Some years ago, I was talking to the head of one well-known fundraising agency. We were working together on a project for a household name charity and he called them an A-list client:

“Do great work, a big name, looks good on your client list”.

I nodded politely but internally disagreed with 2 out of 3 criteria on that list.

1. Do great work

Yes, tick. Just like you, I care about the cause. So I want to work with charities that do great things for people and planet.

2. A big name

Hmm… not necessarily. For me, a big name is a nice to have. But some of my best work has been done not for big names, but for smaller charities that are open to learning. Usually because they are more agile and not subject to approvals by committee, which I find are the hallmark of your larger, more well-known non-profits.

3. Looks good on your client list

Again, not necessarily. I did put the charity in question on my client list, but honestly, they were very difficult to work with.

It was the usual fundraisers’ nightmare. The CEO hated fundraising, the charity had unrealistic targets, there were tons of restrictions on language that made it hard to write effective fundraising communications, and it was common during approvals to find myself working on version 17.

So you might be wondering… what is it that makes you a great client from my perspective?

1. You love your cause

There are few causes I can’t learn to love if they’re about caring for other people or our planet. But when a client is truly passionate about the work their charity does, it’s hard not to be inspired and get passionate too!

2. You’re a great fundraiser

No, I don’t mean that you already know every tactic in the book. After all, if you did, you might not find any value in working with an organisation like Creagivity! But my priority is always to work with people who understand effective fundraising. Or those who are willing and eager to learn, so they can become people who understand effective fundraising.

3. You’re willing to listen and open to keep learning

Honestly, if you can just hear me out when I tell you that standard direct mail tactics work… you’re already approaching the top of my list of A-tier clients!

The act of simply listening shows me that you’re willing to learn… or at the very least, understand where I’m coming from. And if we can both understand where the other is coming from, it means there’ll be that much less back and forth… and you’ll be surprised at the speed your fundraising will improve.

It might seem like I’m unwilling to back down on sometimes… but trust me when I say I pick my battles very carefully. If I’m being stubborn, there’s absolutely a good reason for it.

I’m not trying to make your life hard. I’m trying to raise you more money.

4. You’re collaborative

You understand that I can’t work miracles on my own. Fundraising is a team effort that requires the support of leadership and others within your non-profit. My favourite clients to work with are the ones who understand this fact.

5. You have a CEO who gets it

It’s rare to find a CEO who is positively involved in fundraising… a CEO who will meet with and talk to donors. If you have such a CEO, then I can’t stress enough how lucky you are!

I can write a mean appeal that will raise you money and (more often than not) boost your income. But combine this with a CEO who will get out there and talk to donors… it can exponentially increase revenue. Conversely, a CEO who hates fundraising can sometimes seem to suppress response.

6. The influence you accept from other teams is within reason

Comms and programs teams are the most frequent culprits.

Please let me be clear, I’m not against these teams being involved. But it is important that these departments are not given so much sway over fundraising that they render useless our appeals, impact reports and growth communications.

I absolutely believe we can help the charity better as a whole if we’re working with rather than against each other. But, well… see point 7.

7. You have a small list of appeal reviewers and/or approvers

Oh, the misery of trying to implement the well-intentioned but ultimately uninformed feedback of 19 stakeholders.

I’m not exaggerating.

One time I had 19 people with eyes on my copy. And many of the comments were in direct contradiction with the comments of others! Another time, I was involved in a concept feedback meeting with 21 stakeholders… 21!!!

8. You pay in a reasonable time

I know this is often out of your control, but I put this out there in the hope that some charities will improve supplier payment.

Here are some of the more frustrating things I’ve seen holding up payment:

• Policies where payment is not made until the end of the month AFTER you submit an invoice (so if you submit an invoice on 1 March, you have to wait until 30 April to get paid)

• Online supplier onboarding processes designed for builders, where we were required to submit Workcover documentation and the system wouldn’t let you advance without it

• Key people needed to approve invoices going on leave for six weeks… with no one approved to approve in their absence!

That’s it. Those are the eight traits that I love seeing in the charities I work with. And you might have noticed that not one of them require your organisation to have a big name or look good on my client list. That being said… I’m still a realist.

I know that it’s unlikely for any charity to tick all eight of these boxes (honestly, even 3 or 4 would be amazing). Nor do I think that I and my team will tick every single one of the boxes you might have on your list.

But I will say this… when it comes to fundraising, the results ought to be left to speak for themselves.

If you’re seeking a fundraising agency that cares about your cause and wants to help you raise as much money as possible toward it… then look no further than Creagivity! Please get in touch to book an obligation-free meeting with me at a time of your choosing.