Fraudsters exploit Ukraine crisis to steal money

Times of crisis bring out the best in humanity, but they also bring out the worst in scammers.

Following the outpouring of support for the people of Ukraine, we were disappointed to see the National Fraud Reporting Centre issue an urgent warning for people to be vigilant of scammers looking to exploit the crisis to steal money.

The organisation received 196 reports of bogus requests to fundraise for victims of the crisis, with some claiming to be from Wladimir Klitschko, the brother of Vitali (the mayor of Kyiv).

Let’s take a look at some of the scams circulating and how you can protect yourself.

Donation Scam

The most prevalent scam is the 'Donation Scam', where fraudsters attempt to lure you to open your wallet with elaborate, emotional fake appeals for ‘solidarity with the people of Ukraine’ or urge the public to ‘help fund the country's defense efforts’.

Advice: Donation requests from charities you don't recognise should raise a red flag. Check the charity’s legitimacy on the Charity Commission website before opening your wallet. Even if it checks out, it could still be fake. So rather than click on the link in the email, donate directly on the charity's website.

‘Helping people move out of Ukraine’ Scam

Some scams ask people to assist in ‘moving money out of Ukraine’.

Similar to the Nigerian Prince scam, victims are asked to make an advance payment or share their personal details to help.

These scams are easy to spot as they’re poorly worded and generic.

Advice: If you receive a message like this, delete it, and report it to the Financial Conduct Authority.

Cryptocurrency Scam

Some scam artists are defrauding people via cryptocurrency channels.

They use phishing emails to ask people to donate Bitcoin or Ethereum via fake crypto addresses, which they claim are connected to the Ukrainian government or prominent NGOs.

Advice: If you’re only given the option to donate in cryptocurrency, it’s fake. Report it.

Spoof Websites

Some scammers have set up ‘spoof’ websites that look like official registered charities.

Advice: Tell-tale signs include long, convoluted web or email addresses, and spelling/grammar errors.

Final Word

The best way you can help is by donating to a reputable charity such as the DEC.

Looking for reliable fundraisers to help you manage your donations? We can help. Call us on 0203 750 3111 to find out how.

What does a fundraiser do, anyway?

When people hear the term ‘fundraiser’, they often think of people in high-vis jackets with clipboards. You know, the ones that chase you down the road, trying to get you to sign up for direct debits.

This is a legitimate type of fundraising (known as face-to-face or street fundraising), but it’s just one of the ways charities generate money.

Before we delve into the different types of fundraising, let’s go back to the original question: What does a fundraiser do?

In a nutshell, fundraisers raise money for charitable causes. And they do it using a combination of research, marketing, and sales tactics.

What type of fundraising roles are there?

Large charities usually have a team of fundraisers that carry out specialist fundraising functions, (Major Donor Fundraising, Corporate Fundraising, Event Fundraising etc.,) while smaller organisations will typically recruit one person to do it all.

Here’s the lowdown on the various roles.

Community Fundraiser

Community fundraisers are the main point of contact for fundraising involving members of the public.

Go down this route and you’ll enjoy a varied workload. On any given day you could be recruiting volunteers, attending community events, preparing thank-you letters, or managing relationships with donors.

A key aspect of the role is building positive relationships in the community.

If you can get on with people from all walks of life and happy to get involved in a variety of fundraising activities, this could be the role for you.

Corporate Fundraiser

Corporate fundraisers specialise in cultivating relationships with businesses.

When done well, this can be an extremely lucrative form of fundraising.

Corporate support can take many forms, from matched giving to donations of goods and services.

To succeed as a corporate fundraiser, you need to be persuasive and outgoing, have a good head for business, and a knack for building relationships with corporate clients.

Events Fundraiser

An ‘event’ can be anything from a local charity pub quiz to sponsorship of an international sporting competition.

As an events fundraiser, you’ll juggle lots of plates and work to tight deadlines. You’ll be required to develop, manage and promote events, whilst working to meet monthly fundraising targets.

To succeed, you need to be organised, calm under pressure, able to multitask, and great at communicating with everyone, from volunteers to event suppliers.

Legacy Fundraiser

A legacy is a financial gift left in someone’s Will.

The job of a legacy fundraiser is to navigate the legal and administrative aspects of securing donations. and nurture relationships with supporters, with the view to persuade them to leave donation in their Will.

