1. Gillen Knight
Head of Enterprise and
Membership, NCVO
Members, money and mission – how
to put membership at the heart of
your income strategy
Twitter: @GilJKnight
Linked-in: uk.linkedin.com/in/gillenknight

2. @GilJKnight

3. @GilJKnight

4. @GilJKnight

5. Start with the basics
• Start charging, if you don’t already, for some types of
membership.
• Ramp up your recruitment. Simply get more members.
• Get members on Direct Debit – up to four times more
sticky.
• Ask. Ask members to regularly donate on top of their
membership fee.
• Create Gold, Founder, Patron or other high value special
memberships.
@GilJKnight

6. Then move on to mission driven
income generation through your
members. Innovate by:
 Fundraising through
members
 Trading with members
 Introducing members to
suppliers
@GilJKnight

7. It’s got to be mission driven, and
simple to understand
+ =
@GilJKnight

8. It’s still got to be mission driven
@GilJKnight

9. Practicalities
 Do you need to set up a trading company?
 VAT issues – beware – can be complex
 Reputation – need to manage the risks
 Don’t bet the farm
 Research, test, roll out rather than go in big
 Undertaken due diligence on any commercial
partners
 Team up with people who know what they are
doing, if you don’t. Be honest about this.
 Start with what you are good at
 Fail cheap, fail fast!
@GilJKnight

10. Further support
 NESTA - www.nesta.org.uk Funder and great
supporter of innovation
 NCVO’s Good Guide To Membership – From
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/publications
 NCVO’s The Art of Raising Money – using
marketing to stabilise your income – From as
above.
 NCVO member helpline on VAT issues. www.ncvo-
vol.org.uk/VAT-advice
 Each other – network, stay in touch, share ideas
@GilJKnight