What is (IWITOT)’s secret sauce?

(ie Why does the I Wish I Thought of That event pack such a powerful punch for fundraisers?)

I was enjoying a beer at the end of the wonderful I Wish I’d Thought of That event (IWITOT), run by SOFII. As far as I could tell, most people who’d been at the (in-person) element of the event had come to the drinks reception too.

As I looked around the room, I could not help noticing that everyone was… glowing.

I know that many fundraisers enjoy a glass of wine as much as the next person, but I don’t think it was the booze that was the main explanation.

There was a definite energy in the room. And we’d already been feeling that buzz long before we left the auditorium.

The truth is, I was feeling inspired. And everyone else I talked to was too.

Why?

Because IWITOT delivers a reliably high Inspiration Per Minute Quotient (IPMQ).

As far as I’m aware this is not already a thing. I just made it up in the hopes it helps me show you what I mean, in relation to what happens when learning experiences are most likely to help us implement effective fundraising.

To calculate the IPMQ for a learning resource (eg book or podcast or course you consume), divide the number of ideas you get / feelings of ‘oh we could definitely apply that principle to our fundraising’ etc, by the number of minutes you spend on it.

Of course, I know that getting ideas and, crucially, feeling inspired, is obviously not the only valuable reason to go to a conference / on a course / read a book etc. There are other essential elements in the process of improving your skills and your fundraising.

For instance, one of the model’s I find helpful is this learning cycle of four key elements: 1) Getting a new idea; 2) planning how you will implement it; 3) trying it out; 4) evaluating whether it worked and how you might improve it.

But in my experience, without the moment of inspiration, the chances of doing the other things are dramatically lower, or at least, less likely with enough persistence.

After studying what leads to successful fundraising for nearly two decades, I place disproportionate value on any learning resource that leaves me feeling inspired. At least I’ve then got a chance of winning the (often difficult) game of implementing effective fundraising.

In Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, the authors refer to moments when we believe that success is possible, as ‘bright spot’ moments. And in the Power of Moments, they talk about moments of ignition. After ignition, difficult change becomes more possible because your view of what is possible has shifted.

Apparently, when Roger Bannister became the first human being ever to run a mile in under four minutes, there was a moment of ignition for other athletes, because he had shown it was possible.

They now believed. ‘If he can do it, why can’t I?’  

Before Bannister’s achievement, it had never been done. In the few years that followed, several more people ran a mile in under four minutes. Since then many hundreds have done it.

So yes…

• I love the fact that IWITOT has a diverse range of speakers and perspectives.
• And yes, I love that they know the event’s reputation is for well-prepared, dynamic presentations, so they all work hard to do the same. And they are supported in doing this well. (The three less experienced speakers all receive mentoring to help them do well.)
• And yes, I love the energy and solidarity you feel with the speakers and the rest of the audience in the room. It’s partly because of how brilliantly it’s facilitated at the venue by Cam St-Omer Donaldson and in online by Josh Leigh.
• And yes, I love how generous the charity sector usually is. At the event I spoke to someone who was brand new to the sector. She was taken aback by how openly our sector shares ideas in a way that was unheard of in the particular commercial sector she had worked in previously. 
• And yes, I also love that in buying a ticket I am helping to fund the great work of SOFII which makes available so many helpful resources for fundraisers, for free.

Wonderful though all these things are, and they definitely contribute to the IWITOT experience…to me the not-so-secret-sauce which is at the heart of its reliably high IPMQ every time I’ve attended over the years, is its unique format.

You see, each speaker only has seven minutes to share a fundraising idea that they wish they had thought of. Having been a speaker myself, I can report, this is a really tough challenge. You have to plan what to include so selectively, as it’s a much, much shorter length than presentations at other courses and conferences.

And importantly, the idea cannot be your own.

So to truthfully answer the brief, you cannot help but get to the heart of not only what another charity has done, but why you personally feel that was so brilliant. This strict format is a major reason the audience gets to hear at least 13 wonderful, varied examples of creativity, courage and wisdom in fundraising, in 3 short hours.

The time whizzes by. Story after story. Idea after passionately argued idea. Even if not every idea resonates for you personally, there’s another one coming along in a moment. The effect is that these moments of ignition stack within you.

I’ve found it all adds up to a reliably high Inspiration Per Minute Quotient.

I love that there are many resources available to help me learn about and improve fundraising, including, in no particular order: books; blogs; podcasts; conferences; one day courses; six-month programmes; mentoring; coaching; on-line learning memberships and more. I make use of all of these. My own training company, Bright Spot, is proud to provide many of them.

They are all valuable, for different reasons.

But one massive reason I will always make time to attend IWITOT if I possibly can, is its IPMQ. It always leaves me feeling inspired. It helps me believe. Importantly, it makes me more optimistic about what I can do.

At a time when our newsfeeds, social media and the challenges of fundraising could cause our sense of hope to wobble, sources of belief and optimism feel more valuable than ever.

As perhaps you can tell (!!) I remain a huge fan of IWITOT. Thank you to everyone involved in creating the latest wonderful event.

Congratulations to all the brave, creative speakers – you did an outstanding job. And long may the great IWITOT tradition continue.