*Beate added Andy King*
John
im not everyone. but i am here.
Andy
I am also present
John
WORD UP ANDY
welcome
Andy
HI FRIENDS
Feel like I’ve MADE IT
Jen
You have buddy!!! Welcome!
Simon? Are you driving or parking or some shit?
Beate
Or ignoring us?
Jen
Andy, Simon is by FAR the sketchiest Lobster in terms of how he rolls into our chatcast
John
mmm lobster rolls
i think Simon is still off maasterminding world domination
Andy
I feel like you should’ve expected that going into this tbf
Simon
This is harrison dada is driveing
Jen
SEE?
John
oh sweet lord
Beate
Harrison, make your dad pull over!
Simon
Sure!
Andy
Harrison how was the sonic movie?
Simon
?
Beate
?
John
still feeling on top of the world Andy? welcome to the jungle
Beate
Okay so topic as per Andys suggestion: How every fundraiser always thinks the grass is greener – other causes are easier to fundraise for. Andy – wanna start with your thoughts?
John
is this thing on?
Beate
yes
John
wow. nice intro Beate
Beate
Listen – I’ve said I’m not following the standards you and jen ar setting
I don’t have to turn this thing on – it’s a chat. I just start
John
hohoho
Jen
Hey this is also a unique chatcast because Bea and I are together! In Norway!
Andy
It’s definitely something I’ve noticed in the last couple of months… one of the first conversations I have with a lot of people is about how their cause is either difficult to communicate or not as ‘hot topic’ as it could be. Today I had a mental health charity tell me they ‘wish they were a cancer charity’ for example
And I just think people often stop seeing the wood for the trees and need to engage with how awesome their charity is, rather than what it’s not, y’know?
Beate
WAIT STOP THE TOPIC! WE FORGOT TO MAKE FUN OF ANDY FOR BEING YOUNG!
Andy
HAHAHA
Jen
Andy’s typing speed is 1000000x faster than that joker Mark Phillips
Andy
I’m as old as fundraising UK and that’s an institution I’ll be having none of this
Jen
Ahh to be young
Beate
Jazz hand greeting from live chatcast in same room! No handshakes.
Beate
Back to topic: I think when you say something’s easier to raise money for, they’re also forgetting that that means the work is that much bigger
Jen
We had a hilarious convo in Colorado this year about how charities always think other causes are easier. And 2 in the room was the Space Foundation and a charity that uses horses for therapy healing
Everyone else almost broke their eyeballs with eyerolls
Andy
10000% this
John
haha…. i forgot about the horse one…
Jen
John was like: “you’ve got space!”
Beate
hahah
John
yah “space” is easy…
Jen
“rocketships and planets and astronauts and shit”
Beate
I have a friend who raises money for fucking marshes. Which NO ONE has fond memories of.
Rubber boots stuck in the wet shit
dirty socks
trudging across one fearing for your life?
Jen
I just punched Bea
Beate
ow! whyyyy
Jen
I love wetlands!
frogs and salamanders and songbirds and shit
Beate
Did you seriously have fun in a wetland as a kid when you had to trek across one in the rain and your boots got stuck??
Jen
That was more fun than many Love family adventures.
John
Andy – isn’t it US – the fundraisers that make this so hard for or on ourselves?
what we raise money for is complicated
how we go about it is complicated
Andy
100%
People may not love marshes but they do love the planet.
John
the people who ask us to do it want it complicated
Andy
We decide to raise money for what rather than why so complications ensue
John
YES BF
Jen
So young and so bright!
Beate
oooh nominate for lightbult moment of the year 2020
Beginners luck?
Andy
???
John
i have yet to enccounter a charity anywhere that has said to me – you know John – what we do is simple…
Beate
haha
yea
Jen
It’s also a story we tell ourselves because it’s harder to admit other problems like leadership or budgets or boards…? maybe?
Andy
100%. When you ask someone what they do and they take a deep breath in and you just go ‘oh heeeere we go’
John
exactly.
Jen
Right? Like “buckle up for the bitching”
Beate
kind of what I do when someone ask me what I do?
how do you describe what the fuck a fundraiser is in a language that doesnth have a word for it
Andy
I mean that is. Fair challenge.
John
so
how can we make this a helpful conversation for people?
Andy
I think there’s definitely an excuse culture too. Like telling ourselves we’re too old to type faster 😉
Beate
heyheyhey!
No mocking of the typing speed of this group dude
Jen
Dude that was borderline to be booted from this chat. I’ve got grey hair now and I’m not fucking around.
Andy
Hahaha I like to live dangerously
Beate
young stupidity
Jen
Andy DANGER King
Beate
Dandy
John
how long have you and beate been drinking for Jen?
Beate
We’re….not!
Beate
well except that one beer for lunch
Jen
?
John
?
Beate
well, Jen had two
Jen
True.
Andy
I guess it’s about noticing the people who are owning their cause and what they’re doing with it?
Beate
totally!
Jen
We also have to talk about the fact that staff turnover and new learning curves plays a huge role in this
Beate
Also to stop thinking that your yardstick is wordl domination
or that you should convince the world at large to support you
Rather than look at what the strength of your particular cause is, and finding those who already think that is really important
Andy
You definitely see people try a scattergun/mass appeal approach rather than a focused few and trying to resonate with them.
