How Mind maximised efficiency to grow impactful, low level unrestricted income.
Our team has adopted an approach to be more efficient and effective. Using a digital CPA solution via Work for Good really helped with freeing up our fundraising teams capacity and providing much-needed brand protection”
Antonella Vinciguerra, Senior Community Fundraising Officer
About Mind
Mind is a national mental health charity. It offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.
The challenge
In 2021 Mind identified that small and medium-sized businesses were an area of growth for their community fundraising team.
This was prompted by a significant rise in 2020 of SMEs wanting to fundraise for them through the sale of their goods or services (known as ‘sales fundraising' or cause marketing).
The team planned to build on this, by focusing on increasing the fundraising output from existing SME supporters. Their strategy also included using their brand to engage with more businesses and encourage further support from this valuable audience.
To do this the charity had to ensure every business had a Commercial Participation Agreement (CPA) required by charity law and the Code of Fundraising Practice.
The solution
In the past, Mind reported that they’d had to turn away low-income business support, due to the time-consuming process of creating CPA’s in house and the capacity required to focus on SME stewardship.
But recognising the untapped and sustainable opportunity that sales fundraising from SMEs presents, the team needed to ensure that this sort of fundraising (sales fundraising or cause-related marketing) didn't remain exclusive to large donations from large companies. This required implementing a process that included a simple and affordable CPA solution.
The Work for Good platform opened that door, saving Mind thousands of pounds in legal costs and time, and providing an opportunity to maximise income from sales fundraising.
The results
Mind has so far received support from 174 small - medium-sized businesses who have chosen to sales fundraise for the charity. Collectively these businesses have raised and pledged over £ 178,000 and rising.
Many of those businesses are clearly aligned with the charities' cause, such as HotPod Yoga, and often use awareness days to help them promote their charitable giving.
The dedication and commitment that HotPodYoga Group had to mental health was inspiring. We are so thrilled to have their support."
Rebecca Conlon, Fundraising Officer at Mind
HotPod Yoga for Mental Health.
On World Mental Health Day, Sunday 9th October 2022, 15 UK franchises of HotPod Yoga came together to raise funds for Mind by donating proceeds from a one-off, special Sleep Session yoga class.
Coordinated by their head office, each yoga studio had to have a Commercial Participation Agreement to do this. HotPod Yoga was directed to the Work for Good platform where each franchise was able to create their individual CPAs with Mind.
This legal requirement was a quick and easy process as it was done through Work for Good’s digital CPA; which is embedded in the digital agreement form.
Each franchise of HotPod Yoga was then able to run a short but impactful sales fundraising campaign.
Together the HotPod Yoga studios raised £3,200 of unrestricted income for Mind on World Mental Health Day.
