AFC Annual Forum 2014

The Association of Fundraising Consultants held its 2014 annual forum on the 2nd of December at the seasonally decorated Liberal Club in London. We welcomed David Price CBE from the committee on standards in public life, for a presentation and discussion on the seven Nolan principles – Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, honesty, openness and leadership.

David explained how the Committee arrived at these principles, their purpose and gave interesting insights into recent cases including the most publicly know MPs’ expenses and allowances report. He explained how the principles have been used and interpreted in these high profile situations. A range of questions were addressed from the floor relating to their application to fundraising and consultancy and David showed his experience with a clear interpretation of the principles when discussing evidence and impartiality.

There followed a group session with a range of scenarios and questions assigned to each group. The exercise generated some lively discussion and showed the range of ways that the standards could be used to effectively perform the role of an ethical fundraising consultant.

Gill Moody (Craigmyle Consultants and Chair of AFC) and former client Naomi Roper answered questions put to them by Marc Stowell, AFC Treasurer, in regards to the Client/Fundraising Consultant relationship. Gill acknowledged how hard it is to maintain professional distance when working with a client for many years. “The trouble is that you become very fond of them” she stated. Working towards achieving better ethical standards is something that Gill is passionate about and came across in her replies.

Attendees also enjoyed drinks and canapés and the chance to network with other industry professionals after the presentations.

“The presentation on standards in public life was a highlight along with the opportunity to network with other consultants” Forum Attendee

The next AFC forum will take place at the same venue on June 30th 2015. If you would like to know more about the AFC and their work then please have a read through the website www.afc.org.uk

Charities – It is a hard job.

Charities face demanding challenges to overcome on a daily basis. The role of running a charity is becoming more and more challenging with the changing regulatory environment, un-secure funding and the essential task of managing multiple relationships and partnerships with limited resources.
In order for a charity to deliver a better world for its beneficiaries and service users, they must abide by the rulebook.The rules and regulations governing charities are not only very complex but are also forever changing. Often charities find that the legal obligations and jargon are beyond them, yet are of course not optional and must be followed to the letter of the law. Failure to do so can result in very serious consequences. Mitigating charities against the associated risks of non-compliance has to be one of the most important roles for anybody working for a charity today.

Ensuring sustainability of a charity is vital, as without this there will be no charity! Sustainability over the past few years has been becoming increasingly more difficult with economic challenges, environmental concerns and a decline in living standards for many people. Charities need to think outside of the box and become creative. Flexibility is another key area charities need to focus on in order to help create sustainability.

A charity can’t exist with out its people. These people include trustees, staff, volunteers and donors. Any successful charity will have people at it’s heart that are filled with passion, skills, energy, time and humour. Having the wrong people involved can be very costly for any charity. Charities need to rely heavily on people power. Engaging and employing the right people can be the difference between make and break.

Certain projects often have certain funding requirements and a well thought out strategy will form an integral part of reaching these targets. Often this pressure of the whelming financial targets can be too daunting for some charities. A fundraising strategy and professional advice can break the tasks down and often relieve the enormity of the project.

The Association of Fundraising Consultants can help charities and not for profits with their fundraising strategies. All of our members are fundraising consultants and they can only belong to the AFC if they adhere to the Associations rigorous Code of Practice. If you are struggling with any of the afore mentioned then searching through our list of members for the right fundraising consultancy to help you out means that you are searching from the best of the best where best practice and high standards are a must.

If you are a fundraising consultancy and have not yet signed up, then you could be missing out on new client opportunities, peer to peer networking and the kudos and support AFC membership brings.

CFRE International Launches New Website and Online Application Portal

I am happy to share some great news with you!

This year, CFRE International took on a project to serve its certificated fundraising professionals better: a total overhaul of their website and online application portal.

Now, after months of planning and development, the new CFRE International website and application portal went live on Tuesday, 5th November.

In addition to having an updated look, the new website will have increased functionality that includes:

An entirely online application process – no more printing and making the application.
Easy log in to your account at My CFRE to check your individual CFRE status.
An enhanced Career Centre where job seekers can search positions and post their resumes and employers can post job openings.
An online application form for organisations seeking Approved Provider status and their continuing education offerings.
And much more!
For more details on becoming a CFRE, please visit www.cfre.org