What Is Innovation?

innovating
1. Make changes in something established, esp. by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
2. Introduce something new, esp. a product.

When people and charities think about innovating they think about amazing websites, viral videos and slick apps. We see Google sending up wi-fi balloons, Coke using personalised vending machines, and Apple churning out whatever shit Apple is churning out right now.

But this misinterpretation of innovation is dangerous. It's causing charities to spend money on stuff that isn't likely to work for them and using big chunks of their budget on something that really requires millions to make any kind of a dent. I'm all for taking risks...but there's a scale of risks.

One organisation's innovation is another organisation's history. There's no point trying to keep up with Google, Oxfam or Steve Jobs if you haven't even got the basics in place.

If you've never asked anyone for a donation before then that's an innovation...try it.

If you don't have a direct debit facility then that's an innovation...get it.

If you've never picked up the phone to speak to a donor then that's an innovation...do it.

Here's to the kind-of-crazy ones that try something new...something that everyone else has already proved works.

What I Got From Charity Hack 2013

Saturday 10th of August was the first ever Charity Hack, organised by future fundraiser of the year Kevin Delaney. It brought together 5 amazing charities and a roomful of people to spend 12 solid hours coming up with a 'campaign' from scratch.

Charity Hack have done a good job at capturing the day through blog posts, twitter, photos, video and even an artist. And I wanted to add to it from my perspective...and so here is What I Got From Charity Hack:

The 'secret' to fundraising is asking
Small to medium charities always fear fundraising. Organisations are often embarrassed to ask for money because it feels like we're only 'taking'.
But it's not begging, it's not just shaking buckets, it's not one-way.
It's an opportunity. Almost everyone wants to make the world a better place and almost everyone has the money to do so. Fundraising is engaging with people and giving them the opportunity to improve their own world. Fundraising is spelling out for people how they can help and what will improve because of them.
Reducing crime, supporting the bereaved, improving our environment, educating people on their choices...these are all benefits and when you donate to charity you are buying these things in the same way you would buy any service or product.

We need to support the next generation of fundraisers
The fundraising talent is out there - individuals who are driven and clever and ready for bigger things.
And the need is out there - charities are struggling to fundraise, struggling to fill positions, and struggling to survive.
But the two aren't connecting. Why is that? Do we need more forums for junior/mid-level fundraisers? Do we need more mentoring? More support? More encouragement? Should charities take more risks on people? Spend more on training? Devote time to learning and growing?

Digital is not our saviour
It's just not. It probably never will be. It's a great facility, but it's cold.
Just because you have an amazing website and text-donate facility and a stupid App it doesn't mean people are going to use them.
People still respond to people, and the more you look and sound like a person the more people will respond.

Charities need support from the start
A new charity is formed every two days in Ireland. In some ways I understand why: the world is crap and we would all like to do something about that.
And if setting up a new charity is genuinely the best thing to do, then you need to be prepared. You know what you're trying to achieve, but you need realistic, achievable and measurable goals. You need a strategy. You need to plan.
And you need to be sustainable...it is irresponsible to take donations in year 1 if you're going to have to shut your doors in year 2 because you can't afford to go on.
We need to support charities from day 1, and charities need to be open to that support. Thankfully, every person at Charity Hack was open to that.

People are inherently good
Over 30 people gave up their Saturday to devote more than 12 hours to helping people they didn't know.
Sponsors paid for food, drink and random stuff because they liked the idea and wanted to help.
In my thirties, since I became a miserable bastard, I try to limit the number of new friends I make to about one per year. My rate of friend attrition is running at about 30%.
But when you put yourself in situations where you're surrounded by motivated, positive and passionate people there is a definite risk of meeting people you like.


It's safe to say it'll happen again next year... #charityhack2014

Charity Salaries And Overheads - It's That Time Again

It comes around about 3 times a year: a leading national newspaper publishes the (publicly available) salaries of charity staff and a bunch of people flip out.

So, for convenience, here's a collection of blog posts I've written on the subject:

How Much of My Donation Is Spent On Overheads (Or Why Admin Costs Are Bullshit)
"I want you to spend my donation on your wages, on your toilet paper, the spatula on the new Rainbow Warrior, on your Xmas party. Whatever you feel it takes to change the world.

