Ahead of @ioftweets #IoFFC, a fantastic & inspirational sharing of #fundraising expertise, I wanted to share a few thoughts with #fundraisers around the UK.
You really are an amazing community of people! Your commitment to your causes, & to each other, never ceases to amaze me!

The importance of #fundraised income to #charities has never been put in sharper relief. And at a time when #fundraising has never been so hard. At a time when a fundraiser’s role has never been so hard. At a time when your cause has never been so important.

This has meant huge pressures on fundraisers all around the UK, whether #fundraising in these extraordinarily difficult times (and often difficult places!), or whether you are sadly furloughed

Yet the stories I have heard from #fundraisers have been both heart-warming and inspiring.
Your organisations have flexed to meet increased need. You have flexed, innovated, been more creative than ever to continue to inspire your supporters.

Your positivity in the face of adversity has to be second to none.
In the middle of a melee of uncertainty, with plans changing minute by minute, again & again you have been going above & beyond to raise those vital funds needed for your cause.

Working in awkward spaces at home, having done more zoom in a week than many of us would want to do in a lifetime, you have continued to inspire the public to give.

But not just that. At the same time many of you have still found time to reach out to peers to offer support and guidance, presented at sessions to share your expertise, done a prerecord for #IOFFC!

And @ioftweets volunteers have been simply astonishing. Moving face-to-face networking events & conferences online, responding quickly to demands for advice on policy, supporting each other, putting together the #IoFFC programme. I thank and salute you all.

If anyone ever had any doubts that #fundraising should be recognised as a profession through a Royal Charter, then those doubts have surely been dispelled!

And my message to CEOs & Trustees is simple. Listen to, support & invest in your #fundraising staff & teams. Now, & moving forward.
They are critical to getting you through this crisis, generating the income now & into the future that will enable you to meet your objectives.

At @ioftweets we are absolutely resolute that our current focus has to be on continuing to support our members & the wider #fundraising community in these extraordinary times.

We know that a healthy charity sector is vital to building a better future for the country. #NeverMoreNeeded.

We also know, & our partners incl @ncvo @acevo @CFGtweets @V4CE @NAVCA @sccoalition know, that #fundraisers & #fundraising are vital to a healthy charity sector.

So as part of #IoFFC next week, & at your own pace for the other 90 pre-recorded sessions, sit back, listen hard, ask questions, share insight, learn. Your learning is vital to making the world a better place. And at @IoFtweets we are here to support you.