We sent our trainee fundraising reporter Hugh Radojev to his first ever IoF National Convention. He rounds up a few of his first impressions from day one.

Out of the tube station at Edgware Road, the hordes of fundraisers swept like a tide towards the London Hilton Metropole Hotel for the 2015 IoF National Conference.

To one armed only with a reporter’s notepad, dictaphone and an ingénue’s wide-eyed naivety, the buzzing expo hall and full-to-bursting, break-out sessions were initially something of an assault on the senses. One does what one must though.

Here’s a few impressions that day one of the convention left on a wet behind the ears fundraising reporter.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

While some of the high-flyers and fundraising gurus were clad in suits, there was nary a tie to be seen. In fact, it became increasingly obvious as the day wore on that it’s perfectly acceptable to wear a button-up shirt and chinos to a fundraising event, even if it is the one of the biggest in Europe. There were even a few free spirits moving about the rooms in shorts, of all things. Quelle horreur!

BHF run the London to Brighton bike-ride

The British Heart Foundation has been running the event since the 1980s and, up until recently, were getting pretty miffed that not a lot of people knew that. With new ‘Join the Heart Riders Team’ branding, the average gift per person in 2015 rose from £24.50, to over £26. Extrapolate that over 24,000 people and you’ve got results.

Also, by putting in a “no alcohol” rule and slapping together a training video with British Cycling, congestion and crashes along the route in 2015 plummeted from the year before.

Who knew that would work?

Richard Radcliffe is “bored” by your legacy ask

If you work in legacies at a charity, chances are that Richard Radcliffe won’t be inviting you around to a dinner party.

“Everything I see about legacies coming from charities is, by in large, boring. Don’t be sheep. I want you all to be shepherds instead!”

Old people are more likely to leave your charity a gift in their will if you approach them with a sense of humour. “Old people are now young,” Radcliffe, himself 61, exclaimed. “They want to have fun!”

You know what they say, 60 is the new 40.

Fundraising needs to be more diverse

In the “inspirational” first plenary, Daryl Upsall, fundraising consultant, called upon the fundraising sector to be more diverse.

“The fundraising sector needs to be more diverse and more inclusive, so as to better reflect the make-up of the society it is trying to help”.

It’s hard to know what he meant by that though, what with Richard Taylor, Mark Astarita, Stephen Pidgeon, Peter Lewis and Nick Vassalo all sitting in the front row. Oh, wait…