# Strategy, communications & fundraising revealed as key areas requiring sector leader focus

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/01/03/strategy-communications-fundraising-revealed-key-areas-requiring-sector-leader-focus/
- Published: 2020-01-03T09:00:50+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Strategy, communications, and fundraising are the functional areas sector leaders
most need to focus on as we enter the new decade, according to the 2019 data aggregated
by the Charity Sector Data Store.**

The Charity Sector Data Store aggregates the data collected through the [Charity Excellence Framework](https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/)
online toolkit, which supports charities with their governance and compliance by
providing the means to assess and manage performance across key areas, as well as
work out where to make improvements, tracking more than 20 key metrics.

The Charity Excellence Framework [launched with a pilot in 2018](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/06/06/new-cloud-based-platform-support-charities-governance-compliance/)
and will begin scaling this year, with the Charity Sector Data Store already holding
over 1500 completed questionnaires offering insights into areas where more focus
could be beneficial.

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According to creator Ian McLintock, the 2019 results are broadly comparable to the
2018 data, and suggest that while those using the system report the weakest functional
areas as strategy, communications and fundraising, charities are performing better
in the areas of compliance and keeping people safe from harm, and at managing finance.

The data highlights that while lack of resources is a major issue, there are a number
of areas where more can be done to build resilience without more funding: such as
responding proactively to relevant issues in the outside world, thinking about and
evaluating alternative options to increase impact and ensuring that plans and targets
are realistic and cost effective.

Under governance, the weakest areas overall were organisational purpose and board
effectiveness, suggesting that boards should review their strategy and effectiveness
if they haven’t already done so recently.

In terms of keeping people safe from harm, while the data suggests that charities
are performing well here overall, it also suggests that many boards lack effective
oversight of safety issues and whistleblowing.

Under diversity, encouraging under-represented groups when recruiting board members
comes in as the lowest scored metric.

Under fundraising, the data identifies one key opportunity to be investing in developing
fundraising skills and understanding, both within fundraising teams as well as more
widely and including at board level. The data also shows opportunities in how charities
identify and engage lapsed, existing and potential future funders, and in assessing
the merits of using increasingly accessible technology options, such as those in
communications above.

The lowest rated metric here was having a CRM system that is easy to use, provides
the functionality and reporting to exploit data well, and which is also cost effective,
while having a sufficiently large and engaged pipeline of funders was 8th bottom.

Overall however, communications was the lowest rated area, with 33 of 43 indicators
at amber, and many charities still missing out on opportunities such as contactless,
text donations and the Google Ads Grant, as well as basic analytics.  The lowest
rated communications metric however was having clear, powerful messages that engage
audiences, with having realistic outcomes and clarity on what these are both identified
as opportunities to achieve more.

This year will see a number of new upgrades for the Charity Excellence Framework,
including a micro charity module, making the resource base fully searchable and 
open to anyone, and the launch of social franchising. This will enable groups of
charities, as well as large multi-site charities, to access the core system, to 
create and control new functionality.

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