Why did my F2F agency dump me?

Losing your face to face fundraising agency can feel personal, particularly when you’ve spent years building what you thought was a genuine partnership. It can hit you hard. But the final decision comes down to a simple commercial reality: your campaign is no longer the best fit for the agency’s business. And it might not be about volume. Agencies have limited people, time and resources. They may prioritise campaigns with stronger supporter retention, fewer clawbacks, more co

Fundraising Partners

2 min read

Why digital Regular Giving still has huge untapped potential

Digital fundraising is often discussed as the future of Regular Giving acquisition. But the reality across the Australian sector is more complicated than many people assume. The latest benchmarking analysis shows that digital channels still contribute relatively small acquisition volumes compared to Face to Face fundraising. Yet despite those lower volumes, digitally acquired supporters are often delivering strong long-term value outcomes. That creates an important opportunit

Fundraising Partners

1 min read

The future of Regular Giving will depend on better donor experiences

The fundraising sector has spent years investing heavily in acquisition strategy, channel performance and campaign optimisation. But one area is now becoming increasingly important across successful Regular Giving programs: donor experience. As acquisition costs rise and breakeven periods extend, charities can no longer afford poor supporter journeys. Small moments of friction now carry significant financial consequences over time. This is particularly important because moder

Fundraising Partners

1 min read

The evolution of face-to-face fundraising

2016 was a pivotal year for Australian Face-to-Face fundraising. Allegations of sham contracting were rife. Unions were circling. The NSW Government was taking a close look at the channel. Behaviours associated with a high-pressure sales culture were dominating the conversation. We did not know it yet, but retention rates were also about to fall off a cliff. Ten years is a long time in fundraising. What has changed? In the last decade, Fundraising Partners has been at the hea

Fundraising Partners

10 min read

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Why did my F2F agency dump me?

Fundraising Partners

10 minutes ago

2 min read

And it might not be about volume.

Agencies have limited people, time and resources. They may prioritise campaigns with stronger supporter retention, fewer clawbacks, more compelling propositions, better financial returns or smoother operations. Your cause can be incredibly important, but that doesn’t automatically make your proposition effective in a face to face environment.

It’s worth asking an uncomfortable question: Are we a good client?

Do you make decisions quickly? Are your operational and compliance requirements proportionate? Is your proposition easy to communicate? Do your supporters understand their commitments and stay? And does the agency make money working with you?

These questions matter because a campaign can look successful from the charity’s perspective while delivering a very different commercial result for its supplier.

If your agency has decided to walk away, don’t simply accept the first explanation or take it personally. Ask what would make the relationship viable, examine your supporter retention and campaign economics, and identify any operational friction you could remove.

The best F2F partnerships aren’t maintained simply because they’ve always existed. They work because both parties continue to see value in the relationship.

Being dropped by an agency might be uncomfortable, but it could also be one of your most useful fundraising wake up calls.

At Fundraising Partners, we believe better fundraising starts with asking the right questions, challenging assumptions and understanding what’s really happening on the ground.