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People don’t sign up to the charity. They sign up to the connection.
There's a moment that happens in face-to-face fundraising. It's not the signature. It's not the donation form. It's the moment somewhere in the middle of a conversation where a donor stops thinking about whether to give, and starts thinking about why it matters. That shift doesn't happen because of a well-crafted ask. It happens because the person standing in front of them clearly, genuinely cares about the cause they're representing. They don't sign up to the charity. They sign up to the connection the fundraiser has with the charity. And that changes everything about how we should think about training, about standards, and about what this work is actually for. Values first. Everything else follows. The fundraisers who build lasting donor relationships aren't necessarily the most charismatic or the most persuasive. They're the ones with the strongest why. Who can talk about the cause with the kind of quiet authority that only comes from having spent real time with it understanding the impact, visiting the projects, believing in the mission, carrying it with them authentically into every conversation. Which is why values-led fundraising starts long before anyone steps onto a street. It starts in training. Not training that teaches customers, pitches, closures and objection-handling, but training that builds genuine knowledge of a cause, genuine empathy for the people it serves, and a genuine sense of pride in the work and the values behind it. Fundraisers who understand who they're fundraising for really understand it, talk about it differently. And donors feel that difference immediately. Better values in training produces better fundraisers. Better fundraisers produce better donors. It's not a complicated equation. It's just one the sector doesn't always prioritise. You cannot treat fundraisers like sales people and expect them not to sell. Connection longevity matters more than conversion rate. A donor who signs up because they were moved by a conversation, because they felt the fundraiser's belief in the cause, is a completely different kind of donor to one who signed up because the ask was well-timed and the form was nearby. The donor signed up with the cause at heart remembers why they give. When their bank calls about an unfamiliar Direct Debit or card payment, they remember the fundraiser and defend it. When their circumstances change, they call to pause or lower their donation rather than cancel. They stay. The donor who was sold to, the one whose fundraiser moved on to a different cause the following week, who perhaps never quite knew what they were signing up for because the form was in front of them before they even said yes, that donor is a retention problem waiting to happen. There's a version of this industry that treats cause representation as interchangeable. Where fundraisers are deployed onto whichever campaign or commercial product needs bodies, regardless of whether they have any affinity with the mission. Where the cause rotates, the script changes, and the connection if it was ever really there is gone before it had a chance to matter. Donors feel that too. Maybe not consciously. But the conversation is thinner. The energy is different. And the relationship that follows reflects it. What we owe the causes we represent. Face-to-face fundraising is a privilege. Charities trust us with their reputation, their donor base, and their long-term income. The least we can give back is fundraisers who genuinely care not just about the job, but about the cause. That means investing in training that goes deeper than technique. It means placing fundraisers on campaigns they can connect with. It means understanding that a fundraiser who has been living and breathing a cause for six months will always outperform one who learned about it on Sunday night before Monday's shift. The connection between a fundraiser and their cause isn't a soft, nice-to-have. It's the entire foundation of why this channel works. When we get that right, donors commit and they belong, and belonging is what retention is actually built on. By Liam McEntegart, Managing Director, REAL Fundraising REAL Fundraising is a B Corp and Culture Award Winning F2F Agency, REAL is a CIoF Member, committed to the real Living Wage, ethical practice, and values-led fundraising. If you'd like to talk about any of these things drop me a comment or DM.
