I’ve taken the plunge and set up my own website and blog, using WordPress as the platform it is built on. This blog is no longer updated as a result, so you’re better off going to my new site at: Freelance Fundraiser You’ll see many more up to date articles, as well as resources and information about my fundraising services and activities. Read Full Story

It’s not everyday that a fundraiser gets the chance to become a charity beneficiary, the one who receives from a charity, rather than giving to it. A week ago Tuesday, I was taken into hospital, having suffered three scary attacks of chest pains, heavy, tingling arms, etc. A blood test at my GP’s had come back with a positive reading for a possible minor heart attack. Strange thing was, I felt fine the rest of the time. From the moment I arrived in the hospital at Harrogate, they ... Read Full Story

Technorati Tags: BBC,RSPCA,North Yorkshire,Wills,legacy   A report by the BBC this week shows the need for charities to be vigilant in dealing with gifts they receive in Wills. There is always a risk that the family or a member of the family could challenge a Will, especially, as in this case there might be grounds for making a Will when not in full control of one’s mental state: A woman had mental problems when she made a will leaving her £2.34m estate to the RSPCA rather than her dau... Read Full Story

The first major sign that the current recession is having a knock-on effect on charities has come with the announcement by the NSPCC that it is having to shed 150 jobs, as a result of falling fundraising income. In an article by Peter Davy in Third Sector online (12 Nov 08), Giles Pegram, the charity’s director of fundraising, told Third Sector it was becoming more difficult to recruit new donors and to upgrade existing supporters. There was also a slight increase in direct debit cancel... Read Full Story

Open Office Logo Early on Sunday morning, the OpenOffice.org Community passed the ten million downloads mark for the latest version of its software, just four weeks after the launch on October 13th. The week also marked the first time the OpenOffice.org Annual Conference has been held outside Europe. November 10, 2008 — Early on Sunday 9th, the OpenOffice.org Community achieved an historic milestone, when the ten millionth person clicked on the “Download OpenOffice.org” butt... Read Full Story

It started out so simply, as these things do, then grew into a horrific nightmare, leaving me feeling totally helpless, angry and frustrated. I use a 3-USB mobile broadband modem to link my Asus EeePC (Linux OS) to the internet. Yes, I know 3 doesn’t support Linux, but the system works fine and the Linux software copes with 3 OK. This morning I receive my monthly statement. “Hang on, it’s £1 more than previous!” I think, looking down the numbers. “They’ve n... Read Full Story

Anti-bullying week starts on 17 November and an award-winning Leeds-based charity with a national remit to oppose bullying and provide support for those who get bullied, is asking for help to raise both awareness of their work and support for it. BullyingUK is asking people to request 50 Unite Against Bullying badges from them and then pledge to sell them for £1 each.  Every £3 you raise helps them to support a young person a day for a whole month. BullyingUK has an award-winning website tha... Read Full Story

Third Sector Magazine today published a worrying report on their blog, that third of UK consumers said they’d be prepared to cut their charitable giving if things get tough financially. This came third after cutting back on holidays and eating out in restaurants. I guess we’ve been fearing such news since the financial chaos started, but here it is: http://tinyurl.com/5q36jq Mind you, it reinforces what I said this morning in my blog about needing to become more active in pushing ... Read Full Story

At this time of worrying financial chaos, many charities are turning to their legacy fundraising as a way to ensure sizeable income, despite the total unpredictability of legacy income. The theory is that you only need a few good legacies to make up for any drop in other income streams, such as regular giving, corporate giving, etc. However, charities are beginning to find that the current situation is also affecting their legacy income in two particular ways: the value of estates and the tim... Read Full Story

With everyone moaning and fearful about the current economic crisis, it was comforting to hear my sister’s comments the other day. She was widowed last October and decided that the best thing to do was to be active and do something positive with her life. So in September she went off for two weeks to Uganda to help with the building of a school. She’s come back wanting to go and do something else next year, she enjoyed it that much. But what she said was that the people in the vil... Read Full Story