What a brilliant evening we had last night with Henry Rowling and Anne Race from the innovation, insight and strategy collective Flying Cars, exploring audience-engagement and innovation in the not-for-profit sector.
We invited thirty fundraisers to share an issue they are currently struggling with at work, for the chance to have their problem worked through on the night. Henry and Anne took us through a series of a fast-paced, interactive exercises designed to help innovate and develop new solutions to fundraising problems.
Helen from Macular Society, who braved the rain and the trains to join us all the way from Andover, was lucky enough to have her issue selected by the Flying Cars team to work through. With a strict time-limit for each exercise, our brains/ imaginations were fully stretched as we were taken through the paces of innovation methodology. We all learnt masses, about the power of audience-led research, using problems as a launch-pad for idea generation, the importance of testing assumptions and the huge potential for creative thinking in the sector.
Thank you to everyone who came, and a special thank you to Henry and Anne for sharing their expertise with us and delivering an immersive and lasting learning experience.
In the words of Flying Cars co-founder Henry,
‘The future is here. Don’t get left behind. Only those charities brave enough to embrace the changing needs, values and expectations of the modern supporter will survive, maintain and grow a loyal movement.’
For further information about how Flying Cars can help your organisation, please contact:hello@flyingcarsinnovation.com/ 0207 157 9504
For advice and support around your future career or help finding exceptional fundraising talent for your team, please contact:info@charitypeople.co.uk/ 020 7939 7439
Additional facts about eye disease we learnt during the process: did you know that most eye damage happens before you are 18 years old? So any parents out there, make sure your kids wear proper UV sunglasses, and eat kale and yellow peppers!
For more information about eye disease, please visit https://www.macularsociety.org/
