Fundraising Initiatives creates 'premium' face-to-face fundraising agency
Howard Lake | 9 November 2012 | News
Individual giving specialists The Fundraising Initiatives group has created a face-to-face fundraising agency that will provide a "premium service of elite in-house teams of experienced face-to-face charity fundraisers" who will undertake "highly targeted" street fundraising campaigns.
Person to Person Direct Ltd, run by Rich Mullens, joins four other UK subsidiaries of Fundraising Initiatives Holdings Ltd, including Premier Contact and Workplace Giving, that offer services ranging from telephone fundraising and payroll giving to donation processing, online giving, and charity lotteries. Since 1999 Fundraising Initiatives Ltd has become one of the leading providers of door-to-door and private site face-to-face fundraising in the UK.
The company intends that Person to Person Direct Ltd (P2P) will help to drive up standards of face-to-face fundraising (F2F) on the street through its use of experienced career fundraisers, targeting specific demographics and the in-house contact between the charity and the fundraisers on the streets.
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Mullens said: "Amid widespread scrutiny from Government, media and the public, there is an urgent need to demonstrate how standards in face-to-face street fundraising can be built upon and improved. No other method enables charities to secure steady, reliable income streams quickly and many rely upon it."
Mullens has worked in F2F fundraising for seven years and delivered a range of successful campaigns including one which won the 2011 National Award for Best Use of Face-to-Face. He has also helped introduce mobile technology such as the use of iPads to F2F campaigns.
World Vision UK
P2P is already working with international children’s charity World Vision UK. Its campaign targets a specific demographic profile, inviting them to become a child sponsor by donating £22.80 a month by Direct Debit.
A dedicated trainer from the charity ensures that the street fundraisers get to receive the very latest information about the organisation’s work and campaign messaging. In addition, there are regular meetings between the charity staff and its P2P team of fundraisers.
Richard Lawrence, World Vision UK’s Face to Face Fundraising Manager, said: "While there is much talk about the challenges of street fundraising, we know that when it is done well it is one of the most successful ways to attract new long term supporters. I believe it can continue to be a great way for us to encourage support and we’re looking forward to using the combined skills and experience of P2P and our own in-house staff…"
Cathy Sullivan, founder and CEO of the Fundraising Initiatives Group added: "Street fundraising in the UK has seen incredible growth over the past twelve months of almost 40%… It's crucial that street fundraising strikes a balance of delivering results and the skills and capability that can provide a positive experience and engender public trust".
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.