My Big Mistakes — And What I Learned From Them

Signatory appeal

We had a big full-page ad, which was paid for by our supporters and listed their names as contributors. We had too many for the page, and we had to let a few slip off the bottom. How embarrassing then when some while later I went to a job interview at the HIV/AIDS charity the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), only to discover that my future boss and his wife had been two of the names who had been dropped off. Luckily, he gave me the job anyway and later joined my volunteer team at ANC, when we brought together a fundraising team for the first democratic election in South Africa.

What I learned: The devil is in the details! Check, check and check again!

Mandela event

The first event we organized was pretty spectacular at one of the poshest hotels in the U.K., The Dorchester. It was Mandela's first visit to the U.K. after 27 years in prison, and everyone was there — ministers, celebrities, business leaders. There were tears, cheers, excitement, emotion, everything you need for a spectacular fundraising success. The only problem was we never really fully briefed him, so he didn't ask for money. The ANC staff was so overloaded with work that we didn't follow through properly, so this amazing event did not really bring in much money.

What I learned: Never forget the importance of the ask. If you don't ask, you don't get.

Bad data and bad dates

When I went to work at THT in 1990, times were hard. No effective treatments for HIV/AIDS were available, and every day more people became ill and countless died, often slowly and painfully. Many staff and volunteers were also badly affected. We were desperate for funds, and early on I worked to get out a powerful mailing and a follow-up phone campaign.