Frequently Asked Questions
"It's not wrong to make money from selling water, providing information, providing gas and electricity, producing medicine, teaching, upholding the law, being a doctor, destroying our planet, etc."

Donate Directly To Those That Need It
"Here's my artistic interpretation of money going directly to those in need."

The Problem With Dan Pallotta
"The correct argument is of course that nobody should be earning $400,000 or $232,000 or anything near that while there are still people suffering for no reason."

Why Charities Are Doomed
"Why couldn’t a charity have created Facebook, the iPod, Coke? Imagine! Instead of profits for shareholders these things were funding life changing projects?"

The Magic 100,000
"How much should they earn? Is €99,999 ok? €80k? €50k? €40k? What's the cut-off?"

The People vs. Angela Kerins
"A successful Irish business woman who is willing to work well for a salary well below the industry standard because what she is doing is good."

The Opposite Of A Careerist
"You can not possibly care about animal rights, the environment, lifting people out of poverty AND keeping children safe."

Only 67% Of People Think Advertising Is Worthwhile
"74% felt that London-based offices for businesses were a "somewhat" or "very" wasteful expenditure."

Imagine Two Organisations
"They are heralded as one of the most generous, benevolent and ethical companies in the world."

More Than One Way To Skin An Annual Report
"What percentage of media space is wasted on celebrity gossip and wishful-scandal?"

The Death of Pie
"If we keep providing this information in such a lazy format then potential donors will continue to judge us lazily."

1 Second Every Day

This isn't strictly a charity or fundraising post, but I think there could be some relevance. I've always liked Charity Water's photo of the day, but I think there's an opportunity here to trump them.

For a number of reasons I've started recording one second every day of my life, and beyond that I'm trying to avoid taking photos or recording videos.

I'd love to see a charity record one second of every day. What would it look like?

UPDATED: Here's 18 months:

Only 67% Of People Think Advertising Is Worthwhile

The excellent nfpSynergy released results of a poll today showing the public's perception of charities and how they spend their money. It's depressing reading and a stark reminder that the public have unrealistic and unfair standards for charities.

Businesses and charities are two different beasts, yes. But if it makes financial sense to advertise, if it's in the best interest of the organisation to pay good salaries, if it's practical to be based in London then shouldn't that apply to both businesses and charities?

To highlight the absurdity of it, try re-reading the article below, where I've changed the word 'charity' to 'business'.:


Almost three in four people have said that London-based offices and rebranding are a waste of money for businesses, an nfpParody poll of 1,002 adults has shown.

The poll was carried out as part of nfpParody's business Awareness Monitor, which surveys a representative sample of adults in Britain. Of those surveyed, 74% felt that London-based offices for businesses were a "somewhat" or "very" wasteful expenditure, with just 4% saying they were "fairly" worthwhile, and the rest saying they were unsure.

Rebranding recieved a similar response, with 72% of people saying it was wasteful for businesses to spend money on changing their name, logo or look, and just 9% saying they felt it was worthwhile.

More than half (62%) of those surveyed said they would feel confident that a business spends revenue well if staff did not travel in first class and 55% of respondents said they would feel confident if the organisation was mostly ran by volunteers. Of those surveyed, 51% said that if nobody in the organisation was paid more than £50,000 a year that would increasse their confidence in the business.

In addition, close to one in five (23%) said that they would have more confidence in a business if staff paid for their own Christmas party, while 9% felt that staff would need to work for free one day a month for them to feel confident in a business's spending.

Online tools and lobbying recieved a more positive response, with 70% of respondents saying they felt that spending money on a website was worthwhile and over half of those surveyed saying that lobbying government and other organisations (58%), as well as advertising (67%), were worthwhile.

In addition, 48% believed that producing a magazine to update customers on work that had been done was a worthwhile expenditure for businesses.

I Read The Charities Act 2009 So You Don't Have To

With the Charities Act 2009 now in place and a regulator on its way, it's time to get your house in order. But at 82 pages the Act is not exactly a pleasant read - most of the interesting fundraising stuff comes towards the end, and I use the word 'interesting' very loosely.

