Regulation, communication, collaboration & culture – Fundraising conference has it all covered.
The fourth Hospice UK and Institute of Fundraising Conferences took place last month in London and Crewe.
With the fundraising regulator having recently sent out payment invoices, regulation was still a hot topic.
A path was cut through the confusion that has sprung up over whether donors should be opting in or out with advice from Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP and the Institute of Fundraising. The collaborative success of 13 hospices was also celebrated, legacy marketing discussed by two non-hospice charities and the opportunity given to peer into the future with new technology and innovation teams.
To beat the traditional after lunch energy slump, fundraising consultant Stephen Pidgeon chaired an energetic session on problem solving.
During the session Stephen critiqued the hospice sector and identified what he felt some of the problems were, namely:
- unclear and pompous communications
- cumbersome sign off processes
- unnecessary interference from other departments
- hospices boasting of their achievements while forgetting the donors who made it all possible
Stephen even had the audience laughing at the over use of jargon like ‘specialist multidisciplinary teams’ which littered the examples of recent hospice literature that he had brought along.
Rather than being shocked by his observations, nods of recognition were seen across the room as fundraisers shared the struggles they experienced within their organisations.
The right culture to thrive
Stephen’s session was one of several that focused on hospice culture. Consultant Lucy Gower and the team from Ashgate Hospice shared how they had used the power of story telling to attract more support. By working with those eager to talk, rather than acting as patient gatekeepers as they had in the past, Ashgate Hospice began to speak with a more authentic voice and seeing income rise.
The road to Exeter will be very busy after the Hospiscare team shared the strategy and the supportive environment that has seen net income almost double in four years. Using the British Cycling template of sustained incremental improvement has led the team to look at every area of performance and invest heavily in fundraising with excellent results.
Part of the hospice
Following this session I had a conversation with a fundraiser who expressed their frustration with the culture at their hospice with the team described as ‘people who make things look pretty’ and ‘not really part of the hospice’. Back in the office and reading a local hospice newsletter I was astounded to read that the team ‘understood that money spent on fundraising was taking money away from patient care’.
This attitude both within and outside of fundraising has got to stop.
Whether money is spent on fundraising or clinical salaries, both are investments in patient care. Hospice teams need to work together and this is why Hospiscare Exeter is so successful.
Conference attendees were representing a dynamic group of hospice income generators who saw voluntary income raised in 2015 top £1bn. The conferences showed that despite some antiquated views still being alive in the sector, hospice fundraisers have the appetite and passion to bring in the income required to keep services up and running, and families getting vital care.
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