The National Emergencies Trust offers charities a financial lifeline

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the third sector hard.

90% of charities were negatively impacted, according to the Charities Commission.

Charities dedicate their time and resources to helping others, but, in the wake of the pandemic, they’re the ones that need a helping hand.

Enter the National Emergencies Trust’s Local Action Fund.

What is it?

Essentially, it’s a pot of money available to charitable, voluntary, and community organisations that have encountered financial difficulties due to the pandemic.

To benefit, charities need to raise up to £10,000 through Crowdunder. The National Emergencies Trust (NET) will match whatever amount is raised.

The funding can be used in whatever way charities see fit.

Since the fund launched last September, more than 100 projects across the UK have been fundraising, and received over £250,000 from the fund.

Earlier this month, NET announced that there is still £747,000 available.

How does it work?

The fund is open to charities, constituted organisations, community interest companies, and other voluntary community organisations that fundraise through Crowdfunder UK.

To qualify for the matched donations, the crowdfunding campaign needs to have at least twenty-five unique supporters within a four-week period.

For every donation made, the fund will match it, up to a maximum value of £250.

Multiple donations from the same donor won’t be matched.

The total amount available for any organisation is £10,000.

Check out the t’s and c’s, and the full eligibility criteria here.

How do I apply?

To apply, set up a campaign on the Crowdfunder UK website. You’ll then be able to apply for funding through the Local Action Fund page.

Even if you don’t end up being selected, a crowdfunding page is a great way to elicit donations from your supporters. You’ve got nothing to lose and up to £10,000 to gain, so why not give it a try?

Charities, are you in need of fundraisers? Fundraisers, are you in need of work? As specialists in fundraising recruitment, we at Bamboo are well-placed to help. Call us on 0203 750 3111 to find out how.

Feel-Good Friday: Inspirational Fundraisers

Michael and Bridget Locke are inspirational.

The devoted couple, from Newport, Wales, have been fundraising tirelessly for Cancer Research UK, since their daughter, Sally Kay, was successfully treated for cancer in the 1980s.

To show their gratitude for the charity, they pledged to raise £1 million by Michael’s 90th birthday.

Retired architect Michael said of the mission: “My youngest daughter was affected by cancer. After her final session of chemotherapy, she said, ‘I’m one of the lucky ones. I’d like to give something back. This got Bridget and I thinking…”

When he retired, aged 60, Michael focused on fundraising full-time, saying it gave him "a purpose in life".

Over the years, he and Bridget have done ‘anything and everything within the law’ to raise money, from coffee mornings and sponsored walks to supermarket collections and an annual golf day (which raised £250,00).

Michael also sold over 2,000 jars of his three-fruit homemade Marmalade, which his neighbours describe as ‘legendary’.

Due to COVID restrictions, the determined duo had to cancel a fair few fundraising events in 2020 and 2021. As a result, they missed their goal, but not by much. They still managed to raise a fabulous £962,000 by their self-imposed deadline.

Now that life is back to normal, they’ve refocused their efforts and plan to reach the million milestone before Michael’s 91st birthday in July.

Of the amazing feat, Michael said, “It’s given me something to do, rather than just vegetate. It makes me feel I’ve done something positive.”

His daughter added “'the reach of the fundraiser has been amazing. Just last week we had a donation from the Netherlands. It's incredible. We get lovely messages from strangers.”

Mike, who was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his services to Cancer Research, added: “It will be the icing on the cake to reach £1m by my 91st birthday.”

Want to help Michael and Bridget achieve their ambitious fundraising target? You can donate to Mike’s Million fund here.

Looking for an inspirational fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to find out how.

How to reject job applicants without burning bridges

Rejection is part and parcel of the recruitment process, but, all too often, candidates are not contacted if they’re unsuccessful. 

Even attending an interview doesn’t guarantee a response.

When employers do send out rejections, they’re often impersonal or non-specific.

Either way, it’s disrespectful and unprofessional.

Here’s how to do it right.

Be prompt

A lot of hiring managers wait until the end of the hiring process to reject candidates. Some even wait until the new hire has started. But this is unfair. The rejected candidate may hold off applying for other roles or worse, turn down another offer in the hope of securing a gig at your charity.

Show rejected candidates you value their time by letting them know as soon as you’ve made your decision. Don’t leave them hanging.

Keep it brief

If you’re writing a rejection email, tell the applicant why they didn’t make the cut in one sentence. For example, “we were really impressed with your skills, but decided to go with an applicant who had more community fundraising experience.”

This tells them they conducted themselves well, but they need to gain more experience in a certain area.

While you’re writing the email, be sure to include a few positives. We’re not suggesting you sugarcoat things, but don’t be overly negative.

You don’t want to put the candidate off applying for anything else.

Pick up the phone

Go the extra mile for candidates you’ve interviewed by giving them a call.

They made the effort to prepare and come to the interview; the least you can do is take the time to pick up the phone.

It doesn’t need to be a lengthy discussion.

Key points to cover:

• Thank the candidate for their time

• Tell them you’ve offered the job to someone else, and explain why

• Give them some positive feedback

• Thank them for their interest in the role

Make it personal

Nothing says ‘we don’t care about you’ more than a generic rejection email.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to include the candidate’s name and reference the things you spoke about during the interview.

