Values are the foundation of the fundraising and charity industry. They guide every interaction, decision, and campaign that a non-profit delivers.
Within an industry focused on trust and compassion, values provide the ethical compass, ensuring we remain transparent and connected to our partners, charity donors and team zen-bers.
It’s not enough to state these values in an employee handbook or a website; they must be actively embodied. And, as this year's World Values Day theme is 'Bringing Values to Life,' we're excited to show you how our ongoing journey and business development progress allows us to live and breathe our Zen values every day.
The Zen Values
Embodying our values and behaviours means demonstrating them in every conversation and decision. This is how we can demonstrate our commitment to integrity, quality, and impact.
1) Quality over Quantity
We are advocates for authentic, meaningful conversations with donors, never pressuring them into giving. Our approach focuses on quality, not just numbers, ensuring each supporter feels heard and valued.
2) Balance
Zen is all about balance. Balance is at the heart of our ethos - ensuring our fundraising teams have time to recharge through initiatives like the four-day workweek or finding the proper equilibrium between client needs and donor satisfaction. We care for our mental health just as much as our professional commitments.
3) Integrity and Ethicality
At Zen, we uphold the highest ethical standards. Donors are never forced to contribute; instead, we focus on connecting them with causes they truly care about, cultivating long-term trust-based support.
4) The Joy of Giving
We strive to share the genuine joy that comes with giving. Our role is to ensure that donors feel the positive impact of their contributions, making giving a fulfilling and enriching experience.
5) Growth and Personal Development
We cultivate an environment that promotes continuous learning and growth for our team members. Zen Fundraising is committed to helping our team flourish from professional development opportunities to personal growth.
Bringing Values to Life in Our Day-to-Day
Our values are reflected in everything we do. Whether it’s our strategic fundraising approach or personalised welcome calls to donors, we consistently aim to go beyond the transactional.
Take our Welcome Calls, for example. Our successful welcome call programme ensures each supporter feels heard and valued. We use the word successful here because these key touchpoints enhance donor retention by 10%. Each interaction focuses on thanking the donor and ensuring they fully understand their impact. With 55% of donors confirming their satisfaction with these calls, we know our commitment to quality over quantity makes a difference.
Our long-standing relationships with partners such as WWF, SOS Children’s Villages and Action Medical Research testify how our values shape our collaboration. Many of our client relationships span years, and we take pride in continually relaunching new campaigns with them.
Additionally, we're utilising new digital fundraising strategies. Following our success in guiding our partners through technological advancements like instant debits and recurring card payments, we consistently lead with transparency and integrity.
With cutting-edge platforms like CACI’s InSite, we use data to understand donor behaviours and preferences better, ensuring our campaigns remain impactful. Our values guide our digital transformation, allowing us to provide solutions that meet the needs of our charity partners and their supporters.
These are just some of the ways we are bringing our values to life at Zen Fundraising. We aim to lead with integrity, balance, and a commitment to spread the joy of giving. We always welcome feedback from our partners, employees, and supporters to ensure our work aligns with these values. So, if you’d like to share your thoughts or offer feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Your insights help us grow and continue making a difference.
Cultivating a Culture of Balance What comes to mind when you think of 'Zen'?
For us, it is about being focused and relaxed. Engaging but not pushy. This is true across the board, and through this, we engage high-quality, sustainable partners, supporters, and team members.
We remain grounded amongst industry challenges and apply balance to all we do. These principles ensure we maintain a thoughtful, balanced perspective that drives long-term success for the causes we support.
Fundraiser Feedback Our commitment to balance extends to the experience of our fundraisers. Working outside on busy streets can be challenging, but we believe that by creating a supportive and ethical working environment, our team can focus on delivering meaningful results without burnout.
Personal growth and a positive culture benefit our team members and lead to better outcomes for the charities we serve. This value allows our fundraisers to build authentic relationships with donors, ensuring long-term success.
Recent donor feedback truly reflects this. Jayden, from our London team, demonstrated the joy of giving by turning a passer-by into a regular donor through his passion for the cause. Jayden is renowned for his authentic approach and truly embodies a commitment to quality and genuine connections.
Similarly, Michael’s friendliness and deep understanding of SOS Children’s Villages made a donor feel informed and appreciated, showcasing the integrity and care we strive for in every interaction.
In Birmingham, Zahra received a special shout-out from a donor who described her as “very nice and great at her job.'' These are just the words we want to hear about our brand ambassadors.
Zen Fundraising remains committed to its core mission of connecting people to causes that matter.
Today, we'd like to say a huge Zen thank you to our team, partners, and donors as we continue to make a collective impact - one conversation and one cause at a time.
We recognise that there is always room for growth, and we’d love to hear your feedback. If you're a partner, supporter, or part of our team, your insights help us continue living our values daily. Please reach out and share your thoughts with us.
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