As a legacy fundraiser, you need to be empathetic, patient, and well-versed in legal and regulatory issues.

If you have an interest in law or accountancy, this role may be right up your street.

Major Donor Fundraiser

Some charities rely on a small number of high-net-worth individuals to fund their activities. These individuals are called major donors.

The job of a major donor fundraiser is to seek out potential donors and build long-term relationships with them to secure lasting income.

Because of the large sums of money involved, relationships with major donors require a lot of time and attention. Therefore, relationship building is key to the role. You also need to be level-headed, as the people you’ll come into contact with are super wealthy.

Trust Fundraiser

Charitable trusts and foundations are legal entities set up specifically to donate money to charities. There are more than 10,000 of them in the UK. And each has different funding priorities and criteria for giving.

The role of a Trust Fundraiser is to identify appropriate trusts and foundations to approach and complete formal funding applications.

If you’ve got strong writing and research skills, Trust Fundraising could be a good option.

What next?

If you think a career in fundraising might be for you, check out our jobs. If you want some advice on your next move, contact us for a chat on 020 3750 3111.

4 ways to build a strong workplace culture

What do you think the top priorities are for job seekers? A huge salary? A short commute? An easy job?

The answer is all of the above. However, another must-have for job seekers in the current climate is a strong workplace culture.

What do we mean by ‘workplace culture’?

In a nutshell, ‘workplace culture’ is as a ‘mixture of an organisation’s leadership, values, beliefs, relationships, attitudes and behaviours’.

Why is workplace culture important?

A recent Glassdoor study found that ‘56% of workers rank a strong workplace culture as more important than salary, with three-in-four workers saying they’d consider a company’s culture before applying for a job.’

This tells us that a strong workplace culture isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’. It’s integral to attracting talent.

With this in mind, here are four things you can do to build a strong workplace culture.

1. Focus on employee’s mental health

80% of leaders identified mental health as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to their organisation’s success in the 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends study.

So, what can you do to support your staff’s mental health?

• Make sure they know your door is always open for a chat.

  That said, some people may not want to discuss concerns with a manager. They might feel more comfortable speaking to a counsellor. You can arrange this through an organisation such as Perkbox.

• Organise mental health awareness training/workshops

• Offer flexible working and/or remote working to give staff a better work-life balance. This will make them feel supported and valued.

2. Optimise the work environment

The physical workspace can have an impact on employee morale, relationships, and productivity.

Different people work best in different spaces. So, provide a range of options A mixture of open plan, breakout areas, and private spaces will enable employees to choose where they work, based on their preference and the needs of the project.

3. Create strong lines of communication

Modern technology has made it easier than ever to communicate at lightning speed.

More than 269 billion emails are sent each day globally and workforces are increasingly relying on online communication tools like WhatsApp, Slack, and Zoom.

However, too much choice isn’t always a good thing.

Messages can get missed. In fact, research has shown that employees only open 24% of their emails.

Poor communication can negatively impact every aspect of your charity, from employee retention, and customer service, to productivity and morale.

As such, it’s crucial to think about how you communicate with employees.

A few suggestions:

• Keep employees engaged by implementing organisation-wide monthly catch-ups, where you highlight successes and share financial progress.

• Emphasise face-to-face communication. Nothing beats human interaction.

• Ensure your managers are trained to communicate and provide the necessary tools needed to succeed (i.e. handouts/presentations)

4. Take the Breathe Culture Pledge

This is a commitment you can make towards investing in your workplace culture. It’s a promise to put your people first, invest in their success, and supercharge employee engagement.

Looking to fill an upcoming role? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to find out how we can help.

Six ways to reduce workplace conflict

There are some certainties that come with being a human, aside from the whole death and taxes thing. Conflict is one of them.

We’re all guilty of arguing with our spouses, disagreeing with friends, and quarrelling with strangers on the street.

Workplace conflict is no different. Put a load of competitive, professional, driven people in a room, and disputes are inevitable.

That’s the first thing to know about conflict. It isn’t wrong or bad. It’s part of being human. But that doesn’t make it pleasant. When it isn’t handled effectively, it can result in strained com­mu­ni­ca­tion, loss of pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, and impaired team­work.

In a fundraising department, this is the last thing you need.

So, what can you do to keep the peace?

Here are six top tips.

1. Be clear about your expectations

Prevention is better than a cure, right? This goes for workplace conflict too.