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Why Ethical Face-to-Face Fundraising Drives Better Long-Term Retention
I recently had the privilege of presenting at Fundraising Everywhere, and one part of my session sparked a conversation I want to carry further here. I spoke about what we at REAL believe genuinely drives long-term donor retention and why the way face-to-face fundraising is often done is working against the very outcomes charities are trying to achieve. People, Planet, Purpose first. Before Profit. At REAL Fundraising, we're a values-led, face-to-face fundraising agency. That's not a tagline it's the operating principle that shapes every part of how we work. Our starting point is an organisational culture where people, purpose and planet come before profit. That filters all the way down to how our fundraisers show up at events, in shopping centres, and at doors. So what is Ethical Fundraising? Here's what we've concluded and what we practise. 1. Organisational culture Everything starts here. If your agency, or your in-house team, or fundraising partner doesn't have a genuine culture of doing the right thing, every other tactic is built on sand. At REAL, we talk about doing what's right when no one is watching. That's not aspirational tagline but what we do in practise day in day out. 2. Asking open questions Fundraisers who ask open questions and who genuinely listen to donors rather than steering them toward a predetermined yes create better conversations. Donors feel heard. They're more likely to give freely, and more likely to stay. Scripted closed questions might win a signature on the day, but they're not building a relationship of long term giving. 3. Making donors comfortable to say no This one frustrates me when I see it done badly. A donor who feels pressured into giving is not a retained donor they're a cancellation waiting to happen. When fundraisers make it genuinely easy to say no, the people who say yes are making a real choice. That's the foundation of a sustainable relationship. 4. A clear monthly ask The ask itself matters. Donors need to know exactly what they're committing to, amount, frequency, and what it funds. Clarity builds trust. Vagueness breeds doubt and cancellations. Lets make a concerted effort to eradicate the £2 a week ask from F2F. Be loud and be proud of what we are asking for because it changes lives. 5. No "Jonesing" This is the industry term for the pressure tactic of implying that everyone around a potential donor is already giving, or that there's social momentum they'd be missing out of. We don't believe in it. It's manipulative, it erodes trust, and it doesn't produce donors who stay. 6. No sales tactics Guilt tripping. Forcing people to say yes. Treating a conversation as a transaction to be closed. These things damage charities and damage the sector. We're not in the business of selling we're in the business of connecting people to causes they genuinely care about. Why This Matters for Charities If you're a charity using face-to-face fundraising, these aren't abstract principles; they're directly connected to your attrition rates. The gap between a low-retention campaign and a high-retention one often comes down to exactly these behaviours at the point of dialogue. When fundraisers adopt these practices because they've built a culture that values them you see it in the numbers. And frankly, it's the right way to treat people. By Liam McEntegart, Managing Director, REAL Fundraising REAL Fundraising is a B Corp and Culture Award Winning F2F Agency, REAL is a CIoF Member, committed to the real Living Wage, ethical practice, and values-led fundraising. If you'd like to talk about any of these things drop me a comment or DM.
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How to get started with F2F.
Are you a charity that is looking to start F2F fundraising but doesn't have the budget to work with an agency. As experts in all things F2F We've put together this handy guide for things to think about if you wanted to start an in house team of your own.
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REAL Fundraising implements pay rise for all Fundraisers with Living wage adjustment 4 months early.
Jan 1st 2024. REAL Fundraising and all their sub-contracting partners have implemented a pay rise for all fundraisers 4 months before the Living Wage Foundation deadline of the 1st May '24.
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Why truly ethical organisations increase their donations to charities in line with their growth in profit.
As the charity sector reflects on the recent findings from The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) as published in Civil Society, We wanted to look at this from a company with a values led perspective and to highlight why truly ethical businesses choose to link their charitable giving to a fixed percentage of their profit rather than an ad hoc amount.
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5 Ways to Build a Values-Driven Company Culture
Building a values-driven company culture is crucial for the success of any business. A company culture that aligns with its values attracts and retains top talent but also creates a positive impact on society and the planet. Whether you are a leading B Corp, a Pending B Corp or just beginning to explore this space we will give five ways to build a values-driven company culture starting today.
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Why Values-Led Business is the Only Way Forward
Why Values-Led Business is the Only Way Forward In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, businesses must prioritise their values and ethical practices above all else. The B Corp framework provides a clear path for businesses to align their values with their actions, and it is up to businesses to take this seriously and create a sustainable future for all. In this article, we explore REAL's core values of respect, ethics, activism, love and the wider B Corp values of transparency and integrity and explain why they are crucial for a values-led business.
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Menstrual Leave & Menopause Policy
Following the announcement by the UK Government to reject recommendations to consult on making menopause a protected characteristic and pilot a workplace menopause leave policy in England, the Directors at REAL Fundraising disagreed with this decision in the strongest possible terms
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Why Values based, ethical & the REAL model of fundraising creates sound piece of mind for Charities.
REAL works around the clock every day, and has done so since 2009 to ensure that we meet our stated aim of being the exemplar for the highest standards in the industry. We see one of our core responsibilities as ensuring our clients enjoy peace of mind while working with us and that they understand that their good governance is our first priority. Please join me as I give you a guided tour through just a small selection of the policies, ethos and working practices that make that claim a reality.
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The REAL Ethical Fund secures two new charity partnerships
REAL are pleased to announce that the REAL Ethical Fund will now be contributing regular donations to two new charities. We have found two that perfectly complement each other; helping victims of prejudice and tackling prejudice itself.
