This week the Fundraising Collective is delighted to welcome guest Collectivist Joel Voysey to the fold. Head of Stewardship at the Breast Cancer Campaign, Joel is a veteran fundraiser of fifteen years experience but there were still.....
10
things he always wanted to know about the International Fundraising Congress but was afraid to find out!
Over to Joel...
Perspectives of a first time delegate...
I
have never attended the International Fundraising Congress in Holland before, partly because of the
relatively high cost, but also because it always falls on my birthday! This
year I resolved to go anyway and here’s what I learnt along with some tips for
anyone attending for the first time next year.
Practical stuff:
1)
"Because you're worth it" (and so is the conference); IFC is an investment
in you and in your organisation's fundraising capacity. If you're offered the
chance to go, take it. If you're not offered the chance, build a case.
2)
Once you are there, work hard to get the most from it; opt to attend a
masterclass - you'll be learning from the best and you'll make great contacts
in an intensive 6 hour session over two days. Be prepared for late nights and
early starts - hands off that snooze button!
3)
Go on your own, or make sure you don't just spend time with colleagues if you
do go in a work group; October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month which is like
Christmas (only more so!) in my organisation, so it's difficult for us to have
many fundraisers attend. It's entirely natural to spend time in social settings
with people you know well, but attending alone ensured that I spoke to people I
didn't know so well and met new
people - push yourself to do the same – at least some of the time - if you are
there with colleagues.
4)
Make useful contacts and follow them up; I have been invited to do some
skill-sharing in Austria
(with a former colleague) and in Croatia (by a delegate who I met
last week). If this does happen - and I'd like to do it - it will be good for
me and good for my charity as developing a session about some of what we do
will encourage some useful additional review which can be shared internally and
can inform future planning.
5)
Do the sessions in areas you don't know so much about as well as seeking the
practical tips in your own area of expertise. (There were some excellent
sessions on communicating more effectively too). I found it more stimulating to
do this and it gives greater understanding of colleague's challenges and issues
to know more about these
6)
Take some running / swimming gear or go for a walk - the hotel is in the most
Dutch-looking countryside possible surrounded by beautiful flower fields,
polders and windmills! Plan your breaks or you can spend 4 days inside before
you know it....
Overall programme
quality:
7)
It was interesting to hear the views of veteran attendees, some of whom felt
that IFC2012 ticked the inspiration box but was perhaps not the finest year in
terms of content. I heard of some sessions where the quality wasn't fabulous
but there was evidence of a high level of preparation, thought and planning in
the sessions I attended, all of which offered useful insights. I do believe
that there is real value in affirmation; much of what makes good fundraising is
sound common sense done well and filtered by experience, so don't be surprised
if you know a lot of what is shared. Reinforcement of sound principles is
probably more important than we sometimes recognise.
8)
You will be inspired! Jeremy Gilley and Eric vanVeenendaal brought the passion in spades at the
plenary sessions, but so did many of the people I spoke to in and out of
sessions. You can't help but feel that your batteries are re-charging as you
draw energy from others.
Two things for me to
reflect on specifically;
9)
I was very interested to hear IKEA Foundation's CEO, Per Heggenes, describe how
his organisation responded to UNHCR's need for tents by asking; "what if
tents aren't the best temporary shelter for your needs?" This had real
echoes of Henry Ford's famous quote, "If I'd asked them what they wanted,
they'd have said a faster horse." I'm not sure whether any aid agency had
asked this question previously so I'm thinking about what are the things
(beyond money) that only corporates
can effectively bring to the table...
10)
The value of emotion in fundraising is worth the energy we expend on defending
our right to communicate effectively with donors. We need to get on the front
foot with colleagues in debates about ethics and we need to pay real attention
to our communications style, working hard to bring people with us so that we
can produce exquisite fundraising in support of our missions.
I
bought lots of chocolate at the airport to say thanks to the fundraisers in my
office for their hard work during Breast Cancer Awareness Month - I think I
have brought other, (even more valuable!) things back with me too.
Joel
Follow Joel on Twitter at @joelvoysey (particularly if you like sport!) - and please join me in wishing him a very happy birthday!
As with all our posts, post by our guest collectivists are their own views, not those of the charities for which they work.
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