# The IoF at 30

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/02/12/iof-30/
- Published: 2013-02-12T16:22:44+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/institute_of_fundraising_logo250_250.
jpg)

 

I saw recently that the IoF will be 30 years old this year – a moment perhaps to
take stock? Certainly, fundraising has come a long way since the ICFM, as it then
was known, was established. And so, to be fair, has the Institute itself.

Some of us will remember the rather shambolic days of the 1990’s, when the ICFM 
lurched from crisis to crisis, struggled to get its administration right and failed
to define a strong reason to join. Yet the IoF came through it and in the noughties
established itself as a credible representative of our trade. It is certainly a 
different organisation from the one I joined in 1992.

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And what of fundraising itself? Well in 1983 I was just a student volunteer, rattling
a tin for Amnesty International, but even in those days, paid fundraisers had no
internet or social media to recruit and nurture donors. It was all paper based and
used a lot of trees in the process. So you could say a revolution has occurred in
how we raise funds.

But is this really the case? The form may be different (more digital, less paper),
but the essence of good fundraising remains the same. In the 1980’s it was still
vital to communicate a need cost-effectively to the right audience and to turn a
profit – just as effective fundraisers do today.

To me, the biggest change has not been new media, but the professionalising – some
would say maturing – of fundraising itself. The average fundraiser today is far 
more clued up about the essentials of strategy, of getting the case for support 
right or measuring ROI. Whatever its sometimes chequered past, much of this is down
to the Institute, with its training, conferences and certification.

I understand celebrations are planned for later this year, so happy birthday IoF!
Here’s to the next 30 years…

 

 * **[30 years of the Institute of Fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/03/25/30-years-institute-fundraising/)**(
   25 March 2013)
 * **[Institute of Fundraising celebrates 30th anniversary](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/03/29/institute-fundraising-celebrates-30th-anniversary/)**(
   29 March 2013)
 * **[Voting opens on Partners in Fundraising Awards shortlist](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/11/22/voting-opens-partners-fundraising-awards-shortlist/)**(
   22 November 2013)