On Tuesday 15 July 2025, we put on our first ever Salocin Group not-for-profit conference.
With over 100 years of combined expertise in the charity and data world, we figured it was high time we brought everyone together.
The event was tailor-made for those working in the charity and not-for-profit sectors – especially within the fundraising, marketing and data teams.
The theme, Getting more from less – Bright ideas for big impact, was all about sparking inspiration and sharing practical ways to make a real difference.
Despite the venue being a tad warm, and James Brown (yes, the recording artist) refusing to stay quiet, we had a brilliant time. And we all learnt a LOT more about ducks’ personal lives than we could ever imagine.
We also embraced our B Corp nature with sustainable goodie bags, an agenda printed on wildflower-seeded paper (so you can plant it afterwards) a tree planted for each attendee, the whole event carbon-offset and selecting one of the greenest buildings in the UK as a venue.
In this post, you’ll find the top three takeaways from each session. If you’ve got questions, would like a copy of the slides – or just want to talk something through – you’ll find the best person to contact below too. Don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d be delighted to hear from you!
The soft opt-in update
- Enabling the soft opt-in could increase annual charity revenue by 3%, equating to £252m per year in England and Wales.
- Charities should start to audit data and data-capture processes, update opt-out mechanisms, train teams and refresh privacy notices sooner rather than later.
- The ICO warns that just because you can email, doesn’t mean you always should. Trust is key – email comms must be expected and welcome, not intrusive.
Craig Carr
Head of Privacy
Storytime on the basics
When it comes to data:
- Be clear on your definitions and how these are calculated. Having a universally agreed definition of ‘active’/’LTV’/’Regular Giver’ means everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.
- Monitor, monitor, and monitor again your data hygiene. Good data hygiene is best practice and instils confidence.
- Basic RFV segmentation can go a long way – these three lenses offer a basic, easy to understand view which can be used on their own, or all three combined.
Kayleigh Philps
Consultant Analyst – Data Science
Data-driven marketing for charities in the era of budget cuts
- Using data more intelligently to give you more for less with your acquisition budget – especially when you include behavioural science data.
- Clean data is efficient data. It’s the foundation of effective communication, analytics and compliance, supporting better targeting and segmentation, insight, more accurate reporting, and compliance. A wobbly data foundation leads to wasted spend, a negative impact on the environment, missed growth opportunities and reputational risk.
- Data on its own is meaningless. We need to connect data (the head) through media and inspire through creative (the heart).
Ben Briggs
Managing Partner – Join the Dots
Data, donors and deals: The analytics behind the monopoly of fundraising
- High-value giving (HGV) can mean different things to different people.Whether you have an HVG programme up and running already or not, you can set your own boundaries.
- Try to make the most of the data you currently have. As well as donation history, using things like title/salutation and address (especially postcode) data can be really useful. It won’t give you everything you need to know, but it can help you begin to understand who you’re communicating with.
- Do your best to plan ahead. Getting the foundational things right (especially in terms of the data you’re using) will help keep you on track… or able to pivot when you need to.
Rob Dyer
Senior Analyst
Making sense of falling donor numbers through the lens of behaviour science
- For most donors, their last donation was prompted by someone they know personally.
- If there are fewer people to copy, fewer people adopt the behaviour. And if fewer people adopt the behaviour, there are fewer people to copy…
- Don’t ask ‘We want to find people who look like this – where are they?’ Instead ask: ‘Where are people talking about us and how do we reach them?’
Ben Briggs
Managing Partner – Join the Dots
Stretching every pound: How AI tools can power up your people, content and campaigns
- AI is amazing, but it can get things wrong. Knowing how to use it is crucial – treat AI agents like super smart but very inexperienced new hires.
- You need the right type of AI with the right training for a clearly specified goal – try our AI readiness assessment to find out if you’re good to go.
- The human touch is still essential.
Alex Holt
Strategic Consulting Director – CRM & Marketing Technology
The good, the bad and the ugly of CRM implementation panel session
- Stakeholder engagement is crucial – you need to keep people caring about what you’re doing. They need to feel involved and invested.
- Don’t take too long – UK workers spend between 2-5 years in a job, people need to see and feel the change before the move on.
- Be mindful of what else is going on in your organisation – too much change at once can cause problems.
Gary Arnold
Managing Partner – Advisory & Consulting Practice
Interested in coming to our next not-for-profit conference? Register your interest here to be the first to know all about it.
