Applications: 2. Rejects: 1. Cups of coffee: 0 (no time!). Minutes lost to the ineptitude of Network Rail: 43.
Back in the day, my fundraising team lived for the moment when a cheque arrived in the post. It would usually come stapled to a compliment slip or a brief letter, and would arrive without any warning - this was when funders were more secretive than Mi5. You could always tell when an envelope was likely to enclose a cheque. Often, you could see it through the thin white paper. You'd pretend to open it with perfect nonchalance, as you tried to stop your hands from shaking - fearing that your heart might literally burst through your chest. And then the moment - who from? How much??! £15,000??! Ker-ching! Ring the bell! (We really did have a bell each for just that purpose!)
Not long after defecting to the dark side, I had the joy of calling an applicant to tell them that they had been awarded a grant of over £30,000. I could imagine vividly the fundraiser bursting at the seams as I calmly explained that I would like the organisation's bank details to be emailed so as to make payment by BACS. The reply came "of course!" Followed by "oooh, I'm going to have to ring my bell now! Erm, yeah. We, like, have a bell we ring when we, erm, y'know..."
"Don't worry, I replied - I do know. I've been there. Knock yourself out."
Said fundraiser's joy didn't seem to be diminshed by the more forthright approach of telephoning - perhaps, as this is quite a radical new idea to most funders, the joy of surprise was actually greater. The absence of a cheque didn't seem to diminsh the joy.
But what do you think? Not just on the "joy" issue, but on the practicalities generally? Are BACS payments a positive development? (They're certainly cheaper for us!) Are they easier for YOU to administer? Do you have any concerns - security for example?
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