Making the Ask: Fundraising since 1959
An exhibition telling the story of the modern history of fundraising through the archive of Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants
Making the Ask tells the story of the history of modern fundraising though the history of Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants.
The archives of Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants arrived at the UK Philanthropy Archive in 2022. The archive covers the operation of the company between 1959 and today. It tells the stories of successful and not so successful fundraising campaigns and reveals the fascinating history of Craigmyle’s relationships with different clients.
The exhibition highlights some remarkable stories from these clients - from large scale capital projects in cathedrals and schools, to sponsor-a-seat campaigns in theatres, and how hospitals started to raise funds for expensive scanners and equipment.
Through Craigmyle’s archive we can chart some of key milestones and actions taking place in the fundraising sector over the past 60 years – including the impact of direct marketing, the creation of in-house development offices, and the development of a code of practice for fundraisers.
We hope you enjoy this journey through the history of modern fundraising - through sections on:
Fundraising is not simply a modern phenomenon but has been a feature of society from the beginnings of civilisation.
A “History of Fundraising” project led by Rogare: The Fundraising Think Tank, has developed some detailed fundraising timelines that provide excellent examples of notable fundraisers, successful campaigns, and notorious scandals that tell the story of the history of the fundraising sector.
You can read more about the history of fundraising before 1959 on the Rogare History of Fundraising website.
Craigmyle worked with independent schools and Universities across the UK, with fundraising surveys and management of appeals. Click below to explore how Craigmyle supported education clients.
Craigmyle worked with cathedrals and local churches, as well as arts and heritage organisations. Click below to find out more about fundraising in this area and the impact of National Lottery funding.
Craigmyle worked with hospitals and health clients on capital campaigns and appeals for medical equipment such as scanners. Click below for information about fundraising in the health sector.
Craigmyle's clients included many organisations working in the community, for welfare, and to protect the environment. Click below to find out more about this wide range of clients.
Before 2015 fundraising in the UK was regulated by three different organisations: The Institute of Fundraising (IOF), the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) and the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA).
A number of reviews between 2006 and 2015 called for a simplified system, but a pivotal moment came in 2015 after some high-profile headlines that highlighted poor practice in charity fundraising. This led to a new review carried out by Sir Stuart Etherington.
The Etherington Review recommendations resulted in a merger of the IOF and PFRA, and the creation of a new regulatory body, the Fundraising Regulator (FR), to replace the Fundraising Standards Board. Funded by a levy from fundraising charities, the FR would regulate all types of fundraising based on a single unified code of conduct.
Professional membership organisation responsible for maintaining the code of fundraising
...Merged with...
Professional membership organisation that regulates and sets the code for face-to-face fundraising
Membership organisation of representatives of individual fundraising organisations. Responsible for receiving complaints about how charities have raised funds, and judging breaches of the fundraising code
Replaced by...
The independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Craigmyle played a key role in the development of a fundraising code of practice in the UK. The code of practice is important because it sets a standard that all fundraisers should follow. It ensures that people are able to trust fundraisers by highlighting values that ensure the practice of fundraising is legal, open, honest, and respectful.
Fundraising began to develop as a profession in the early 20th century. In the USA, the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel was established in 1935 to improve the professionalism of fund-raising firms, and they developed some ethical principles for fundraisers to follow. Later, also in the USA, the National Society of Fundraisers, which became the Association of Fundraising Professionals, was established in 1960, and published a Code of Ethics in 1963.
Craigmyle used the Codes of Practice developed in the USA and created their own Code of Practice which appeared in marketing literature during the 1970s and 1980s.
The Association of Fundraising Consultants, a new organisation for professional fundraisers was established in the UK in 1993. Craigmyle were a founding member of the AFC, who then developed a new code of practice for professional fundraisers based on the code used by Craigmyle.
These codes were then used by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator, who published a much more detailed ‘Code of Fundraising Practice’ in 2019.
Search the British Cartoon Archive for cartoons relating to the history of fundraising and major campaigns such as Comic Relief, Band Aid/Live Aid, and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.
Daily Express cartoonist Carl Giles devoted much of his time to supporting his favourite charities. He developed a long relationship with the RNLI designing their annual Christmas card.
The Craigmyle collection contains a huge number of appeals brochures covering schools, health, places of worship, and lots more! They are a fantastic resource for studying 70 years of fundraising!
The UK Philanthropy Archive contains a variety of collections with rich resources for studying philanthropists and grant-giving trusts and foundations.