Can you help us open doors for guide dogs?

This is Ricky - Bamboo’s Junior Consultant. If you’re a regular reader of the Bamboo blog, you may be aware that, when he’s not screening CV’s and answering phones, he looks after Graham, (one of our Founding Directors).

Graham has a genetic eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare disease that makes cells in the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye) break down, leading to vision loss.

Graham relies on Ricky (one of 4,800 working guide dogs in the UK) to help him travel around safely and independently. And yet he and many other guide dog owners are refused entry to public places, such as cafés, shops, pubs, and taxis with their furry companions.

The law

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits service providers from discriminating against those who need an assistance dog. It also requires them to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers.

And yet research by Guide Dogs for the Blind Association found that 81% of guide dog owners have been refused entry to a business or service with their guide dog. And 73% have been refused entry to a taxi.

The statistics are shocking.

For people with a vision impairment, a guide dog can be life-changing. Refusals are standing in the way of owners having the chance to flourish in their social and professional lives.

Open Doors

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has launched a campaign called ‘Open Doors’ to help end illegal access refusals.

The aim is to educate the public and businesses on the law and grow understanding and awareness of how access refusals impact guide dog owners.

Of the campaign, Blanche Shackleton, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs, said:

"Guide dog owners deserve to be able to live their lives the way they want and feel confident, independent, and supported in the world. The law is clear, and yet guide dog owners continue to experience access refusals, which are almost always illegal … Businesses and services need to do more to ensure they have open doors to guide dog owners.”

How can you help?

Guide Dogs has launched a petition calling for the strengthening of the Equality Act, so businesses are not able to refuse assistance dogs.

Add your signature here.

You can also show your support by displaying an ‘Open Doors’ sticker in your office, stating that your organisation welcomes assistance dogs.

You can request one from Guide Dogs by emailing campaigns@guidedogs.org.uk.

‘Feel Good’ Fundraising - From a Tiny Acorn…

In our ‘Feel Good Fundraising’ series, Bamboo’s digital marketing apprentice, Georgie, follows up on the stories of inspirational volunteer fundraisers to ask them the questions no one’s thought to ask.

Georgie, it’s over to you.

This week, I was enthralled by the story of Rob Duncombe, Chief Pharmacist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who ran the London marathon dressed as an oak tree.

I was dying to know how Rob got on, but couldn’t find any follow-up articles, so I reached out to ask.

Rob, how did the run go?

“I completed the marathon, my 40th, in 4 hours and 40 minutes. Sadly, I didn’t break the World Record for running a marathon dressed as a tree, (I missed out by around 35 minutes), but I had a great day. It was incredibly hot though, so staying hydrated was tricky.”

What’s the story behind the costume?

“The tree came about because we are building a new cancer unit at the Marsden called the oak unit. Sol, running as an oak tree seemed like a good way to raise awareness and do something different.

We initially checked whether one of our volunteers would be able to make the costume, but it was a big undertaking, so we went with a professional company, Rainbow Productions, which makes mascots. They make most of the football club mascots.”

Was there any costume camaraderie?

“I met a number of fellow costume wearers at the start, as we were all placed in the same pen, but we separated out quite quickly. I ran with a police officer in full uniform for a while, but I overtook and finished ahead of her in the end!”

Fantastic work, Rob! An amazing achievement for an incredible cause.

If you want to hear about more of his antics, why not follow Rob on Twitter?

Want to donate? Check out his JustGiving page.

Looking for a community fundraiser to inspire volunteers like Rob? Drop us a line at info@amboofundraising.co.uk.

Five ingredients of a great festive direct mail fundraising campaign

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and get your festive direct mail fundraising campaign in order.

That’s right folks, Christmas is just around the corner. If your festive appeal isn’t in the can, you’d better get a wriggle on.

A recent survey by Donor Pulse found that 49% of people are more likely to give around Christmas than any other time of year, and 38% say they do it because they’re asked to’. So, a festive ask is a no-brainer.

What is direct mail fundraising?

Direct mail fundraising is the process of designing, writing, printing, and delivering fundraising materials to donors via their letterbox, rather than their inbox.

We know what you’re thinking. Why go to all that effort when you can send an email?

Well, digital fundraising is great, but research shows that a combination of direct and digital mail increases campaign effectiveness by a whopping 400%.

With that in mind, what are the ingredients of a killer Christmas direct mail campaign?

Here are some pointers.

1.   Make it personal

Did you know that your brain lights up when it hears your name? True story.

The most successful fundraising campaigns are personalised, so make sure your donor’s name is the first thing they see.

As well as using donors’ names, make use of the word ‘you’.

Addressing the reader directly will involve them in your story. This is key to boosting your response rate.

2.   Think about your hook

You’ve got seconds before your appeal goes in the bin. Without a strong hook, people won’t get past the first paragraph, let alone donate.

To maximise impact, you could share a compelling story about one of your beneficiaries, or some shocking statistics that highlight the extent of the issue you’re tackling.

3.   Tell an authentic story

Stats are great for grant applications, but direct mail fundraising is all about storytelling.

A powerful story will help you create a personal connection with readers and draw out empathy, which is key to persuading people to give.

Authenticity is key here. With direct mail, it can be tempting to put words into someone’s mouth or tell a story in a way you think will most appeal to donors. But it’s not your story. You have a responsibility to share stories ethically and responsibly, so work with your service users to create stories that raise their voices rather than amplify yours.

The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal is a great example.

4. Show your appreciation

As well as raising funds, your Christmas direct mail appeal is the perfect opportunity to thank donors for their generosity throughout the year.

Sure, you can incorporate this into your letter, but why not go the extra mile and send each donor a personalised Christmas card, like the WRVS.