Jen
Totally Bea. Focus on the donors that love you and not all those who don’t.
Andy
Which I totally get. It’s totally how I play video games – spray and pray.
Beate
hahah
the difference: that FUCKING WORKS in video games!
I always beat the boys at fighting games with spray and pray. The boys did not like it.
I was accused of cheating.
Andy
(Still waiting for Simon to fight me on smash bros)
Jen
My 15 year old son would give you a run for your money.
Beate
they’re pretty close in age, too
Andy
Hahahah
John
Like this:
Jen
NICE with the slides!!! #keener
John
the new donor pyramid?
not really new anymore
Beate
?
Andy
Oooh I LOVE this
John
helps you decide where to spend your time and effort right?
Beate
For sure
Andy
One charity I’ve worked with used to nail it by just ensuring all beneficiary feedback, where appropriate, was circulated round all staff on a daily basis
We had stories and a sense of meaning pouring out of our EARS
John
❤
Jen
❤
Beate
If you’re a cancer charity, don’t worry about people who give to puppies. And if you’re a puppy charity don’t worry about child sponsorships. And if you’re the marshes people, only worry about Jen and forget everyone else
(don’t punch me again)
Jen
No promises.
John
that’s right becasue there are people who care about the puppies. and people who care about the marshes. and people who care… etc
Andy
I look forward to hearing about all the marsh based direct mail Jen receives in the coming weeks
Jen
Imagine! That would be amazing. If chatcast became a prospecting pool for our colleagues.
John
chatcast TM
Beate
a shit business idea with only four prospects in the pool
John
does anyone else get the feeling that harrison didnt pass along the “dad pull over message”?
Beate
hahahah
Siiiiimon?
He’s gonna do a John
“Alright, we’re wrapping up” “Hey guys, I’m here, where are we?”
John
ha
John
i’d like to see that – or he’ll show up just to boot andy off.
Andy
This seems on brand
Beate
So does anyone have a cause that they secretly think “wow that must be tough to fundraise for!”?
Whether they’ve succeded or not I guess
John
the ones i think of- – i jsut look at them and go – how can they possibly raising any money with this crap
Andy
I will admit, my heart goes out to domestic abuse charities
Jen
I think ones that are about helping offenders and/or prisoners when they come back into communities gotta be a tough slog
Beate
Why do you think they’re hard to raise money for, Andy?
Andy
I think there’s such a ‘I’d NEVER get myself in that situation’ misinformation out there & it’s a difficult topic to get people to engage with
John
interesting.
Andy
You hear it takes someone, on average, 5.5 years to leave an abusive relationship
And some people think ‘well I wouldn’t deal with it for a day’
Beate
Does our newly established rule still go though? That would only true if you’re trying to raise money from *anyone* rather than those who really care about that cause?
Andy
Maybe – hard to say.
Jen
Could be. Also could be that one donor said one thing one day and it became amplified… that old chestnut about “donor complaints”
Beate
What about prisoners reform, like Jen said?
Jen
Yah, I know it’s important work, and some people will really care about it, but can’t be easy
Beate
If Simon was here, he could tell his story about how those causes are good to ask for foundation money for
Andy
I see Beate’s point though – there is definitely an audience prime to support them, and an audience who would be a waste of time
Beate
Okay guys – entering wrap up phase
Andy
Foundations are made up of people too, though, so it still has to resonate
Beate
What’s the most golden fundraising opportunity?
top of the pyramid?
Is there one?
Jen
it will be the one closest to each fundraiser’s heart.
either that or sick puppies stuck in space
Beate
?
John
❤
Beate
good conclusion
Andy
Won’t ANYBODY think of the PUPPIES
Beate
okay ready for lobster fact?
John
im ready
Beate
okay. It’s not topical.
Jen
lobster fact! lobster fact!
Beate
It IS however timely
and what times are we living in currently?
Jen
pandemic?
Beate
yup
Andy
?
Beate
There is a lobster disease called epizootic shell disease
(epizootic is a funny word)
John
wtf?
Beate
It’s a bacterial infection that makes lobsters impossible to sell as food, eating away at their shells and sometimes killing them.
Andy
That’s it. I’m fundraising for lobsters.
Beate
hahaha
Jen
?
Beate
For this excellent joke, we will keep you un-booted and boot Simon instead
Andy
Hahahaha
*Jen Love removed Simon Scriver from the chat*
Beate
hohohoh
Jen
I hope i didn’t just traumatize Harrison
“dada….DADA….your friends!!!!”
Beate
Alright guys. Jen and I have excellent food to eat and wine to drink and fundraisers to entertain and learn to and from and surfaces to disinfect
gotta go!
love love love
Jen
Nice work Andy!
Andy
Enjoyyyy
?
That was really fun, thanks for inviting me
?
John
thanks andy!
Beate
thanks for coming, great to have you ?
Jen
You’re welcome back anytime, and you’ll outlive us all so you can carry the torch…
Beate
*done*
There, happy John? I turned it off.
John
meh
Jen
OK Andy now we are going to boot you and bring Simon back in. Byeeeeeeeee
*Jen Love added Simon Scriver to the chat*
*Jen Love removed Andy King from the chat*
…
Simon
Sorry!
Beate
Hey! Just trying to get on the wifi – hang on. Is everyone here?