Recognition for the 365challenge … slowly, slowly, moving forward
About a week ago, the 365challenge got itself a pretty nice chunk of recognition by the fund-raising community … and I wasn’t even there to be my usual pain in the arse to promote it to them!
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Jon Waddingham, a Charity Champion with Justgiving, and someone I’d linked up with through Twitter in the early days of promoting the 365challenge. He explained that he and someone for Cancer Research UK were giving a presentation somewhere on the potential for using social media in fund-raising, and he wanted to get some of my thoughts, as I’ve had some success with this. Ever happy to oblige (and plug the 365challenge), I knocked off an email to him with feedback on my experiences, and, as an afterthought, asked him to let me know if it was the sort of thing he was after, or of any help to him.
Turns out, he liked it, and last week, he tweeted me to let me know that the presentation had gone very well. Oh, by the way, the presentation was actually a workshop, at the 29th International Fund-raising Congress, in Holland, an event that attracts hundreds of charity professionals from around the world. And his co-presenter was Bryan Miller, Head of Strategy and Consumer Insight with Cancer Research UK!
The workshop was called “Understanding the new breed of digital donors and how to maximise your fund-raising through their networks”. You can see the slides from the presentation here, but if you just want to get to the 365challenge/Colin bit, go to slide 68 and forward from there (the whole thing is worth a look though, so let me know what you think).
Anyway, Jon told me that they sent everyone away to “telling people to try & find their own Colin” and “I think your example has inspired fundraisers from around the world! 
” … not getting big-headed of course … I mean, me? GET IN!
Oh, and tomorrow I’m off to do some promotion of my own, presenting the 365challenge to the Cancer Research UK Liverpool Supporter’s Conference (yes, in Liverpool … doh!).
See, I’m sort of commited to this thing now, and I know it’s an idea that WILL bring funds in for CRUK, and so maybe I am a little chuffed about the attention its getting, because I believe it IS worth it … but I’ll never be big-headed (grins)!
