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The FSI Forum brings together experts from the field of fundraising to focus on the trends and tips that every small charity needs to know about.

This free one day conference is ideal for any organisation wanting to maximise its income and work strategically to build a sustainable fundraising model. You will leave with new insight into building a mixed income economy and how you might best achieve this.

The highlight of the 2010 Forum will undoubtedly be a presentation, recorded in advance due to his hectic schedule, by Mal Warwick, Founder of Donate Digital and a world authority on engaging donors and potential supporters.

Whether you are a seasoned fundraiser or new to the field, the FSI Forum has something for you. There will be tips to refresh your strategies and ensure you continue to engage donors, whilst at the same time new developments will be introduced to the fundraising mix to ensure you keep it fresh.

There are still places available, so click on the link above to register now*.

The FSI Forum is generously supported by Credit Suisse.

* It is free to attend the FSI Forum, though a deposit cheque is needed to secure your place, this will be returned to you on the day. To confirm your place you must also be registered on the FSI Community. To join, click the purple tab at the top of the FSI homepage.

The guide gives advice on search engine optimisation

The Internet Advertising Bureau, the trade body for digital marketing, has launched a free guide to help not-for-profit organisations make their websites easier to find.

The IAB has teamed up with organisations including Oxfam, Shelter and the Central Office of Information, which is the government’s centre for marketing and communications, to provide charities with guidance on search engine optimisation.
Search engine optimisation is the process of making websites easier to find using internet search engines, such as Google.

The document, Search Toolkit for Charities and Public Sector, includes case studies from high-profile charities such as Oxfam, explaining how it increased awareness for a campaign through the use of SEO. 

Jack Wallington, chair of the IAB Search Council, said: “The IAB’s Search Toolkit for non-profits has been written by expert practitioners to provide charities with a helping hand in working out how to make the most of this essential online tool.

“Not only will it bring them up to speed with search, but it will help them generate more donations, deliver messages to their audience and build brand.”

You can download the guide here

Leadership Training launched – 10th September 2010

There are places still available for the upcoming one-day Leadership training day on 10th of September.  Good leadership is at the heart of the very best small charities and, just like any other skill, it is a good idea to keep up to date with the latest trends and tools in the field.

The course will include the following topics:

• Your own Leadership style;
• The Value of a Vision;
• Credibility of a Leader;
• Engaging others in achieving the Vision;
• Developing capability in staff and volunteers.

This training day is designed to give delegates background knowledge and basic skills and tools to be an effective leader.  By the end of the day you will have a better understanding of your own preferred leadership style, the qualities needed of an effective leader, and a development plan for building on their leadership skills back in their own organisation. 

To book your free place contact Sophie by e-mailing sophie@thefsi.org to register your interest. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. This course is delivered by leadership specialist Barbara Watkinson as part of the FSI Learning Programme.

The course will cover:
• What is Leadership?
• Our own Leadership style
• The Value of a Vision
• Credibility of a Leader
• Current research on Leadership
• Engaging others in achieving the Vision
• Developing capability in staff and volunteers
• A leader’s personal development plan

Register for the FSI Community and you can build your personal and charity profile page and access exclusive online content.

One of the most popular features of the Community is the Forum section where you can chat to other charities and get advice on a full range of topics. Some of the latest posts include:

• Fundraising Strategy. “I am posting an outline version of a paper I have written about fundraising strategy and developing a mixed income economy and a simple 2 year fundraising strategy/plan for a few people who have contacted me…”

• Seven Step of Solicitation. “For those of you have been on our Major Donor Courses you will know all about the Seven Steps, but for those of you who don’t I thought I would give you a little light into the world of the Major Donor Fundraiser…”

You can also use the Community to sign up to the Great Big small Charity Car Draw, make friends across the small charity sector, find out information about other charities working in your area or on your cause and soon you will be able to join interest groups and book places for FSI events. Like all of the FSI services, the Community is totally free.

Last Chance to sign up for the Great Big small Charity Car Draw

200 charities right across the UK are already taking part in the Car Draw, raising funds to support their work and giving one lucky ticketholder the chance to win a funky new MINI First. With just under 5 weeks of sales remaining you can still sign up and get selling!

To take part, you will need to register for the FSI community via the ‘login/ register’ tab at the top of the FSI homepage which will extend out into a banner where you can click ‘register now’. www.thefsi.org. Once you’ve registered, you will see a link to register for the car draw inside the online community. Please note that this is a new process and is different to the registration process of the 2009 Car draw.

In 2009 the FSI Small Charity Car Draw raised over £72,000 for charities right across the UK. Thanks to the support of Zurich Insurance and the FSI donors, the draw is back in 2010 and this is your opportunity to get involved and get your communities raising much-needed funds for you, by giving them a chance to win.

“This was such a brilliant opportunity for a small charity to raise funds – no outlay and a fantastic prize. We almost didn’t believe it at first – we kept looking for the catch! Thank you so much for making it possible for us to raise funds so easily and effectively.”

Saturday 4th June 2011
Thornbridge Hall, Derbyshire

Small charities from across the UK raised thousands of pounds on a warm June day as the third FSI Challenge took place at Thornbridge Hall in Derbyshire on Saturday, June 5^th. The Challenge is again running in 2011.

