Remarkable fact number one: The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, own 70% of the UK's wealth.
Remarkable prediction number one: In 20 years' time, they could own 85 - 90% of all disposable income in the UK...
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
As suddenly as they started, our Window into Whitewater adverts are ending with this one. It's time to move on.
But fear not! You can still access Whitewater's incisive view on the fundraising world in two great ways...
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
That's the extraordinary sum of money - excluding Gift Aid - that the Motor Neurone Disease Association have raised through their Tribute Fund programme...
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
I am aware that there are rumours in our sector that Whitewater is up for sale.
Such gossip can be unsettling for a business so I'd like to use this months' Whitewater advert to set the record straight.
It is true that we are in the advanced stages of negotiating to join an existing direct marketing services group.
I am to become a shareholder in the new group and will continue to lead Whitewater for many years to come, aided by our existing management team who, incidentally, are fab and have been a part of the negotiating process.
I have genuinely never been more excited about Whitewater's future than I am today. We have completely reinvented ourselves in the last few months; having breathed new energy, new professionalism and new ideas into every corner of our work. (You should come and give us a try!)
The proposed partnership with the new group only adds to my excitement about the future. They have strengths and skills which will substantially improve our (already excellent) customer offering in many respects. And they're justifiably excited about how much the Whitewater brand will add to their own business.
Whitewater will continue to operate as an independent entity, in our own office, with the same staff team - to whom I have a fierce loyalty.
For legal reasons, I cannot reveal the name of our suitor for a short while but, in the meantime, I hope this puts the record straight.
This will end a process which began when my wife Claire and I agreed that she should exit the business - a decision we took together about a year ago. We have three (gorgeous!) kids and the pressure of running a business, and being good parents, has been too much for us.
This strategic move is right for our children, and opens up all sorts of exciting possibilities for Whitewater.
Steve Andrews
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to see this statement as it appeared there, download the pdf.
Hopefully that got your attention. But here's the best bit; it's true!
Whitewater is launching an unprecedented programme of primary research into those we believe to be the most important generation for charity marketers to get to grips with - the Baby Boomers. And you are invited.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
2006 has been Whitewater’s most successful year. Ever.
The omens were good back in January when we beat off a strong cast of agencies to win the RNLI account. It was a great start to what has been a year of exceptional growth, for our clients and ourselves.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
'The most essential gift for any good writer is a built-in, shock proof sh*t detector.'
So wrote Ernest Hemingway.
Keep calm. I know Hemingway's macho attitudes are like a hair on the tongue to most fundraisers. But if the man cared about anything, he cared passionately about the craft of writing. And this quote has a decided point.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Congratulations to Professional Fundraising on the relaunch. This is such an important magazine for our sector. I hope the new format is a great success.
We felt we’d better not be shown up so we’ve re-designed our ads a little!
All of which is great timing as we’re also launching our groovy new website today...
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Hello! This is my first contribution to Whitewater’s regular ads. I’m the new kid on the block; a Strategic Planner who has decided to call time on work for commercial brands and focus on something a little more meaningful: direct marketing for charities.
I thought I’d kick off by talking about an exciting new trend in consumer attitudes that I’ve seen impact the commercial sector and which is equally significant for us: the desire for AUTHENTICITY.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Do you ever wonder just how loyal your supporters really are and – more importantly – what effect this
loyalty, or lack of it, has on your net income levels year after year?
The truth is, in the vast majority of cases both for companies and charities, being able to accurately
measure loyalty and then link it to future profitability is an unattainable dream.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
It’s a commonly held notion in the fundraising sector that in memoriam fundraising is the preserve of hospices or the charities dealing in causes of death such as cancer or heart disease. And yet the evidence from a number of charities suggests quite the opposite.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
When international advertising agency J. Walter Thomson rebadged itself as ‘JWT’ back at the start of last year they launched their newly polished offering with the following statement:
“We passionately believe advertising has a future, but only if we stop interrupting what people are
interested in and be what people are interested in.”
Given how marketing savvy, time conscious, and downright defensive consumers are becoming, it is clearly more important than ever to ensure that consumer communications are perceived as interesting rather than an unwelcome interruption.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
When was the last time you visited a churchyard grave to pay your respects to someone you have lost? I never have. And the evidence suggests that this will be true for most of the readers of Professional Fundraising.
It’s not because we haven’t experienced bereavement in our lives or that we don’t care about the people we have lost. It’s just that church graveyards are not very relevant any more. Only 18% of Brits are part of an organised religion. And over 80% of us are cremated anyway.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
I’m not going to talk about number-crunching and data analysis. Or to explain why mailpacks succeed or fail. Instead, I want to talk to you about my friend Miriam, and what my fantastic colleagues at Whitewater are helping me to achieve.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
At a time when donor recruitment is harder than ever, charities are looking for ways to increase the value of existing supporters. That’s why there’s been a lot of talk about cannibals at Whitewater. It’s not that Whitewater staff have developed a taste for human flesh – that’s not happened, yet – it’s that there’s been a good deal of concern about cannibalisation of income.
The suspected cannibal was our old friend the virtual gift catalogue. ‘Will sending a virtual gift catalogue to the database cannibalise income we would have got through the Christmas appeal?’
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
It’s not often us art directors are given the chance to drag ourselves away from our computer screens and brainstorming sessions down the pub, to travel out into the real world and see, first hand, the causes we spend so much time trying to help.
