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The Scottish Conference and Awards return to Glasgow this September, celebrating outstanding fundraising achievements. Louise Macleod from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland shares her experience of being nominated for Fundraising Team of the Year and Fundraiser of the Year, highlighting how her dedication, personalised stewardship, and relentless follow-up helped exceed fundraising targets and inspire supporters.
On being nominated for a Scottish Fundraising Award
I feel delighted and proud! The whole team has been nominated for Fundraising Team of the year. There is an energy to the team, it feels like somewhere special.
The journey to the nomination
I'm also so proud to have been nominated for Fundraiser of the Year as well! In the past year, I exceeded my fundraising target by £160,000 and since joining the team I almost doubled my region’s annual income target. I was responsible for 46% of the overall annual income target for the whole Community fundraising team!
There are two main reasons for this. The first is that I am known as the “Queen of Stewardship”. I love to look after people while they are fundraising, especially at CHSS where many people are affected by the condition. I always go the extra mile looking after people who take part in the events. For example, for the Kiltwalk I organised an evening Zoom call. It worked really well and I could tell them more about the challenge. We talked about CHSS, top fundraising tips and what to expect at the Kiltwalk. I more than doubled participant numbers and had a 50% increase in income for the Kiltwalk in my first year in post!
The second is that I do not give up. I keep going to make things happen. I have already done lots of marketing, through LinkedIn, networking events, contacting companies, Communication Stroke Groups, mailings, newsletters and social media, and for the past three days I have been directly messaging people who have enquired in a friendly and personal way. I don’t want anyone to miss out so I am following up everyone who got in touch.
DIY supporters are especially motivated, so I love to look after them.
Top tips for stewardship
- Make it a personalised approach, and encourage people who are doing well to keep going, celebrating and thanking them as you go along. I recommend starting with a call – although you can always email those you don’t speak often with.
- Keep going afterwards to finish the event or fundraising in a way that helps the relationship to go on.
- Respond to what supporters are saying, especially if they share a personal story.
It’s good to be aware of why people are fundraising, so you can recognise and acknowledge their connection to the cause.
If people haven’t been active yet, I reach out to encourage them and show them ways they can get involved and easy things to do to raise money.
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