Blogging 101: Part two

Your manager has asked you to start a blog. You agree to do it, but you haven’t written one before. What you should you write about? Where do you start?

Fear not. Help is at hand.

In this post, we’re going to give you the lowdown on how to get started.

Let’s dive in.

1.     Know your audience

Is your blog aimed at a specific market i.e., millennials? The 60+ demographic? Businesses? Whoever it is, the content needs to be appropriate for your target market.

For example, content about digital fundraising isn’t going to resonate with retirees any more than legacy content will to millennials.

Before doing anything else, be clear on who you’re writing for.

2.     Brainstorm content

You know the saying, ‘variety is the spice of life?’ It’s as true for blogging as anything else.

If you post the same old content week in, week out, your blog will get stale.

To prevent this, come up with several broad content categories and post blog content from each in rotation.

Here are some suggestions:

• Personal stories

Personal stories can be incredibly emotive. And as we said in a previous post, emotive stories prompt donations.

You could write stories about your:

Service users: What hardships have they faced? How has your charity improved their lives?
Example: The Brain Charity

Community fundraisers: What events/personal challenges have they taken on? How much did they raise? What’s their motivation for raising money for you?
Example: Starlight Children’s Foundation

Staff: Encourage front-line staff to share their observations, feeling, and experiences via guest posts.
Example: Charity Works

Tip: If you can get people to tell their stories on camera, you’re winning, as videos get 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

• Charity news

This is the place to share news about your organisation and promote your vacancies and upcoming fundraising events/initiatives.

It’s also a prime opportunity to introduce your team – the people behind the brand. Why is this important?

As motivational speaker, Bob Burg once said, “people buy from people that they know, like, and trust".

• Topical posts

Seen something in the news/on a TV programme that relates to your cause? This is a great opportunity to wade in on it. You could write an ‘explainer’ post to cover the topic in more depth. Alternatively, if the programme got some information wrong or sensationalised the topic, you could pen a ‘myth buster’ article to set the record straight.

Example: Life Charity

• Educational posts

The primary purpose of a blog (after boosting website traffic) is to educate your audience.

There are several ways to do this:

o   How-to posts

How-to posts consist of a list of steps or actions designed to be followed in sequence.

St Johns Ambulance uses this approach to teach people how to perform CPR.

o   Q&A posts

These are generally used in two ways:

1.     To answer questions posed by the public (on your social media channels or website enquiry forms).

2.     To guide readers through research. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity used this Q&A with Clinical Scientist, Dr Anna Minchom to talk about developments in lung cancer treatments.

• Thought leadership content

When done correctly, thought leadership content can help you become an authority in your niche. When a brand is considered a thought leader, donors (and others in the industry) look to them for insights.

Thought leadership content can take the form of research, expert opinions, personal anecdotes, or future predictions. It may also evaluate industry trends.

This post about the future of cancer research and treatment is a prime example.

Tip: Get your CEO/a senior member of the team to draft the copy for these posts. Once written, you can edit the copy to match the tone and style of the rest of your blog content. If time is an issue, they can always record the piece on camera.

Tip: Going back to our earlier point about keeping your blog fresh, it’s a good idea to mix up the content format as much as possible. As well as text, incorporate video, audio files, and/or infographics.

• Create an editorial content calendar

The best way to manage your blog content is to create an editorial calendar.

In a nutshell, this is a list of the content you will publish, and when.

Some people use content marketing software to manage their editorial calendars, but it can be as simple as creating a calendar in Excel.

Your calendar should include topics, deadlines, publishing dates, and notes about each post.

You can download a free template here.

Final Word

In the next, (and final) ‘blogging 101’ post, we’ll talk about how to format your blog posts to set you up for success.

In the meantime, if you’re on the market for a new fundraising role, give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk for an informal chat.

New donor loyalty measurement service launched for small charities

Over a period of 10 years, ‘About Loyalty’, a specialist research-based consultancy for the non-profit sector, conducted the largest-ever research study into donor loyalty.

The study measured the loyalty and behaviour of donors across 30+ charities and 50,000 supporters.

The key findings:

A one-point increase in supporter loyalty over 3 years can lead to:

• ​20% more income

• 15% more donors continuing to give, and

• 9% more legacy pledges

The results go to show that proactively growing supporter loyalty (by improving the supporter experience), increases retention, legacy giving, and overall income.

You can download the full report here.

Chase Lite

During Small Charities Week, About Loyalty launched Chase Lite, a service designed for small charities, to help them measure, understand, and grow their supporter loyalty.