Get in touch if you’d like to take part in 2011.

The FSI Challenge, which features 4km and 10km courses through the Peak District, was developed to provide the opportunity for small charities to maximise their fundraising income and raise the profile of their organisation.  The 2010 event attracted more runners and supporters than ever before, providing funds for 18 charities.  The Challenge is free to participate in and charities receive support packs with training tips and advice to maximise sponsorship income. 

The FSI, which is itself a charity, was launched by Emma Harrison to support small charities with the strategic and financial support they need to carry out their work.  The Challenge is part of a programme of fundraising events administered by the FSI and delivered free-of-charge to small charities.

Harrison, who is chairman of the FSI, said: “Derbyshire turned on a perfect day as runners, walkers and supporters descended on Thornbridge Hall for the third FSI Challenge.  It was great to see so many new faces and new charities taking part.  The feedback from participants was wonderful, with many of the charities saying they have raised more money in 2010 than ever before, proving that good people are still ready and able to support good causes.”

Claire Adlington from Down’s Syndrome Derby, one of the charities taking part, said: “We feel extremely privileged to have been included in the Challenge at Thornbridge Hall. It allowed us the opportunity not only to raise money for our amazing group of young people and their families, but also to share the day with and to feel a part of a much larger family headed by the FSI. We are indebted to our participants, their supporters and of course to the wonderful staff at The FSI who cheered us every step of the way.”

Take a look at the photos from the day here

The Small Charities supported in 2010……

Happy Computers is offering a free day of help to up to 100 London based charities. The idea is that they will come in, not necessarily to give formal training, but to work on general IT software issues.

It could be helping you make a Microsoft Word document look more professional eg using a table. It could be showing you how to get the best out of your Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for example by using simple formulas. It could be getting help in enhancing a talk you plan on giving with a Microsoft Powerpoint slide presentation. It could be looking at a database you have designed in Microsoft Access and making it work better or perhaps creating a new database from scratch to keep records for example of your clients, services and service attendance.

I’m interested, What do I do?

To apply, please drop Jess an email at jess@thefsi.org with your name, email address and a telephone number. Please also make sure you’re a member of the FSI community. To join visit the FSI homepage www.thefsi.org, click the purple tab at the top of the screen and click ‘Register Now’.

Let us know roughly what help you think you need and we will let you know if that is the sort of help Happy can provide and approximately when they might be able to do it. They will keep a list of requests and, when trainers are avalable, book in a day with you.

Try and be clear about what you want. This offer is normally restricted to Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint/Access. (they cannot help with your web site I’m afraid, sorry.) They will choose the trainer according to what you detail. Although the aim is to be flexible on the day, they may not have (for instance) database skills if you have only asked about word processing and spread-sheets.

Why are they doing this?

Happy Computers believes in helping the community in ways that bring mutual benefit. The benefit to Happy is that our trainers would gain greater experience of the day to day issues and challenges. It would also make good use of trainer time where there are gaps between bookings.

Which Charities Qualify?

Small ones, generally with less than 20 staff. Larger charities can afford this sort of support and often have it in-house. They are targeting those who this support would benefit most.

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The Guardian Charity Awards are all about recognising small charities making big impacts on key issues right across the UK. If your charity can demonstrate excellence and achievement in the work you do then take the time to enter – it takes just a few minutes and is a great way to get thinking about your impact.

This is your chance to step up and showcase your charity and your cause. Each of the five prize-winners will receive a prize package of cash, media training and professional support, as well as the value of being profiled in The Guardian newspaper.

To enter, and for more information, visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/charity-awards.

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To be considered, you need to be registered on the FSI Community (it is easy and free – just click the purple tab at the top of the FSI homepage www.thefsi.org). In the last week of July we will be selecting charities by location and cause type to match with the Scholars. Once matched, the charities and their Scholar will formulate a plan for the project being undertaken – we envisage the project taking a few days, but it is up to you to formulate what suits your needs. The aim of the entire programme is to build networks and skills, and we hope that the relationship with your Scholar will last well beyond the Scholarship year.

We will check in with the participating charities and Scholars throughout the year and let you know about the successes of this Donate28 programme.

The Marketing Academy programme picks the best young marketing talent from companies across the UK and provides them with a year-long scholarship that includes training and support from experts in all fields of marketing, advertising and communications. As part of the programme, each of the Scholars will be working with a small charity to offer some extra support – it may be help in writing some strategic communications, a website overhaul or a marketing plan to support your campaigning work. This is a great opportunity to add some additional resource to your marketing and support a young professional in gaining a broader view of how business works.

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This year, more than 150 people were nominated by members of the public for their work. A panel of Not for Profit advisers prepared a shortlist of those who have inspired everyone with their efforts and attitude and called on the sector to vote for their top candidate.

Deborah Hockham, director of the event organisation, forum3 says the last two years’ campaigns have been very successful with over 6,000 people voting to recognize the unsung heroes of society.

She says their achievements often go on behind the scenes and don’t always bring rewards that start with a pound sign.

Recognising individuals who enrich other people’s lives, The Alternative Rich List has captured a devoted following of supporters voting to reject traditional finance-focussed success measurement, to nominate and shortlist people who make a difference.

The winners will be announced at the forum3 event on 24th September at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.

To vote for Pauline click here and submit your vote!

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