Annie Manning
Annie trained within a Legal and Trade Marks department protecting Corporate Identity and Intellectual Property in the 1980’s until 1990. She has been a freelance report writer, editor, marketing and quality consultant since 1992 working within Corporate, Commercial, IT markets, Health, Education and NFP Sectors, Local and Central Government. Under her own imprint she has published fundraising and awareness projects for animal and cancer charities, hospices and schools for special needs.
Quality projects have included speaking with schools, universities and researching protocol and purchasing patterns within the LEA nationally. She worked as a quality and marketing manager for a database software supplier speaking to charities, schools and IDPE members on a daily basis for seven years.
She has worked with local Councillors dealing with highly sensitive issues and campaigns for rights for children with special needs, securing safe school travel for children and currently working on a save school bus campaign within Hertfordshire.
Website URL: http://www.anniemanning.com E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Securing funding from local charities
Securing funds for any business is a challenge and never more so in the current climate. I have spent many years helping with fundraising at my own daughter's schools and local charities but this has become increasingly harder as corporate companies that normally jump at the chance to become sponsors are holding onto budgets.
Many schools now have their own dedicated Development Director who may well have moved from a corporate environment and has brilliant fundraising and marketing skills. There are, of course, a number of excellent consultants around that specialise in writing applications for grants and will be more than able to help your school.
The importance of communicating with your alumni
Schools and Colleges all have their own websites and this may be the first place an ex-pupil will visit to re-establish contact and possibly offer professional services and/or wish to make a donation. Similarly, your alumni database is your school’s business and you must get to know all of your supporters/members. With the aid of the right software this can be achieved easily and efficiently.
ASI Europe have recently published their own white paper 3 keys to smart website. Jyoti Hull-Jurkovic advises how schools and businesses can easily conduct a sales and marketing review with the aid of the correct tools alongside the norm of their site being just ‘user friendly’.
CRM database management – for Alumni activities
Value your database
Proper planning and management of any fundraising activity will culminate in better results and managing your alumni database is no exception. What many schools often fail to recognise is that their Database is a vital business tool and it is also a core alumni fundraising asset. Regular maintenance will enable you to ensure that the correct data is retained and all relevant history and information to your supporters is easily accessible to your staff.
Your alumni database is also the driver for any PR or marketing campaign. Consider what actions are required to be carried out by various personnel which need to be taken into account. Ask yourself have I incorporated their role into my follow-up procedures? However, if you have the right IT hardware and software many of these administrative dilemmas can be eliminated, or, at the very least, be managed efficiently.