A reduced version of their Chase Index programme (aimed at large charities), Chase Lite enables small charities to measure key loyalty metrics such as:

• commitment to their cause

• satisfaction with their communications

• trust in them to deliver against their promises

Once signed up, charities can benchmark their performance against 40+ other small organisations to identify their strengths and highlight areas where their communications are not growing supporter loyalty.

On the back of it, About Loyalty (which specialises in helping charities grow supporter loyalty and income) can provide you with practical and targeted action to grow donor loyalty.

Chase Lite pilot

To prove the efficacy of the service, About Loyalty ran a pilot with five small charities, including International Nepal Fellowship (INF). 

Olly Du Croz, Marketing and Communications Manager at INF highlighted the charity’s struggles with supporter loyalty:

“Supporter loyalty is important for all charities, but it is even more essential for smaller charities where donor recruitment can feel like an even bigger uphill struggle. We strive to ensure supporter relationships are nurtured so that people feel cherished and valued, developing deeper and longer-lasting links with INF and the work our partners do in Nepal.”

Roger Lawson, director, and founder of About Loyalty, deemed the pilot a success, claiming that it’s proven that the science behind measuring loyalty is as effective for small charities as it is for big brand household names. 

“We’re passionate at About Loyalty in helping charities to grow their supporter experience. Our recent Chase Lite pilot demonstrated that there was a need for a simpler product aimed at the small but vital organisations to enable them to measure their supporter loyalty, grow that loyalty through practical help, and in turn increase income and the organisation’s stability for the long-term.”

Want to know more?

If you want to find out more about Chase Lite, check out About Loyalty’s free webinar, ‘small charities, BIG loyalty’. If you want to find out how Chase Lite can benefit your charity, register your interest on their website.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a fundraiser to focus on supporter loyalty and retention, give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk

The rise of the charity shop

The retail sector is fighting for its life. Last year, almost 50 shops closed every day across the UK and it’s a similar story this year.

But one shop is bucking the trend – the charity shop. Not only are bricks-and-mortar stores growing in number, but sales are through the roof.

For example, Oxfam’s retail income increased from £39.4m in 2020/21 to £90.3m in 2021/22, while Barnardo’s saw growth of 158% year-on-year to £78m in 2022.

And the trend is being seen across the sector. Data published by the Charity Retail Association shows that, between October-December 2022, there was a 9.1% increase in the average number of transactions per day in charity shops compared to the same period in 2021.

According to the latest figures, charity shops are now estimated to raise around £360m a year for charities, which exceeds pre-pandemic contributions.

What’s caused the surge in popularity?

There are three key factors at play:

Sustainability

The focus on sustainability has slowly been increasing for at least a decade now. And charity shops in particular have become a big part of people’s efforts to shop more sustainably. Back at the start of the pandemic, a study found that 60% of people were making more environmentally friendly or ethical purchases.

What better place to do that than at a charity shop? Especially as fast fashion is, well, falling out of fashion. People want sustainable options - such as second-hand clothes - and a good deal. Charities tick both boxes.

Cost-of-living

Charity shops are central to their local communities and one of the first places people turn to when money is tight, so it’s not surprising footfall has increased during the cost-of-living crisis, as people look to get the best value for their money.

Social Media

Social media has also played a part in the charity shop boon.

The hashtag #CharityShopHaul has amassed 217 million views on TikTok, thanks to the rise of charity shop influencers - yes, they exist - like Jen Graham. She’s built a loyal fan base of more than 70,000 followers over the last year, who love seeing her show off her charity shop hauls.

Next level

The nation’s obsession with thrift shopping has led to the emergence of initiatives that take charity shopping to the next level:

Charity superstores

Cancer Research UK and The Salvation Army have taken charity shopping to the next level by launching multi-department charity superstores. Housed in retail units left vacant by failed brands such as Debenhams, they offer everything from furniture and homeware to electricals and fashion.

Charity Supermarket

Charity Super.Mkt, - the UK’s first multi-charity fashion pop-up store, was the brainchild of Wayne Hemingway, founder of British fashion brand Red or Dead, and Maria Chenoweth, CEO of sustainable clothing charity TRAID.

The supermarket opened in Brent Cross shopping Centre in January 2022, and offered a curated selection of stylish second-hand garments, bringing together the best donated clothing sourced from 10 UK charities under one roof.

