Marketing and Fundraising Challenges facing the Charitable Sector to be Addressed by Bristol Conference

Marketing is still a relatively new discipline within charity organisations. It's only in the last 20 years that charities started creating standalone communication and marketing departments, devolved from fundraising activities. The most successful charities already understand that marketing is anything but peripheral to the organisation. This conference aims to address a specific range of marketing and fundraising disciplines - which even the smallest charities in the region can adopt.

Rachel Baker, head of marketing and communications at St Monica Trust and CIM’s regional charity ambassador explains: “Charities, are appreciating that their communications will increasingly be recognised as a core way to increase engagement tangibly and measurably with supporters.  Add to that the increasing array of media channels, technologies and the differing ways in which consumers are accessing these channels. It becomes evident that Charities need to be prepared to engage with their audiences around the clock via different media. These are some of the challenges the conference aims to address.”

The day event is being chaired by Steve Hughes, Chief Executive at Lilian Faithful Homes and includes an array of ten marketing and fundraising speakers and panellists.

Bristol based, Chartered Marketer, Dagmar Smeed, who has worked in the charity sector for 16 years, is speaking on ‘Understanding Your Customers and Stakeholders’. Dagmar said: “As the recent uproar over Apple’s decision to install ‘dad rockers U2’s new album on 500 million ITune users libraries demonstrates, it is vitally important to understand your customers and your stakeholders.” Dagmar adds: “Get it wrong in the charity sector and you will lose good will, financial support and risk damaging your charity’s reputation. I will be exploring ways charities can better understand their stakeholders, from traditional watching and listening skills, to cultural segmentation and use of digital and social media."

A range of panellists seeking to answer delegates specific challenges include Bristol based; Juliette Randall, chief executive at Arnos Vale Cemetery.  Juliette explains how applicable the conference themes are to her work at Arnos Vale Cemetery: "We have a major endowment fundraising campaign underway - with every pound we raise by June 2016 being doubled by the Heritage Lottery Fund.  We still have to raise £350,000 to secure one million pounds for our endowment fund to help secure the future of Arnos Vale Cemetery.” 

“Endowment appeals are difficult as there is little tangibility for people to connect with.  We work hard to engage with all our audiences through a range of communications to keep them involved and up-to-date with our story including our developments and our achievements - as well as ensuring they appreciate our challenges and why their support is crucial to our long term sustainability."

Also on the panel to answer fundraising questions is Paul Courtney, Chair of Institute of Fundraising South West and Nancy Chambers, Bristol based fundraising and communications consultant. Nancy is adept at helping local charities punch above their weight when it comes to fundraising: “My aim is to help charities shape their fundraising in such a way that it appeals to the really big donors, bringing inward investment to Bristol from across the UK, which we have succeeded in doing with recent fundraising appeals for the Bristol Aerospace Centre, Arnos Vale Cemetery and Southmead Hospital’s new Bristol Breast Care Centre.” 

The conference is being supported by exhibition services and print company Hobs Reprographics and St Monica Trust. There are still some delegate places available, priced from £55, further information and bookings can be made at http://www.cim.co.uk/events/64379 or by telephone 01628 427340.

CIM South West Charity Conference 2014
Date: 16 October 2014
Time: 09:00 – 16:45
Venue: St Monica Trust, Main Hall, Cote Lane, Westbury-On-Trym, Bristol BS9 3UN
Delegate rates from: £55:00
Further information: http://www.cim.co.uk/events/64379
Contact e-mail: cimevents@cim.co.uk
Contact phone: 01628 427340