The good news is that I read it so you don't have to. Here's a summary of what you, as a fundraiser, might need to consider:


Fundraising

• Non-cash collection (eg. Direct Debits) is finally acknowledged as a donation so follows the same/similar rules as cash collections, eg. permit requests.
• 'Reasonable commission, or reasonable remuneration or expenses' are permitted for fundraisers.
• Collection boxes must display the collection permit number, and they must be sealed. It must also display the charity name and registered number.
• Public-facing collectors must wear a 'garment' (LOL) that displays the charity name and registered number.
• Any DD/Standing Order forms must display the charity name, registered number, bank account details and the collection permit number.
• The Minister can make further regulations to ensure fundraising does not 'unreasonably intrude' on anyone's privacy, is not 'unreasonably persistent', does not 'result in undue pressure, and does not involve any 'false or misleading representation'.

The Register

• If you have a CHY number you'll automatically join the register of charities (and have to pay an annual fee).
• If you don't have a CHY number you'll need to apply to join the register within 6 months of it launching.
• If you're applying then new information you'll need to provide includes names and addresses of all trustees, all bank accounts, financial accounts, and the manner in which you have raised or propose to raise money. You'll also need to give details of agents/consultants you work with.
• If you're not registered it will be an offence to advertise or imply that you're a charity. Asking for donations is a big no-no.

Definition of a Charity
This changes a little bit, but not significantly. Your organisation still needs to be of public benefit under one or more of the following categories:

• The prevention or relief of poverty of economic hardship;
• Advancement of Education;
• Advancement of Religion
• Any other purpose that is of benefit to the community.

The Act & Regulator In General

• Will be reviewed within 5 years.
• The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltachet Affairs will appoint the first Chief Executive (Jobs for the boys!)
• There will be a Charity Appeals Tribunal - a sort of Jedi Council if you're looking to appeal any decisions against you.

When Do You Refuse A Donation?

Would you refuse a charitable donation from a tobacco company? From a strip club? From a bank?

What about a donation from someone who made their money in the arms industry? Or a racist? Or a paedophile?

I find it a genuinely interesting hypothetical ethical (hypothethical?) discussion, but these are real decisions that real charities are making every day.

Just this week the ISPCC accepted a donation from a group of fundraisers who took part in the Pamplona bull run in Spain. They were criticised, obviously because the treatment of these bulls is ridiculous. Mary Gamble (who I love!) responded, "We desperately need every single cent we receive. We won't be refunding it, we absolutely need everything we get." An animal charity obviously wouldn't take it, but is it disrespectful to other fundraiser's peers to accept it?

One of the greatest fundraisers I know, Denisa Casement, was once approached by a strip club who wanted to hold a fundraiser for a children's charity she was representing. ("We care deeply for children and all our 'girls' have kids.") Despite it being a legal business, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who thought the two 'brands' worked well together. She made two suggestions: either they give to a charity anonymously or they start an education fund for their dancers' children so they can have a better life than their mothers. The strip club manager left in a rage.

Meanwhile in the UK, a convicted child sex offender left over £1 million in his will to three different charities. Each of them had to make the touch decision of whether or not to accept this money.

More recently, Help For Heroes rejected the fundraising efforts of the English Defence League because they did not accept 'political fundraising'. Yes, the fundraiser is clearly a racist and an asshole, but where is the line drawn? If you disagree with a donor's politics do you reject them? Is there anyone in the world whose 'politics' you would fully agree with?

The answer of course is that there is no line...or no universal line. So what is your line? What is your organisation's line?

Two of the most coveted CSR programmes in Ireland are Paddy Power and the Ryanair Calendar. Most organisations want to be involved with these because the benefits are huge. But with one promoting gambling and the other claimed to be sexist, it's clear that there are charities out there working (and fundraising) against the negativity that each of these creates.

So the question is...is every business that donates to charity meanwhile causing problems for another charity? Why are so many of the most profitable businesses in our world the least ethical? If alcohol and tobacco companies have so much money to be giving away then are they being taxed enough?

The solution is of course anonymous donations - the companies can do lots of good and the charities don't have a dilemma on their hands. But that doesn't work, does it? Very few companies are willing to do that and if you don't want the donation on their terms...well, hey...there are plenty of charities desperate enough to take it.