Con­clud­ing SOFII’s light­bulb moments series. 

We bring you the final instal­ment of SOFII’s series on what mat­ters most for the would-be donor centric.

Written by
Ken Burnett
Added
November 22, 2018

The final six videos have just been added for you – and as you’ll see, we’ve kept some of the best till last.


Context video 012

Questions and answers session. 17 minutes 54 seconds

Wide-ranging discussion about the issues that matter to fundraisers. Including great fundraising conundrums, more donors living longer and fundraisers getting better at keeping donors…might this lead to a golden age of fundraising? The Amazon effect, accountability and rebuilding public trust and confidence. The potential for cooperation between charities. Are we fundraisers or are we communicators? Spending on brand awareness rather than fundraising, and the myths of donor fatigue and share of wallet. Challenging questions that could have gone on and on…plus a great sentiment to end on.


Lightbulb moment #28  5 minutes 18 seconds

Put your WHY at the centre of your donors’ experience. Why does this matter so much? Plus, how do you get there? And what might happen if you don’t do it right?


Lightbulb moment #29  0 minutes 48 seconds

Why it pays to really listen. About perfecting the art of creative listening.


Lightbulb moment #30  8 minutes 31 seconds

Prepare for the next big thing. Some suggestions about what’s coming next. Making rice and excelling at judo. Positioning ourselves as providers of fulfilment for busy people. Plus, deploying your people as agents of good, who can change the world. And something that perhaps should have been edited out, but isn’t. Why legacy leavers live longer. And avoiding becoming nasty, mean and introverted.


Lightbulb moment #31  2 minutes 40 seconds 

Ask your board and CEO to insist on some specific actions. Without their involvement, your quest to change the culture of fundraising won’t get far. What if you, and your organisation, were to show the rest of the world how fundraising should be done?


Lightbulb moment #32  3 minutes 31 seconds

How you can make a comprehensive new promise to your donors. The Holy Grail. What should your promise say and how and when will you say it? Tailor-making your promise to your cause and your donors. Good luck with it!

Thank you for following the SOFII lightbulb moments series. You can find links to all the videos here. They have just one purpose – to simplify the findings of the UK’s Commission on the Donor Experience so as to help you put your donors’ needs and interests rather than financial targets at the heart of your fundraising strategies.

With thanks to Zenka Reijn, Reinier Spruit, Hans Broodman, Wouter Coomans plus Mark Phillips and all at Bluefrog London.

Have you some lightbulb moments of your own? If so, please comment below or e-mail joe@sofii.org to submit an article. Thanks!

About the author: Ken Burnett

Ken Burnett

Ken Burnett is author of Relationship Fundraising and other books including The Zen of Fundraising, (Jossey-Bass Inc, San Francisco, USA). The Tiny Essentials of an Effective Volunteer Board and Storytelling can change the world, both published by The White Lion Press, UK

In 2021, he wrote and published a book about campaigning fundraising, The essence of Campaigning Fundraising in 52 exhibits and 199 web links.

Ken co-founded SOFII with his late wife Marie and served as a trustee before retiring from the SOFII board in 2022.

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