Then I’ve got something for you. 

Creativity and innovation are not ‘nice to haves’ for fundraisers they are survival strategies. Changing demographics, increased competition, economic and political uncertainty and advances in technology and GDPR are just some of the many factors that are affecting every charity today.

Charities and the people who work in them, must be creative in how they respond to the changing needs of their supporters, volunteers, employees and beneficiaries or they will not remain relevant.

Yet, most people, when asked don’t see themselves as ‘creative’. Creativity is perceived as the territory of the ‘creative people’. The truth is that we are all creative. We are all capable of having ideas.

How we access our creativity is different for all of us. The majority of us don’t have our best ideas when we are at work, stressed at our desks or put under pressure by our manager to ‘think outside the box’. We have our best ideas when we are relaxed or in a playful state with time to think.

And creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum. There is a myth about a lone person having a light bulb moment. The best ideas happen when people talk, build on ideas or collaborate to solve a shared problem.

Innovation is making the good creative ideas happen. Whether this is a new fundraising product, a service or a new way of working. Making any type of change happen can be difficult. There is often a reluctance to change from ‘the way things are done here’. Many charities have structures and cultures that restrict rather than facilitate change.

If you are trying to make any kind of change happen it can be difficult. You need support, people to bounce ideas off, try different tactics to make your ideas happen. We need time out to relax and be playful. Often organisations don’t view time away from the desk as productive time nor do they have the budgets to invest in softer skills like coaching or building confidence for creativity. 

That’s why we’re developing the Lucidity Network. An online and offline learning and support network giving you knowledge, support and confidence to be a 'creative', achieve better results, have a more enjoyable working environment and make a bigger positive impact on the world. 

You’ve got an opportunity to get in early and get great early bird deals on membership by backing the crowdfund campaign to get the Lucidity Network off the ground. Check it out here.