The first time that national and local charities have collaborated on a store, the proceeds were split between Age UK, Blue Cross, Cats Protection, DEBRA, Havens Hospices, Helen and Douglas House, Marie Curie, Shaw Trust, Shelter, Smart Works, Sue Ryder, Thames Hospice and TRAID.

In four weeks, the initiative raised over £300,000 and saved 11 tonnes of clothing from landfill.

Charity Shop Gift Card

In another ‘first’ for the charity sector, The Charity Retail Association (CRA) rolled out the UK’s first  Charity Shop Gift Card.

Accepted in shops run by regional and national charities in most areas of the UK, the card is made from recycled materials, and can be purchased on the CRA’s website and at participating shops, including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Boots, Asda and WHSmith.

As a social enterprise, 65% of annual profits from sales of The Charity Shop Gift Card will go to UK-based charities.

Brand/charity collaborations

There are also a growing number of collaborations between mainstream high street brands and charity shops, as corporate responsibility moves higher up the agenda for companies. 

For example, in 2017, high street clothing retailer TK Maxx staff launched a campaign called ‘Give Up Clothes for Good’.

Championed by celebrities and families living with cancer, the initiative rallies people across the UK to drop off their quality, pre-loved clothes, accessories, and homeware at collection points in all TK Maxx stores. The items are then sold in Cancer Research UK shops to raise funds to support research into children’s and young people’s cancers. 

TK Maxx customers have collected over 1.7 million bags of donated goods, amounting to more than 8800 tonnes of pre-loved items diverted from landfill.

The future is digital

Digital fundraising through online retailing is nothing new: the first online charity shop was launched by Oxfam back in 2007. But people are spending more time online than ever before. This, combined with the UK’s new-found enthusiasm for second-hand bargains, means the opportunity for charities to establish online charity shops as major digital fundraising sources has never been greater.

Looking to build up a digital fundraising team? We can help. Call us on 0203 750 3111 to find out how.

Introducing Microsoft Disability Answer Desk

Microsoft needs little introduction. The world’s largest software maker, over 1.4 billion people and businesses use Microsoft products and services globally.

The brand is best known for its Windows operating systems software, Office applications suite and the Internet Explorer web browser, but it’s also a leading provider of cloud computing services, video games, computer, and gaming hardware.

Over the years, Microsoft has been building inclusion into its products and services. Three years after launching the first version of Windows in 1985, the company introduced ‘Access Utility for Windows 2.0’ – a programme that improved the accessibility of Windows for users with hearing impairments and/or limited dexterity.

Since then, the brand has released a slew of accessible programmes, tools and products to support a wide range of needs and disabilities - the most recent being the Xbox Adaptive controller. And the latest incarnation of Windows (Windows 11) is being marketed as the ‘most accessible version of Windows yet’. 

Microsoft Disability Answer Desk

If you have a disability, you may be well-versed in Microsoft’s vast array of accessible products and tools, but did you know about their Disability Answer Desk?

If not, here’s the lowdown.

Launched in 2013 as part of the brand’s commitment to ‘bridge the disability divide’, the Answer Desk is a free resource disabled customers can use to:

• Troubleshoot issues with Windows products, tools, and accessories.

• Learn how to use Microsoft’s accessibility features.

• Ask questions about assistive technologies. 

Available 24/7, the support line is manned by a team of assistive technology experts, who undergo mandatory disability awareness, etiquette, and sensitivity training.

Fielding around 150,000 enquiries a year, they help customers with products such as Office 365, Xbox, Windows, and Skype, as well as third-party assistive technologies, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.  

Accessibility Help and Learning Centre

In addition to the helpline, Microsoft’s Accessibility help and learning centre lists all the accessibility tools available in Windows (grouped by disability). There are also a series of simple how-to guides, explaining how to access and use each tool.

In addition to mobility, vision, hearing, and neurodiversity tools, there are guides on how to use Microsoft’s learning tools to improve your writing and reading, and their mental health tools, that can help you improve your mental focus and minimize distractions.

Final Word

If you’re confused by live captions, flummoxed by colour filters, or stumped by keyboard shortcuts, the Disability Answer Desk can help.

There are a number of ways to contact them. You can call on 0800 026 0584, or speak to them on live chat.

If you’re visually impaired, you can get support through Be My Eyes - a free app that connects blind and low-vision users with volunteers for visual assistance via a live video call. 

The power of charity PR stunts

There are just under 169,000 registered charities in the UK. In such a heavily saturated sector, how can you make your organisation stand out in a unique way without spending a fortune?

Three words. A PR stunt.

