Three tips to help you become a fundraising intrapreneur

What is intrapreneurship, and what has it got to do with fundraising? Well, an intrapreneur is someone applying entrepreneurial thinking within an organisation. 

They are people trying to make change happen from the inside, rather than going off and starting something new. I know from my own experiences of being in charities of all sizes, that a huge amount of transformation is happening in this way. 

There are of course young organisations forging a new path. But often, the most innovative fundraising is coming from within established organisations. Those charities have established ways of doing things and these have to be navigated in order for new ideas to flourish. This presents a unique set of challenges. So why do we need a word for intrapreneurship? If it’s already happening, how does a label help? 

When I was in a large NGO, leading a high profile transformation project, my work was hugely rewarding. It also required a lot of tenacity and emotional energy. Now, in my work as a consultant and trainer, I see lots of fundraisers in similar situations. When I came across the term “intrapreneur” it made me feel less alone. It empowered me. It helped me find inspiration from stories that were more applicable to my situation.

Often, influencing the organisational culture is the key to being able to put ideas into action. I love a good Silicon Valley success story as much as the next gal, but applying the trends and techniques they share can feel out of reach to the time poor fundraiser. Especially one who is being asked to cut their expenditure budget but raise more money at the same time.

Maybe you’re realising that you’re already an intrapreneur. It’s almost certainly not going to be in your job title. It might not even be something you particularly talk with your colleagues about. But, I believe that understanding when you are assuming that role in a team or an organisation can be incredibly powerful. More than anything, being an intrapreneur is a mindset. Think of it like a secret mission!

Below are my top three tips on getting started as a fundraising intrapreneur and some of the resources I’ve found most helpful. I also encourage you to sign up to our new “How to deliver a new fundraising idea in just two weeks” email course. Over two weeks, the Supporter Experience Collective will share our tried and tested method for making change in your organisation. Sign up now.

My top three tips to getting started

Find a pilot project

This could be an existing fundraising initiative or proposition that needs fixing, or an area where new products or processes are required. Ideally it will be something which is already within your remit so that you don’t need to get permission or really broad buy-in to try something different. Use this pilot project to try new ways of working (like using our supporter experience design model for instance) in a low-risk way. This will help build your own confidence and get some evidence of success to open up wider conversations.

Get sponsorship 

A lot of the pressure to solve problems in a fundraising team can fall on those in middle management. It can be hard to really try new things if you are not always the ultimate decision maker. If your organisation doesn’t have formal project sponsorship in place, find someone above you who can champion you in the meetings you aren’t privy to. They can provide some “air coverage” so you can spend more time on making things happen and less time negotiating internal politics. This is likely to be your line manager, but it could be someone else who you know and trust who is bought in to the need to work differently.

Show your workings

Making change can be as much about changing how you do things as what you do. To get the buy-in and engagement you’ll need to scale the successes from your pilot project you need to invite people in to the process. Having 1:1 conversations with key stakeholders about their hopes and dreams for the project can be a great way to get their input early on. Holding open invitation ideation sessions and lunch and learn sessions where you share your work-in progress are also great ways to engage a wide range of colleagues in the work. Offer to support others if they want to try something new in their own work as well, this is a fantastic way to increase your internal impact.

My fav content for intrapreneurs

Brick by Brick - an amazing story of business transformation from Lego, one of my favourite brands. Lots of fascinating insights and principles to apply to your fundraising.

Fight Back Podcast - sharing innovation stories from some of the UK’s most iconic legacy brands, tons of applicable learnings for charities.

The League of Intrapreneurs - some great resources to help you explore this community of changemakers.

AND don’t forget to sign up for our free email course to learn “How to deliver a new fundraising idea in just two weeks”.