# Hopes and fears of fundraisers to be shared at Insight SIG today

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/01/27/hopes-and-fears-fundraisers-be-shared-insight-sig-today/
- Published: 2009-01-27T11:28:02+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Fundraising data specialist John Sauvé-Rodd will join Anthony Baumann, recently 
retired head of fundraising at the RSPCA, this afternoon to share details of the
current hopes and fears of a range of 70 or so fundraising staff who have registered
for the event.

The presentation will be part of Donor Profitability, an event hosted by the Institute
of Fundraising’s Insight in Fundraising group from 4.30-6.30 today at Cancer Research
UK’s offices in London’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Not surprisingly, the recession and its effects on fundraising dominate the responses.

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Baumann was not surprised by most of the responses. “Most of the hopes and fears
are the ones that we should have been living with and worrying about anyway during
the good times and trying to do something about” he told UK Fundraising, “because
as fundraisers our job is to maximise net income for our cause”.

But he did believe that two responses stood out.

“Both of their biggest fears are that charities make uninformed ‘slash and burn’
cuts to fundraising budgets – uninformed being the key word. And both hope that 
if cuts are to be made they are ‘informed’ cuts”.

Baumann put these concerns in context. “Most of charities data applications of the
last 10 years have been directed towards driving spend on donor development”, he
said, “coupled with trendy theories of relationship building and donor journeys.

“All good for their time. Now we have to think about applying that data in reverse–
spending as little as is necessary to maximise net income, and to identify the lapsers
whom we really do need to keep warm for the better times to come”.

He added: “That is why John Sauvé-Rodd’s presentation is so apposite now – to change
the way we think”.

The event is now full, but its organisers usually publish details of what was discussed.

http://donorprofit.eventbrite.com/

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