clients range from Cancer Research UK, to less mainstream
causes; such as the National Union of Students (NUS).
Bill has also supported a wide range of community groups
and social enterprises across the UK and all over the world,
such as International Rivers (US) and The African Field
Epidemiology Network, based in Kampala.

3. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
The Scenario
2010
Gloria, CEO Kid’s First Trust:
“We’re being hounded by
creditors and I have only six
weeks before my charity will be
wound up. I really need some
advice – I’ve never done any
fundraising before….”
Bill: “I’ve never been here before,
but I’ve had experience of working
with a few who’ve been in similar
situations, let’s see if we can
learn anything from them…”
Slide 2

4. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Nigel
Charity was facing severe cashflow challenges, with three
choices: cut back to the bone; close; or get in some additional
unrestricted cash.
Rather than take the first two options, Nigel approached his
main funder, a government department, asking for a cash
injection. Nothing was forthcoming, but Nigel had given these
guys a lot of advice in developing a new policy – he had
‘money in the bank’.
A few weeks later there was unexpected call from the
government contact. “There’s a new funding programme being
announced next week. It’s not from this department, but you
ought to apply.”
We looked at the funding guidelines, couldn’t see how we were
relevant, but submitted a bid, more in hope than expectation.
We got it – favours repaid.
Moral: Do favours for people, constantly, pick your best
‘debtor’ and cash them in.
Slide 5

5. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Paula
Her charity was facing a £50,000 deficit at the end of
the year. She could see it coming and did everything
she could to solve it.
They shared the building with a convent and most
evenings Paula would talk through her day with one
of the nuns.
The sister was a good listener and always implored
Paula to insert this problem into her regular prayers.
Paula wasn’t particularly religious but she followed
the advice.
Two weeks before the end of the year, when disaster
was imminent, an anonymous donation arrived for
the exact amount of the deficit. The power of prayer
and/or the power of the nun’s contacts?
Moral: Take someone into your confidence, turn
them into a soul mate, an ally, then they will become
an advocate.
Slide 5

6. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Andrea
Andrea is one of those inspirational and yet annoying
leaders. She and her charity are full of themselves (as well
as good ideas and projects).
Her cause comes up in every conversation, in every way.
A few years ago, the finances were in turmoil and all the
good ideas were turning to dust. She started inserting
impending doom into her normally glossy stories about
herself and her organisation.
Everyone knew, but she hadn’t drenched them in her
anxieties.
Eventually, as the last moment, a funder converted a
restricted grant to an unrestricted one, another friend
turned up with a large donation from a fundraiser she had
organised and another found some pro-bono services
saving the charity a lot of money.
Moral: Tell everyone about it, at least twice (in two
different ways), but never three times (then you are a
pest/loser).
Slide 5

7. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Jane
Jane was a new fundraiser at a small community group.
She was a recent graduate and had no fundraising
experience, but was full of energy.
She was given an impossible fundraising target to prevent
the charity from folding. She had no previous fundraising
activity to build upon.
Through long conversations and extensive reading she
decided upon a random basket of fundraising activities,
from approaching corporates, presentations to rotary
groups, parachute jumps and a major fundraising event.
She simply didn’t know the target was impossible, after all
this was her first ever job and she’d always succeeded in
meeting high academic standards. She worked at a frantic
pace, long hours, pursuing dozens of different threads.
Most of it didn’t raise much more than expected, but one
fundraising event exceeded all hopes and the target was
reached. That was the event where everyone piled into
help, fearful that Jane would collapse of exhaustion.
Moral: Have no fear, explode into a frenzy of activity,
publicly grind yourself into the ground – invite a rescue!
Slide 4

8. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
John
The charity discovered a financial fraud that was
enough to make it insoluble. The eight trustees were
faced with the prospect of being personally liable for
£90,000 in total (they had no indemnity insurance at
the time).
As a group, they agreed to share the liability equally
between them (£11,250 each). They set up regular
meetings to share their progress, but each one set
upon an individual journey.
They all had their own individual solutions: one had
contacts with companies and trusts that led to
donations; another did a fundraising event; another
simply borrowed the money. They all reached their
targets.
Moral: Get all the stakeholders together, divide up the
problem and the responsibilities equally, follow
individual journeys, but work as a team.
Slide 5

9. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Baboons
In response to a severe drought in the North of Kenya, a
Nairobi youth group ran an intense and high profile
fundraising campaign for a water tanker to be sent to the
drought stricken area.
When the tanker entered the disaster area it was set upon by
a troop of baboons. Driven half-crazy by thirst, they drained it
dry.
This hit the headlines in Nairobi and the youth group were
devastated. They then compiled a dossier of all the press
cuttings, and developed an alternative proposal for a more
sustainable shallow well programme.
They then identified 10 potential Northern donors and sent off
the proposal, which included the story of the failed venture.
After some brief negotiations, the group ended up with
$500,000 in donations for their shallow well programme.
Moral: Publicise your disaster, but show you have learnt a
lesson and have a new ‘cunning plan’.
Slide 4

10. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd
Our Six Solutions
1.Do favours for people, constantly, pick your best
‘debtor’ and cash them in.
2.Take someone into your confidence, turn them into a
soul mate, an ally, then they will become an advocate.
3.Tell everyone about it, at least twice (in two different
ways), but never three times (then you are a pest/loser).
4.Have no fear, explode into a frenzy of activity, publicly
grind yourself into the ground – invite a rescue!
5.Get all the stakeholders together, divide up the
problem and the responsibilities equally, follow
individual journeys but work as a team.
6.Publicise your disaster, but show you have learnt a
lesson and have a new ‘cunning plan’.
Slide 4

11. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd

12. © Bill Bruty 2011fundraising training ltd