Fundraising: doing the basics well.

In the article, Iain talks about the importance of listening to families to build connections between our supporters and the role their donation plays in enabling families to create joyful memories with their child.

"We wanted to build awareness of the charity and make it clear to people why raising funds was so important. That meant telling the truth; not hiding behind euphemisms or 'fuzz'. We are hugely humbled by the families we support. They feel determined to share their stories, so people can understand the impact of their donations. When we asked them how they wanted us to tell their story, they all said the same - don't sanitise it; tell the truth about the challenges we face."

Maintaining our relationship with our supporters is another basic Iain talks about:

"We recognise the cost of recruiting a new donor so it's vital we nurture and manage relationships. We thank new donors promptly. We engage them in our appeals and we send them our twice-yearly impact report, The Joy You Give. Our promise is to keep joy alive, even in the face of death. We want our donors to enjoy the experience of giving and understand the impact of their generosity - how their gifts have a real effect on families."

Marketing and communications have been another key focus for us to inspire new supporters. Last year, we generated over 195 million opportunities to see the CHAS message through all media channels, including press, digital and a new TV campaign.

"Inspiring people to be part of our mission and ambition is something we've honed in on. In 2020, we advertised on TV for the first time. The original TV creative aired over three years and 67% of those that saw it said they felt prompted to support the cause as a result. Fresh creative for TV launched in late 2023 and, as part of the wider Christmas appeal, saw the CHAS 2023 Christmas appeal being 17% ahead of where it was in fundraising terms compared with one year previous."

In the last seven years, income from individual giving has grown from £250k/year to a projected £2.5 million for the year 2023-2024. A remarkable achievement given the population of Scotland is only 5 million.

Out of the 3 children who die in Scotland every week, CHAS is now able to reach more than 2, double the number the charity was reaching in 2016.

Iain concludes the article with a reminder of our ambition,

"… No one should face the death their child alone, And we mean no one. As we continue to grow, we want to achieve that ambition."

Read the full article: Fundraising World: CHAS: big impact, small country – when fundraising basics are done well