If you’re reading this, you’ll already know that Fundraising Convention is a fantastic event that is not to be missed by those working in the sector. But maybe you need some help convincing the person who signs off your budgets or expenses, so that they will give the go-ahead for your team to attend. 

Matt Smith, Director of Transformation & Innovation at THINK Consulting Solutions

Here’s my advice on how you can show that Fundraising Convention provides excellent return on your charity’s investment.

How to frame the ROI

To get the sign-off, it’s all about showing the return on the investment. Sending fundraisers to the event isn’t just about what they learn on the day – it’s about how you can use the learnings to shape your whole fundraising strategy, to nurture your fundraisers and their talents, and to show that fundraising matters to your organisation. By showing that this is a key moment in the fundraising calendar, you can demonstrate that this is also about meeting suppliers, partners and peers to deepen those relationships.

What outcomes to commit to

There are several things you can commit to doing to make sure the investment is worthwhile, such as:

  • Sharing learnings with the whole fundraising department
  • Identifying sessions in advance that directly support your work
  • Returning with a selection of quick wins that you could add to your work
  • Identifying trends and insight that can be applied long-term to your work
  • Arranging meetings with speakers and others during the event that will further your fundraising
  • Taking part in the networking sessions.

How to report back

Reporting back to your team and your organisation’s leadership is a vital part of the Fundraising Convention experience. If you can’t take your whole team, you could agree in advance what sessions to attend and then afterwards you present an overview of those sessions and the themes that you identified. Pulling out some big picture topics alongside some smaller, easy to implement suggestions can provide both long-term and short-term impact following the event.

If you’re sharing your learnings with leadership, you could take what you have learned and place it in the context of your existing fundraising strategy – use what you learned at the event to show what’s working well in your strategy and where there is room for growth and improvement.


Supporting ongoing learning

When you’re making the case for taking your team to Fundraising Convention, you can highlight how this two-day event is so packed and nourishing for fundraisers and that it creates an opportunity for people to reflect on their own development. Attending an event like Fundraising Convention can be built into personal development plans as it can help fundraisers grow their knowledge, their confidence, their connections, their drive and much more.


As a retention tool

Investing in people’s attendance at Convention is a clear sign to your team that learning and development matters to your organisation. Fundraisers who feel valued and invested in, stay with your charity for longer, meaning their knowledge deepens over time.

If good fundraisers don’t feel supported, they might leave and recruitment for talented new staff can be difficult. At THINK, we see first hand how much time, money and effort it can take to recruit for a new fundraiser. Can your charity afford to lose a member of staff, when instead you could send them to Fundraising Convention and gain so much?

Still struggling to get sign-off? Here are some ideas:

  1. Small charity discount – available for charities with an income of less than £1 million a year, the discount is available for one- and two-day tickets.
  2. Attend just one day of the event – identify which one day might be best suited to you and attend that day instead of going to both days.
  3. Does your charity provide its services in or around London? Could you go and visit your colleagues and/or volunteers to deepen those relationships and understand more about how your charity supports its beneficiaries?
  4. Maximise your time in London by arranging meetings with partners, stakeholders and others who you might not see face-to-face as often as you’d like.
  5. Become a CIOF member and make a saving on tickets for Fundraising Convention, plus you get all the brilliant membership benefits as well.

Once you have got the go-ahead and you’ve booked your tickets, take a look at my guide to turning the event into real, measurable impact for your charity, and how to use the event to support your fundraising team’s professional development.

Discover more about Fundraising Convention