Words by Smiley Team
In March 2020 when Covid-19 shook the world, the third sector, in particular, feared financial losses would hit them hard. Thankfully, Birmingham-based firm Oaks Consultancy has come up with a digital solution to buffer organisations against the blows to their funding sources. They are also offering a prize of £10,000 worth of fundraising consultancy pro bono to the first 500 charities to sign up.
The socially-minded team working for Oaks, initially reacted in dismay to the impact the pandemic would have on their clients: a range of charities, clubs, schools and community projects. They did a survey that confirmed their concerns that the pandemic to take a large toll on charities’ incomes, not just this year, but for the following years as well.
“My primary thought was what’s going to happen to us? What’s going to happen to our clients? And what can we do to lend a hand to these organisations that are going to struggle?” said their director of business developments Rahul Bissoonauth.
Putting their heads together, the team threw around suggestions, some of which were tried and ditched, while others showed promise as a solution to the crisis facing the third sector. Finally, they settled on the idea of creating an online community hub, where charities could fundraise, build connections and learn from one another to overcome the challenges of Covid-19 together.
The resulting initiative, Fundraisrs, offers socially-minded organisations an online platform where they can access in-depth resources, expert-informed guides and interactive training; all focused on reviewing, growing and diversifying income streams.
Free at the point of access, the project employs the expertise of the Oaks Consultancy team, who have been operating in the sector for over 12 years and have a combined fundraising experience of over 100 years, working with some of the leading socially-minded organisations in the UK and abroad.
The platform gives members access to this expert advice, as well as a community of like-minded peers and colleagues, who are trying and testing income generation initiatives in their own organisations.
“From a personal perspective, it’s really difficult to see organisations struggling and fundraisers alone won’t plug that gap. But there’s at least advice and guidance we can give people,” Bissoonauth explained. “Organisations really like to see what others like them are doing and this helps them to learn and develop.”
Looking for the future, the managing director of Oaks, Luke Southall, said: “We truly hope that Fundraisrs can provide a life-line for those looking to review, grow and diversify their organisation’s income, in these difficult times.”
To sign up as a member of Fundraisrs visit fundraisrs.net.
