If you’re a regular reader of this fortnightly-ish newsletter, you may recall that I’ve previous advocated that unions look to non-profit fundraising programs for lessons and tactics on recruitment.

That’s why I’m sending you this short prompt: this Thursday, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has its latest Innovation Series on exactly this topic. More here.

Of course, unions shouldn’t aim to be charities, and deriving a significant proportion of your revenue from donations (as opposed to membership dues) is problematic.

However, there are definitely lessons to be learned from the non-profit sector in this space.

This is especially the case when it comes to

• understanding the motivations of why people donate (join)
• nurturing potential donors (potential members)
• welcoming new donors (members)
• nurturing donors (members) in the short/medium and long term
• linking campaigns with fundraising (organising/recruitment)
• new tactics for digital fundraising (member recruitment)

While your union may not be considering asking for donations from members, none-the-less this Innovation Series session will be invaluable, and I recommend you book in. (To register, you’ll need to create an account here and then book.)