So when Christian Aid offered me the chance to visit some of their projects in Mozambique, I jumped at the opportunity to take my first trip to Africa.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
I’ve spent the last ten years working in charity direct marketing. But now my husband Paul and I are selling up in the UK to run a Chambre d’hôte in south west France. I am passionate about food and entertaining so cooking for our guests will be a dream come true.
I am reinventing myself.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Got a moment? Then try this useful fundraising exercise...
Stick a key word that describes your cause into Google, hit ‘Google Search’ and see what happens. Repeat for various words. Does your website URL come up on the first screen you see?
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Well, that’s got your attention. Aren’t words brilliant? And it’s true, the pen really is mightier than the sword.
Strange coming from an art director I know, but when you think of the millions of people who have been disenfranchised by the use of language, then I’m sure you will agree.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Dear Neighbour,
You may not know me but I’ve been visiting your house every day, through rain, sleet and shine, for
the last two years.
But don’t worry, I’m just your postman.
Today, instead of just delivering your letters, I am writing to you myself...
I love those words. They’re the opening paragraphs of one of the first pieces of direct marketing that Whitewater ever did. I love them because it’s such compelling copy. And I love them because that pack launched Whitewater as a direct marketing agency.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Will 2005 go down as one of the worst years in living memory for humanitarian disasters? The Boxing Day Tsunami, the ongoing genocide in Darfur, famine in Niger; Hurricane Katrina in the US and, most recently, the earthquake in Asia.
From a fundraising perspective, if ever there was a year to test that old chestnut, donor fatigue, this was it. And if ever there was evidence that donor fatigue lives only in the minds of cynical journalists and lazy fundraisers, then, once again, this was it.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
So this is it. We’ve reached advert number 16 out of 16.
And what an extraordinary response we’ve had! Thanks to the many of you who told us how much you’ve enjoyed them. Particular thanks to the reader who expressed their love of these ads in their response to the Professional Fundraising Readers’ Survey. That was a real boost for us.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
It’s a story about a woman called Rebiya Kadeer, a mother who spoke out about the needs of people in her local province of Xinjiang, China. The Chinese Government gave her eight years in prison for her trouble.
We produced a direct mail pack and insert which gave prospective members the opportunity to send postcards to her prison guards. We decided that the best way to demonstrate what Amnesty is all about was to engage people in a real campaign, for a real, specific person.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Pensions and Wills. Two of the dullest words you could ever use to kick off an ad. In fact, we’ve probably lost half of you already.
But for those of you still with us, your patience may be rewarded. Call this idea a gift from the team at Whitewater Towers. If you can make it better and then make a fortune out of it, that would be excellent.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Our sector is awash with doom and gloom about the threat to our legacy income. If it’s not stories of the elderly forced to spend their savings on care homes, it’s news of the baby boomers blowing their fortunes on cruises and face lifts.
And any legacy fundraiser who has seen the Norwich Union’s TV ad on ‘equity release’ is bound to have lost a few nights sleep – it’s a shocker.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
It’s the perennial Big Question:
‘What’s the next Big Thing?’
With face-to-face fading, new media old news, and in-memoriam now receiving the tributes it deserves – where should we look to find the next Big Thing?
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
You get the best lists you can, come up with a beautiful fundraising proposition and the creative execution is fantastic.
Then it bombs.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
If we had to name one thing that charity direct marketing (DM) – of the donor acquisition variety – needs in today’s overcrowded market, it is urgency. Time and again it is the stuff that has urgency which really works.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
There’s only one charity event that I give to every year. The reason I give is both simple and astonishingly complex.
The event is Christian Aid Week. Which was last week, at the time of writing.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
“We’ve got no money, so we’ve got to think,” said Ernest Rutherford, then Director of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University, when in the 1920s the UK’s industrial research community faced the prospect of swingeing budget cuts.
It’s the same for us fundraisers when faced with the Royal Mail’s decision to impose Pricing in Proportion (size-based pricing). Charities just won’t be able to justify spending the extra money – 14p per pack more, for each fundraising appeal bigger than 240mm x 165mm x 5mm.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Talking to the bereaved. Most of us are absolutely terrified of it. What if we can’t find any appropriate words, or say the wrong thing? Don’t they just want to be left alone anyway? Surely someone else will offer them comfort?
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
My favourite definition of ‘a brand’ comes from online permission marketing pioneer Seth Godin, who once said: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
With this in mind, have you ever wondered what individual supporters might say about your charity to their friends? Or perhaps they don’t think to talk about you at all?
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Tsunami aside, how often do fundraising success stories make front page news? That’s exactly what happened last Christmas when The Guardian ran a story proclaiming iPods and Goats as being the ‘must-have’ gifts for Christmas.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
One of our goals here at Whitewater is to be outstanding in absolutely everything we do. And if there’s one thing that we’ve learnt over the years, it’s that we haven’t got a hope in hell of achieving that goal unless we can recruit and retain outstanding staff. As the old cliché goes, we’re only as good as our people.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Perhaps only parents will really understand what we've been through: the sleepless nights, the worry, that first smile, and then, like a miracle you thought would never come, those first words.
A real little personality is shining through. Our hopes for her future have never been stronger.
In only 24 months, Our Lasting Tribute has had the privilege of working with over 50 charities across the UK, USA and Canada. We thank the visionary fundraisers in those charities who believed in our baby and our parental hype.
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
Where do you go to get a clear perspective? To get great new ideas? What's the next big thing that's going to drive forward your fundraising?
These are incredibly important questions. And here are three things I've learnt over the years:
Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.