As people join the organisation, make sure they’re aware of your operating policies and procedures, and what constitutes unacceptable behaviour. Make sure the policy is on the intranet, in the staff handbook, and pinned up around the office.

2. Implement regular 1:1 check-ins

Take the time to get to know your employees on a 1:1 basis. Identify their stress triggers, find out how they feel in their role, how they like to work, and whether they feel like they belong in the team.

This will help you spot potential issues and cultivate an environment where employees feel comfortable approaching you with issues.

3. Be aware of personality clashes

According to an OPP report, 49% of workplace conflict is attributed to personality clashes.

As a manager, it’s your responsibility to keep the peace. This doesn’t mean you need to force people to get on, but you need to foster a culture where employees recognise and respect each other’s differences in working style, communication style, and emotional triggers.

This is where personality testing comes in.

There are lots of psychometric tools, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DiSC Profile, Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI/enneagram test) and PATH Assessment.

Investing in personality testing will help your team better understand themselves and each other.

4. Train your staff in the art of good communication

Good communication involves more than talking loudly to get your point across. It also includes listening.

Using active listening techniques, like asking questions, restating, and using analogies to rephrase statements should stop things from getting heated.

5. Be impartial

If you have to mediate, remain impartial. Sure, you’ll have your opinions, but you won’t be able to manage the issues successfully if you’re seen to be taking sides. And mind your language. Avoid being judgemental and sarcastic, and be careful when using humour. You may be tempted to use it to defuse tension, but it could be misinterpreted and end up fuelling the flames of resentment.

If you’re struggling to remain neutral, ask another manager or a trained mediator to intervene.

6. Don’t bury your head in the sand

If you clock simmering tension, it may be tempting to ignore it and hope it goes away. But doing so can make things worse. If left unacknowledged, tension can build up, resulting in resentment, staff absence, or worse.

Conflict also has a knock-on effect on the wider team. It can lead to a dip in morale and productivity. So nip it in the bud sooner rather than later.

Are you looking to build a harmonious fundraising team? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to find out how.

Five tips to make your LinkedIn profile irresistible to recruiters

With more than 57M+ companies and 15 million active job listings, LinkedIn is the largest professional network on the planet.

If you're serious about your career, a profile is a no-brainer.

But it’s not good enough to simply exist on LinkedIn. Your profile needs to attract attention, say the right things, and help you connect with people who can help you get what you want.

Here are five tips to make your LinkedIn shine.

1. Put a face to your name: LinkedIn research has found that profiles with photos are seven times more likely to turn up in searches. Yet a staggering number of LinkedIn profiles don’t include headshots.

   If yours is lacking, you’re missing out.

   It goes without saying if you you’re going to upload one, it needs to be appropriate. LinkedIn is not Instagram. So bikini shots on the beach are a definite no-no.

   Use a clear, recent headshot, on a plain, neutral background.

2. Show your value in the headline: Along with your image, your LinkedIn headline is one of the few things people can see before they click on your profile. So, make the most of it.

   Your headline doesn’t have to be your job title. Get creative with it. Put in whatever you think will attract attention from the people you want to connect with.

   If you do want to include your job title, include some industry-relevant keywords to highlight your niche experience. Rather than ‘charity fundraiser’, say ‘experienced major donor and grants fundraiser’.

3. Less is more: Recruiters will spend an average of 6 seconds looking at your LinkedIn profile. That’s a short amount of time to grab their attention. To ensure yours stands out, be concise. Use bullet points, keep your paragraphs short, and back up your achievements with numbers.

   Why? It’s one thing to say you’re good at your job. It’s another thing to be able to quantify it.

4. Include recommendations from colleagues: LinkedIn endorsements are powerful. Recruiters pay attention to them. So get into the habit of asking colleagues for them periodically throughout your career.

   The more endorsements you have, the higher you’ll rank in the search results.

   Wondering how to get endorsements? Read this handy guide.

5. Be active on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a social media tool. As with any other social platform, you need to be active on it to get anything from it.

   Sure you’re busy and have more fun on Facebook, but if you’re on the market for a job, it’s vital to showcase your professionalism by posting regular updates, publishing articles, and engaging with forums and discussions that interest you.

   This will expand your network and provide insight into your capabilities and personality to potential employers.
   
   Want some help updating your LinkedIn profile? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to get the ball rolling.