• Are you a new or up-and-coming fundraiser with a passion for ideas?

• Do you want to share your ideas with the sector?

• Do you want to speak in front of 250 fellow fundraisers at I Wish I’d Thought Of That 2018?

I Want To Talk At That (IWTTAT) is a competition open to all up-and-coming fundraisers, where three speaker’s slot at I Wish I’d Thought Of That 2018 (IWITOT) are up for grabs. Each audition winner will receive one-to-one support from our well-known fundraising mentors to help make their speech the best of the day. This is a great chance to show the best minds of our industry exactly what you’re about. There’s a lot of talent out there, and we want to encourage it.

'Taking part in IWTTAT and speaking at IWITOT was the highlight of my year! I had a fantastic mentor, Andy Harris, who guided me through the process from start to finish. And I got to meet so many other kind and supportive people in our industry.

If you’re toying with the idea of entering, my advice would be to just forget the excuses and go for it!'

You can read about Alfie’s fundraising idea here.

IWITOT is a fun, fast-paced afternoon of ideas sharing, where eighteen hand-picked speakers from the spectrum of fundraising specialists take to the stage to share the idea they wish they’d thought of. Organised by SOFII and sponsored by Open, the event attracts fundraisers from charities big and small.

IWITOT 2018 will take place at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre in London on Thursday 18th January from 2pm-5pm, followed by a drinks reception and award presentation from 5pm-7pm.

To apply you’ll need to send in a maximum of two hundred words explaining the fundraising idea you wish you’d thought of and why you think it would be relevant to share with your peers. The idea cannot be yours or from your organisation.

Email your IWITOT idea to us at fiona.pattison@opencreates.com by Monday 13th November. 

Auditions will take place on the afternoon of Friday 17th November at Holborn Studios, near Old Street in London.

If you have any questions prior to then just let us know. Good luck! 

Don’t worry – you’re not alone! If you’re a winner, you’ll be paired with one of three well-known senior fundraisers, who will offer invaluable mentoring and advice leading up to the event.

Julie is a strategic leader with more than 25 years of experience in international development and humanitarian organisations. She has consistently led to exceed fundraising targets, with a track record of inspiring teams and building structures and strategies from start-ups to 100+ people as well as working as a team player across international networks to achieve results. Julie developed strategies from national start-ups in new markets to ambitious international targets of US $1 billion+ across 30-50 countries. Julie has a strong personal commitment to humanitarian organisations and is proud to be a voluntary board member of War Child UK.

Lucy is a campaigner and activist working to address issues of inequality, injustice and exclusion. She has worked in senior management positions at a range of voluntary and private sector organisations over the last twenty five years. She is currently CEO of UpRising and board member of the Fundraising Regulator.

Lucy joined Open in 2016 as the COO. She plays a hands-on role in leading the team. And with the right people and data she is successfully delivering the company’s strategy and objectives. Prior to working at Open, Lucy has worked at Cancer Research UK as well as the Howard Hunt Group and ORM.