# Lessons learned from a fundraising career

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/10/31/lessons-learned-fundraising-career/
- Published: 2012-10-31T15:05:39+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

My fundraising [career](https://www.curriculosolutions.com/library/primary-programme-hub/primary-programme)
started in the mid 1980s at direct marketing agency Watson Ward Albert Varndell 
where I learnt the importance of maintaining an up to date database of donors and
the power of “for just £10 you can change a child’s life”.

 

In my personal life I helped fundraise by being an organiser of The Pretty Policeman’s
Ball for Gay Switchboard which was then such a large part of the lesbian and gay
scene in London.

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Ten years later at my next agency, Smith Bundy, the power of imagery was the key.
I’ll never forget the picture of the [barbed wire across a child’s eye](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=0415451531)
that we used so successfully for Sightsavers.

 

Times move on and in the current climate charities are finding that innovation is
critical to their fundraising success. Of particular interest is the innovation 
now required within corporate partnerships as businesses, large and small, look 
to find value within their links with various charities. This value is sometimes
expressed in pounds and pence, and sometimes in aligning brand values with causes
that resonate to their B2B, B2C or internal customers.

 

In a period of time when large segments of society have been portrayed as acting
unethically, whether it be the conduct of media, police, politicians, sporting icons
or banks , businesses are increasingly wanting to enable their values and ethics
to shine through to their external and internal customers.

 

The right partnership with the right charity can be one of the ways that a business
can showcase their morality and have integrity in doing so, through finances or 
staff engagement to name a few.

 

I love the story of [Harrogate Spa who aligned themselves with the Charity Pump Aid](http://www.9xb.com/casestudy-thirsty-planet),
created a new to market ethical water brand and within a short period of time became
the Presidential brand of Asda, raised over £1 million for water and sanitation 
projects in Africa, and changed the turnover of a growing business.

 

These win/win scenarios where the customer is attracted to a product because it ‘
does good’ is a good example of innovation in the charitable giving field where 
instead of attacking consumerism, it leverages the general public spend.

 

_Wanda Goldwag is Non Executive Chair at [Ethical Goods](http://www.ethical-goods.com)._

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