For the unfamiliar, a PR, or publicity stunt, is a disruptive marketing tactic with one simple goal – to get people talking.  

More specifically, PR stunts:

• Are short or one-off events, not long-term campaigns.

• Are interesting, original, and memorable.

• Rely on viral marketing, where people share footage of the stunt with their friends, resulting in exponential reach.

If you haven’t experimented with PR stunts, it may be worth considering, as, when they’re planned effectively, they can raise a ton of awareness, generate free column inches, and drive donations.

What does a charity PR stunt look like?

PR stunts come in various shapes and forms and aim to achieve different things.

Let’s look at a few examples.

USA for Africa
Goal: Raise awareness and boost donations

One of the first notable charity PR stunts took place in 1986. Organised by USA for Africa, the stunt, dubbed ‘Hands Across America’ aimed to raise awareness of poverty and hunger by uniting millions of Americans in a single cause: forming a human chain spanning the continental United States.

The ambitious stunt attracted 6.5 million participants, including celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld.

Former President Ronald Reagan and the White House staff even took part.

Participants donated $10 to stand in the chain, and the stunt raised a whopping $34m for the charity.

Greenpeace
Goal: Raise awareness and solicit signatures

PR stunts can also be an effective way to campaign for change.

In 2013, six female activists from global campaigning network, Greenpeace scaled London’s 1,017-foot Shard tower (without permission) to highlight Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.

They chose the Shard as Shell’s headquarters are located near the iconic building.

The six women began their ascent in the early hours of July 11, and reached the top at around 7.10pm, at which point they attached a protest flag with the words "Save The Artic" to the building.

The stunt was broadcast live via the internet from cameras mounted on the climbers’ helmets. Greenpeace urged followers to monitor the climber’s progress via a live video link on their website, which featured pop-up boxes asking people to sign a petition and donate.

The women were arrested "on suspicion of aggravated trespass", but the stunt had the desired effect: 65,000 people signed up to support the campaign in the 24 hours following the stunt, and the live stream peaked at 13,000 viewers.

The story also trended globally on Twitter and dominated media coverage on the day.

RNIB
Goal: Raise awareness

In 2021, The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) opened a mock corner shop to highlight the inaccessibility of packaging by stocking the shelves with vaguely labelled products.

The "WhatsIn store" pop-up provided an insight into how it feels to be confronted with inaccessible packaging, something regularly experienced by people with sight loss.

Hidden cameras in the shop filmed shoppers' reactions to the blank or intentionally vague packaging before the shopkeeper revealed that this is the reality for people with sight loss when they’re out shopping or want to buy food on the go.

The footage was uploaded to RNIB’s social media channels, attracting thousands of views and shares. It also generated widespread media coverage.

The stunt also prompted global drinks brand Coca-Cola to release a line of accessible packaging for blind and partially sighted people.

Sanku and Choose Love
Goal: Raise awareness and funds

In 2022, surprise performance company, ClubMob took to the streets of London for a charity flashmob. (If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a flashmob is ‘a large public gathering at which a group of people perform a seemingly random song, or dance routine, and then disperse’. Flashmobs are designed to attract attention by disrupting the normal and taking people by surprise).

The professional dancers performed a pre-choreographed routine in four high-profile locations in London, to raise money for two charities; Sanku and Choose Love.

In advance of the event, ClubMob filmed a tutorial of part of the routine, posted it online, and invited people from across the world to learn it and join them on the day. 100 people travelled to London to take part.

The stunt caused quite a stir, with large crowds of bemused passersby stopping to watch and film the performances.

The video has been viewed 320k times and the stunt raised just under £4,000, which was split between the two charities.

WaterAid
Goal: Raise Awareness and solicit signatures

In 2021, WaterAid placed four ice sculptures on the banks of the Thames, to highlight how climate change is causing fragile water sources to disappear for vulnerable communities.

The ice figures depicted people from some of the world’s poorest communities collecting water, to highlight the reality of those living on the frontline of climate change.

The stunt, which formed part of WaterAid’s ‘Our Climate Fight’ campaign, highlighted how climate change is causing fragile water sources to disappear in vulnerable communities.

The charity used it to encourage the public to sign their open letter to the UK Government, urging them to ‘invest a third of the UK’s committed international climate funding in locally-led adaptation projects, to help vulnerable communities get a reliable source of water, so they can protect themselves against the impacts of climate change’.

Looking for an experienced event fundraiser to make your next event go off with a bang? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 1111 or email us on info@bamboofundraising.co.uk