Blog

Pensions and HR Financial sustainability Gift Aid Governance, regulation and compliance Tax and VAT

13 April 2017, 14:26

Better partnerships needed between finance and fundraising teams

Fundraising isn’t just about fundraisers. It is about the whole organisation. One of the lessons that the sector has had to learn is that good fundraising requires the whole organisation ...

Post byAndrew O'Brien

Fundraising isn’t just about fundraisers. It is about the whole organisation. One of the lessons that the sector has had to learn is that good fundraising requires the whole organisation to understand why it is raising funds and how it is going to raise them. Finance teams have connections with all parts of an organisation, but the link between the finance and fundraising team has become increasingly important. A fair complaint often made by fundraisers is that other parts of the organisation don’t understand the challenges they face in the marketplace. This can lead to unrealistic targets which drive short-term tactics and behaviour which can, in turn, have a negative impact on the relationship between fundraisers and donors. Often this is due to a lack of communication on both sides, and it is important that in all organisations, big and small, fundraisers and finance teams plan together to create realistic targets and goals. On the flip side of income targets is the question of investment. You don’t need to be part of a finance team to know that money in charities is tight at the moment. However, fundraising doesn’t generate income without the proper resources, and not just in terms of materials. Another important lesson which charities have come to learn the hard way is that training and supporting fundraisers is not something that can be ignored. In this new climate, finance and fundraising teams need to agree the level of investment that is necessary to enable charities to remain on top of the latest developments and ensure that relationships with donors remain strong. Another area of renewed focus is compliance and governance. On the compliance side finance teams are often responsible for ensuring that charities are meeting their legal and regulatory responsibilities, so it is important that they know how a charity is meeting its requirements from the Fundraising Regulator, the Charity Commission and the law. Finance teams can also share the skills they hold when ensuring that procedures and rules are being followed, given their experience with audit. On the governance side, there have been a number of investigations highlighted by the Charity Commission around charities which have signed fundraising contracts and agreements which have not maximised the financial interests of the charity. Bringing in the expertise of the finance team before signing agreements with external agencies or corporates should not be seen as a sign of weakness, but essential to ensuring that the interests of the charity are being protected. Communication and trust underpins all of this. Finance teams need to get out and share their expertise and experience with the whole organisation. Fundraisers need to recognise that finance teams, and other teams, have skills which they can use to make their efforts as effective as possible. Both sides need to trust the competence and motivations of the other. To support this collaboration, Charity Finance Group has run a series of events called “Finance for Fundraisers” to help fundraising teams understand finance in charities and how it can help them. You can find out details about the next event on our website. This blog originally appeared on the Fundraising Regulator website. « Back to all blog posts

Blog

Better partnerships needed between finance and fundraising teams

Related Content

Vision for sector post-2015. What did the politicians have to say at the CFG Annual Conferece?

EU Referendum: What could this mean for charities?

Managing in a Downturn Report Reflections....

6 simple steps your charity can take to help protect themselves from fundraising fraud

NCVO Almanac points to fundamental shifts in the charity operating environment

Common Gift Aid Questions Answered by HMRC

IFS 2017 Green Budget – the good, the bad, and the worrying?

Tony Armstrong looks at Devolution: working with local organisations to transform public services

Devolution is our chance to advocate for the most vulnerable

How will the 'devolution revolution' be financed?

Caron asks: 'Why does the voluntary sector need a devolution summit?'

Do charities need to become social enterprises to survive?

Hunting for the silver lining; the IFS, the economy and charities.

Some lessons from HMRC's Higher Rate Gift Aid Donors report

What’s the latest data on charity sector income and expenditure?

Gift Aid could be the key to encouraging a culture of giving

Budget 2015 – Missed opportunities and targeted giveaways

#volsecbudget – What should charities look out for?

Fog of uncertainty makes post-election planning difficult for charities

NAO report on Gift Aid: Evidence of a lack of evidence

Top ten tips for how to handle the year end in a pandemic

Civil society asks of the Spending Review 2019

Five takeaways from August’s Inflation Report

Finance Focus May 2018

Live Blog: Autumn Budget 2017

What should charities expect from the Autumn Budget 2017?

Time to review your risks? An update from the experts...

Where are the ‘automatic stabilisers’ for charities income?

EU Referendum: Keep watching this space…

Is the SORP FRS 102 working for you?

A ‘straightjacket’ Budget: Pay, Tax Avoidance, Welfare and Assets

What did the Romans ever know about data protection?

Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme: Is it really working for charities?

What do charities need to know about the Spending Review?

Just one thing, Sir John...

Tackling some myths on the Spending Review

Targeted giveaways risk creating a hierarchy of charities

The time for ‘rational optimism’ – A response to Matt Ridley

Public benefit is at the core of both charities and the tax system

Financial sustainability won’t be easy for the charity sector

Welfare and employment dominate the Budget: What does this mean for charities?

#volsecbudget 2015 - CFG Live Blog

What can charities expect from Wednesday's Budget? #VolSecBudget

How to avoid errors when claiming tax reliefs

How much do we know about PbR?

What did we learn from the latest Charity Tax Stats?

Can charities help end the ‘pushmi-pullyu’ of local government spending to support prevention?

Capacity building – a dividing line in 2015?

Looking back on 2014

Making CFG fit for the future

A change in economic outlook- is your charity sinking or swimming… tell us!

2014, politics, and charities

Research questions to get our teeth into on Gift Aid

Business rate relief for charity shops in Wales: why it matters elsewhere too

FATCA: What charities need to know

What we’d like from George tomorrow

De-regulation for the sake of it?

Countdown to Charities Online: Gift Aid - Are your plans in place?

Public service delivery is risky business

FATCA: The facts (plus a few observations)

Charities and insolvency

#EveryDayCounts – The Florence Nightingale Museum

Leading in a crisis: Mark Goldring's lessons from personal experience

Are you looking after yourself during the crisis?

Finance Focus Feb 2020

Caron Bradshaw appointed as a member of new SORP Committee

Sector bodies issue joint proposal for Chancellor ahead of March's Budget

What’s new for audit and accountancy?

Election result reinforces our mission and purpose

Has the Charity Commission has taken the wrong tone in its election guidance

Why does the narrative around public 'trust' makes me feel so uncomfortable?

Why safeguarding is vital for finance leaders

Defeating the myths about Gift Aid

The Retail Gift Aid Scheme

Finance Focus Sep 2019

The lessons for Oxfam and the wider sector

The Charity Tax Commission report - does it go far enough?