It’s been a while, but I’ve moved away from video back to the podcast for another great chat with Giles Pegram.

Giles joined me to share his thoughts about what fundraisers should be doing to prepare for 2021. But most importantly, he spoke about a great new project that has produced some essential reading for us all – Fundraising in The Time of Covid-19, recently published by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s Supporter Experience special interest group.

Giles and I met about ten days ago, but because of pressure of work, I’ve only just been able to sit down and get our chat edited. In the discussion, you’ll hear Giles talk about a very exciting webinar that the team behind the guide are presenting on the 25th of November at 2pm (GMT).

So check your watch and calendar. If you still have time, you can sign up here. It’s free. If you’ve missed it, I’ll add a link to a recording as soon as one is available.

In the guide, you’ll be introduced to six key principles necessary to deliver a great supporter experience:

• It’s about the donor not you.
• How to develop the right organisational mindset.
• Why your supporters still believe in your mission. And why they want to give.
• Why you shouldn’t assume that you are providing a great supporter experience.
• Why charities should invest in fundraisers.
• Why charities should invest in fundraising.

What makes this guide so important – and useful – is that it goes far beyond just telling you to be nice to donors. It actually shows you how to do it. And how to do it well. It’s packed full of examples of how charities have developed and implemented these ideas for you to learn from. You can also use them to persuade a nervous senior management team (SMT) of the sense in investing in this approach.

In the conversation you’ll hear us talk more about the guide, about the importance of continuing to fundraise during the current time and how our approach needs to change in response to the needs of supporters – as they evolve under the influence of the ever changing pandemic. We also discuss some of Bluefrog’s latest research findings.

Apologies that the quality of the recording isn’t brilliant. It’s fine, but you’ll hear a few of those Zoom glitches that are a trademark of our daily working lives.