Fundraisers need to share more examples of best practice if we are to do the best possible job for our beneficiaries, says Liz Tait

Fundraising is an inspiring profession – every day we try to answer the question ‘how can we raise more tomorrow than we did today?’ The answer is never ‘we’ve raised enough’, or that it’s time to move down a gear. So every day, in our own small way, we do the best we can to change the world and the lives of our beneficiaries.

Judging the recent Third Sector Excellence awards made me feel very proud that I work in such a vibrant sector. In particular, reading all the examples of successes from across a wide range of charities, of different sizes and causes, was a valuable learning experience. Awards like this help us capture examples of amazing fundraising – but they are just the tip of the iceberg, and as a sector we must do more to share our successes and learn from each other.

Source of inspiration
Recently at Battersea we were asked to pull together examples of great fundraising from across the sector, to share with our colleagues as we look to move towards a culture of innovation. It was easy to say yes, because we knew we could go straight to the SOFII website and take our pick of the fantastic fundraising ideas shared there. The biggest challenge would be choosing which case studies to showcase, given the breadth and richness of examples you can find captured there.

If you're passionate about fundraising and have a thirst for knowledge, even as an experienced fundraiser, you can get lost in the SOFII website for hours looking at exhibits from across the ages and up to the present day, as well as from across the world and across the various fundraising disciplines. And for fundraisers in all corners of the globe, from those who work alone in small organisations in the UK to those in developing countries who aren't surrounded by a mature fundraising industry that they can draw upon for advice, SOFII really is a vital source of information and inspiration.

To make the world a better place we therefore absolutely need to capture and share examples of fundraising best practice. Let’s be honest, fundraising isn't rocket science, and by applying some fundamental principles as well as looking at what works for other charities, and thinking ‘what's my version of that?’, we can create successful campaigns for our own charities. Why reinvent the wheel? Why not make our campaigns and events as successful as possible with our first shot? On the SOFII website, you can read about how SOFII started, and the inspiring story of how Ken Burnett ‘borrowed’ an idea from a bible society in the US and adapted it for Book Aid International. This saved them from closure, and no doubt helped to educate hundreds of thousands of children as a result.

A job well done

That's the difference that sharing great fundraising ideas can make. As fundraisers, we have a responsibility to do the best possible job we can be for our causes – even more so in these difficult times, when charities are facing significant demand for their services and huge pressure on their finances. At Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, we must be the voice for lost and abandoned animals who can’t ask for help themselves. And we have a fast-growing fundraising programme that’s doing just that, and doing it successfully.

Yet even as a charity with a rich 153-year history, we haven't got any exhibits on SOFII. Something that’s about to change, because I feel passionately that SOFII is, and will only be, as good as we make it. It exists for fundraisers, and needs to be driven forward by fundraisers.

So I make a simple plea. Please join us in contributing and showcasing your fundraising to provide valuable insight for other fundraisers. Or join me in supporting SOFII and the future of fundraising by giving up some time to volunteer or by giving some financial support to this very special tool in our fundraising community’s toolkit.

Liz Tait is director of fundraising at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and has recently started volunteering with SOFII, the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation & Inspiration

This article first appeared in The Fundraiser magazine, Issue 34, October 2013