You’re dashing this person’s hopes. The least you can do is treat them with a bit of respect.

Encourage good candidates to apply for other roles

If you liked a candidate but they weren’t right for the role they applied for, encourage them to apply for other positions.

Redirecting them to positions better suited to their skillset will soften the blow and show them you see potential.

Ask for feedback

Hiring is a two-way street, so ask candidates for feedback on your recruitment process.

Hiring managers are happy to dish out feedback to applicants, but fail to ask for it in return, meaning they’re missing out on valuable lessons.

Need some help with your recruitment process? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111.

Four tips to improve your legacy fundraising

Did you know that charities in England and Wales are left approximately 3.5 billion pounds from people’s wills each year?

This figure comes from the Legacy Trends Report 2021 from legacy experts Smee & Ford, and they predict it’ll keep growing.

And it’s not just the big charities that are benefitting. One in five charities mentioned in a will is community-based.

Is your charity lacking in legacy income? It might be time to rework your strategy.

Here are four top tips.

1. Consider your phrasing

Legacy asks are tough for three reasons.

• People don’t like to contemplate their own mortality

Sure, legacies are technically about dying, but they’re also about our lives, values, and the impact we want to have on the world. That’s the message to focus on sending.

• Many of us associate ‘legacy’ with a grand gesture

Although ‘legacy’ means ‘an amount of money or property left to someone in a will’, people tend to associate it with substantial amounts of money.

This is why a growing number of charities are using the word ‘gift’ instead.

A ‘gift’ doesn’t have to be particularly big or life-changing.

Change your wording and you may well see an influx of smaller but equally as valuable gifts.

2. Be sensitive

No matter how you cut it, legacy fundraising involves you benefitting from the death of an individual.

That;’s not to say it’s bad to accept or ask for legacies. But it does mean you need to be sensitive with your marketing.

Messaging that’s perceived as celebrating someone’s death, for instance, is going to come across as insensitive.

Focus on celebrating the individual’s generosity and commitment to your cause.

3. Drip feed your message

Legacy marketing can be triggering, particularly if it catches people off guard.

Legacy Voice suggests the best way to tackle this is to ‘drip-feed your legacy message’.

The purpose of drip-feeding is to gradually help people move through the stages of consideration until they’re at a place where they’re ready to take action.

For example, rather than overwhelming donors with big, flashy annual legacy campaigns, incorporate subtle asks in your regular comms on a more regular basis.

4. Foster emotional attachments

This applies to all fundraising efforts, but it’s especially important for legacy fundraising. After all, people can support your charity next Christmas if they’ve already chosen one for this year, but they only get one Will.

If an individual is considering leaving you a legacy, chances are they’re invested in your cause. But that doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. A legacy donation is a big commitment from donors, so it requires a big commitment from you.

Find out what those connections are and build your communications around them.

Research from the University of Bristol shows that people are more likely to donate if there’s an emotional attachment.

Fostering that attachment may help swing their decision in your favour.

Final Word

Legacy fundraising can be challenging, but it’s well worth the investment.

If you’re looking for an experienced legacy fundraiser, we can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to get the ball rolling.

Two inspirational young fundraisers recognised in new year honours list

Two pint-sized fundraisers have become the youngest-ever recipients of the British Empire Medal (BEM).

Tobias Weller, AKA Captain Tobias, (11), and Max Woosey, AKA The Boy in the Tent (12) received the honour for their impressive fundraising efforts during the pandemic.

‘Captain Tobias,’ who has cerebral palsy and autism, was inspired to fundraise by his hero, Captain Tom Moore.

Despite being unable to walk unaided, the 11-year-old completed a series of sponsored walks (he walked more than 50 miles up and down his street), marathons, and a year-long Ironman, which involved a 180km ride on his trike, a 4km swim, and a marathon.

His superhuman efforts resulted in a whopping £150,000 for two local organisations in Sheffield - the school he attends (the special educational needs Paces School) and the Children’s Hospital Charity.

The money raised for the latter will pay for an Exercise and Physical Activity Therapist.

His efforts were praised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, who joined him for the end of his second marathon in August 2020.

Meanwhile, 12-year-old Max was inspired to fundraise by his neighbour, Rick.

In 2020, Rick (who was suffering from terminal cancer) gave Max a tent and told him to ‘have an adventure in it.’

After Rick sadly died, Max decided to use the tent to raise funds for the North Devon Hospice, where Rick spent his final months.

Max’s fundraising goal was £100. He planned to camp in the garden until he reached that target. However, after discovering a taste for camping and fundraising, he decided to extend the ‘camp out’ to a year.

By the end of the challenge, Max had camped out for more than 600 nights ­– and they weren’t all spent in his garden. He spent a night at London Zoo, another at Twickenham Rugby Ground, and one in the garden of 10 Downing Street.

His adventures raised an incredible £700,000, which the Hospice said would pay for 13 nurses to care for more than 300 terminally ill patients.

Max took his fundraising campaign a step further with ‘Max’s Big Camp Out’ - a scheme launched through JustGiving.

He encouraged children across the world to take on similar camping marathons on Saturday 27 March. He inspired nearly 2,000 young people to take part.

And Max is not done yet. Next year he’s planning to hold a second camp out on Exmoor.

Want a superstar fundraiser for your team? Give us a call to get the ball rolling on 0203 750 3111.