A lasting legacy: Six fundraising lessons we can learn from Captain Tom
On 11th November, we celebrate the 102nd Remembrance Day. A time to remember and reflect, we can’t help but find ourselves thinking about the celebrated British Army Officer and fundraising legend Captain Sir Tom Moore. Passing away in February this year, there is a lot we can learn from his legacy, and we thought that this week’s post would be the perfect time to share some of the fundraising lessons this amazing man inspired.
A war hero that walked his way into our hearts
We’ll be honest and say that before April 2020, we hadn’t heard of Captain Sir Tom Moore. But by April 30th ‘Captain Tom’ was a household name. Setting out to raise £1,000, Captain Tom’s JustGiving page closed with a monumental £32.7 million on the books. Let’s take a moment to let that sink in. Captain Tom, a 99-year-old war veteran, raised almost £33 million by walking around his garden.
Passing away on 2nd February this year, his legacy lives on. First through the launch of the new Captain Tom Foundation and then with the #CaptainTom100 held in April this year. Set for the day he would have celebrated his 101st birthday, more than 1,200 charities took part in a campaign that raised over £1.2 million. Yet another shining example of the power of collective action, we can’t help but wonder. What is it about Captain Tom and his fundraising campaigns that made the world stop and listen?
Six fundraising lessons we can all learn
We’ve put a lot of thought into this, and when you look at his campaigns through a fundraising lens, there is a lot that was, well, ‘right’. We don’t mean giving mechanisms, cross-channel promotion and press coverage. That all came later. In a way, the secret to Captain Tom’s success is much simpler than that. Because Captain Tom shone a light on some of the absolute fundamentals of fundraising – fundamentals that when you’re busy chasing targets and digital disruptions can be all too easy to forget.
LESSON #1: Fundraising will always be about people
When the pressure is on, it can be easy to be distracted by a quest for the next ‘big thing’, the latest technology or innovation that will smash your fundraising target and bring in the zeros. Sometimes you need to take a step back and remember the most powerful fundraising tool of all. People. When it comes down to it, fundraising has been - and always will be - about people. About their stories, their challenges, and their triumphs. It is about finding a point of synergy that cuts through the noise and speaks from and to the heart.
LESSON #2: Keep it real
With great storytelling comes great responsibility, and it is important to share someone’s story as it is, not as you think it should be told. The beauty of Captain Tom’s story is that it is totally authentic and that it comes from him, not an intermediary. There is no polish, and no production value. Proof that the stories we need are all around us, and that you don’t need to blow the budget to inspire action. Remember, there is value in authenticity. So keep your fundraising real.
LESSON #3: Humanise your ask
It might be controversial, but I believe that part of Captain Tom’s appeal is that ‘the ask’ came from a person, and not a charity. Okay, so that’s not exactly easy to replicate when you work for a non-profit or NGO. But for us, it all comes back round to authenticity again. An ask shouldn’t come from an organisation or business. It should be one person talking directly to another, and that is something we can all achieve. So humanise your fundraising, and remember – people give to people, not organisations.
LESSON #4: Keep it simple
Sometimes, it is the simple ideas that work the best. We love Captain Tom’s birthday fundraiser and the #CaptainTom100 because they aren’t about grand gestures or insurmountable challenges. They are about raising money in your own way, whatever your age, background and ability. Whether it’s walking up and down your garden, running 100 miles or building 100 sandcastles, Captain Tom is about doing what you can, when you can. Who can ask for more than that?
LESSON #5: Never forget the value of small
The JustGiving totaliser might have hit £32.7 million, but with an average gift of £20 from 1.5 million donors, this campaign is a true example of the power of small. People gave what they could afford, and every pound counted. Fundraising isn’t always about the big wins and the major donations. That’s not to say they aren’t great (of course they are!) but don’t get so preoccupied with zeros that you forget what it means to give. Ask yourself who has given more? A pensioner donating £5 of their monthly allowance, or a millionaire writing a cheque for £100,000? At the end of the day, a one-off donation is just that, but a small donation from a new regular giver has a lifetime of value – so count every pound and remember that every gift, no matter what shape and size, is just that. A gift.
LESSON #6: Inspire hope
‘Tomorrow will be a good day’. In some of the darkest months our nation has ever seen, Captain Tom gave people hope. The message is clear, simple and positive – and as the totalisers go up, Captain Tom has shown us exactly what we can achieve when we all work together. It wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t showy. It was real. He inspired people to give whatever they can, and to be part of something bigger.
And that, after all, is what fundraising is all about.