5. Give to receive

Each year, Cliff Richard reminds us that Christmas is a ‘time for giving, a time for getting’ so why not give something to donors in anticipation of receiving their donations?

Nothing big or expensive. Maybe a tree decoration, a branded Christmas cracker with a thank you message, or a discount voucher.

If you want to push the boat out, you could team up with a holiday company and offer people the chance to win a winter weekend away in a festive prize draw, in return for a donation.

The possibilities are endless, but a gift will be a welcome addition to your appeal letter.

Wrapping up

If you’re looking for a fundraiser to execute your Christmas direct mail campaign, you’re reading the right blog. Contact us to get started on 0203 750 3111.

How to respond when disaster strikes

A badly handled crisis is one of the greatest risks to any organisation’s reputation.

Especially in the charity sector, your reputation is everything.

While crises can’t always be avoided, the damage can be minimised. How? With a well-thought-out crisis communications plan.

Crisis planning 101

Before we dive into crisis planning, what constitutes a crisis?

‘A crisis is an event or scandal that has the potential to disrupt your organisation’s activity, negatively affect your finances, and ultimately damage your reputation.’

The charity sector has been hit by a raft of crises in recent years, from safeguarding concerns, to  allegations of racism, sexual misconduct and high pressure fundraising tactics.

The charities involved have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, losing donors, volunteers, and key funders as a result.

If you want to avoid the same fate, an effective crisis plan can help minimise the fallout.

Here are a few pointers:

1.     Be prepared

Do the planning now so you’re on the front foot if crisis strikes. This means putting together a risk register and crisis response protocol. 

Your risk register is essentially a list of all the terrible things that could happen because of your charity’s activities, such as: 

• operational issues 

• issues with suppliers, partners, or stakeholders 

• an external event or action by a third party that could have a significant effect on your organisation 

• reputational issues as a result of public scrutiny (because of alleged mismanagement of funds, racism etc)

You then need to decide: 

a) what you can do to minimise the likelihood of them happening

b) how you will respond if the worst happens

The crisis response protocol should lay out who needs to be involved in the response, the channels you’ll use and how you’ll deal with any questions or challenges. 

2.     Respond quickly

When something kicks off, don’t sit back, and wait for the story to take on a life of its own before stepping in. If there’s even a whiff of a scandal, issue a statement immediately explaining what’s happened and what your organisation is doing to put it right.

3.     Take responsibility

If your organisation is at fault, don’t lie, say ‘no comment’ or issue half-hearted denials.

Manage the situation professionally by issuing a statement taking responsibility, acknowledging people’s concerns and apologising.

Then follow-up with a plan of action. Share what steps will be taken to fix the issue and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

4.     Keep stakeholders informed

Keep your stakeholders (donors, funders, staff) updated as the crisis unfolds. Tell them what’s being done to manage it and by whom. If possible, have daily meetings or calls so everyone’s on top of the situation.

5.     Get professional help

If you don’t have anyone in your team with crisis communications experience, consider bringing in an external consultant to help you formulate a plan. After all, if a crisis gets out of hand, the consequences can be disastrous (as Kids Company proved).

Life would be so much easier if disaster struck with fair warning. But sadly, that's not the case. If you need a professional fundraiser with crisis comms experience, give Bamboo a call on 0203 750 3111

The Psychology of Giving

Friend’s fans, this is one for you. Do you remember the episode where the gang discuss whether true altruism exists?

Here’s a little reminder:

Joey argues that all good deeds are selfish, while Phoebe is on a mission to prove otherwise.

So, she comes up with what she thinks is the perfect selfless act by donating to a telethon that Joey takes part in. She hates the network it’s broadcast on, so isn’t happy about it, but knows her money will help people in need.

However, her plan backfires when Joey is singled out by the telethon host and congratulated for taking the highest donation of the night.

Phoebe is delighted that her donation got Joey on TV, until he reminds her that her happiness negates the selflessness of the act. Doh!

What does Friends have to do with giving?

Good question. As well as being a nice trip down TV memory lane, this clip raises a key question – what motivates people to give?

In 2021, researchers in Alaska ran an experiment to find out, by testing two of the most common motivations for charitable giving:

·        Pure altruism

Pure altruists are selfless. They help others without expecting anything in return. They’re motivated by a genuine joy of giving.

·        Impure altruism

Impure altruists are egoistic. They help others to improve their own well-being i.e., to feel a sense of self satisfaction. This is also known as “warm glow”.

To see which motivation produced most donations, the researchers sent postcards to 540,000 households in Alaska. Half received postcard (a) representing impure altruism or “warm-glow” and the other half were sent postcard b, (highlighting the benefits of giving to others selflessly (pure altruism).

The results were interesting: The individuals who received the warm glow appeal were 6.6% more likely to give, and gave 23% more than their counterparts in the control group. Meanwhile, the message that appealed to pure altruists had no significant effect on average donations relative to the control group. 

The takeaway

Although there’s a lot more research to be done around the psychology of giving, and there are lots of other motivations for giving, the takeaway from this experiment is that you’re going to receive more donations if your fundraising campaigns appeal to the warm, fuzzy feeling people reap from donating.

In a practical sense, this means tweaking the focus of your campaign messaging by highlighting the mood benefits of giving - empowerment, joy, and satisfaction.

It’s a win-win for the donor and your organisation. By promoting the benefits of "self-interested giving," you’re enabling people to experience that lovely ‘warm glow’ while increasing contributions to your charity at the same time.

The bottom line: If you want people to donate more, remind them how good it feels to give.

Hopefully this has given you something to think about – in terms of the psychology of giving and how you can use it to create more effective fundraising campaigns.

Fancy testing out a ‘warm glow’ campaign? We’ve got experienced fundraisers waiting in the wings to help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to get started.