12 Creativity Techniques: How to Find Creative Solutions in Fundraising and Projects
Creativity is the key to developing new approaches, overcoming challenges, and designing innovative strategies or project ideas. But how exactly can you find a creative solution when the pressure is high, and resources are limited? In this article, we introduce effective creativity techniques that you can use in your work.
Why Creativity is Essential for NGOs
NGOs often face the challenge of achieving the greatest possible impact with limited resources. Creativity helps to:
- Develop unique fundraising campaigns that inspire donors.
- Find sustainable and efficient solutions to problems.
- Design innovative projects that truly make a difference.
Creative solutions rarely happen by chance—they require intentionally applied techniques that help unleash the potential of your team.
Tip: The following creativity techniques can be applied individually or in groups. If using them in a group, ensure it is as diverse as possible to achieve even more creative results.
1. Brainstorming – The Classic with a Twist
How it works:
Brainstorming is perhaps the most well-known creativity technique. To make it effective, clear rules are needed:
- No criticism: All ideas are allowed, no matter how wild they may seem.
- Quantity over quality: The more ideas, the better.
- Build on others’ ideas: Ideas can be combined and improved.
Extra Tip:
Add a twist by trying “Reverse Brainstorming.” Instead of asking, “How can we solve our problem?” ask, “How could we make our problem worse?” This encourages unusual perspectives and often leads to surprising solutions.
2. Design Thinking – User-Centered Thinking
How it works:
Design Thinking is ideal for developing innovative ideas that truly meet the needs of your target groups. The process includes five phases:
- Understand: Clearly define the problem.
- Observe: Gather insights from your target group (e.g., donors or beneficiaries).
- Ideate: Develop as many approaches as possible.
- Prototype: Turn your ideas into simple models.
- Test: Collect feedback and improve.
Application for NGOs:
Use Design Thinking to design a new donation platform or incorporate supporter feedback into your campaigns. It’s also great for optimizing projects and programs.
3. The 6-3-5 Method – Effective Group Work
How it works:
In a group of six people, each writes down three ideas on a sheet of paper. After five minutes, the sheet is passed to the next person, who adds or develops the ideas. This process is repeated five times.
Benefit:
You’ll generate 108 ideas (6 x 3 x 6) in a short time, with diverse perspectives enriching the results.
Application:
This method is excellent for developing innovative fundraising campaigns or generating new project ideas.
4. SCAMPER – Improve Existing Approaches
How it works:
The SCAMPER method helps you find creative solutions by questioning existing approaches. SCAMPER stands for:
- Substitute: What could be replaced?
- Combine: What can be combined?
- Adapt: What can be adjusted?
- Modify: What characteristics can be changed?
- Put to another use: How could it be used differently?
- Eliminate: What is unnecessary?
- Rearrange: What can be restructured?
Example:
To improve an existing fundraising campaign, consider replacing the medium (e.g., flyers vs. social media) or adjusting the message.
5. Mind Mapping – Capture Ideas Visually
How it works:
Start a mind map with a central theme in the middle and write associated terms, ideas, or problems as branches around it. Connections help uncover new relationships.
Benefit:
Mind maps are perfect for structuring complex topics and visually representing them. They foster connections between ideas that aren’t immediately obvious.
6. Walt Disney Method – Shifting Perspectives
The Walt Disney Method is a creativity technique based on perspective shifts, where you take on three roles sequentially. The Dreamer generates visionary and unconventional ideas, the Realist evaluates their practical feasibility, and the Critic analyzes weaknesses and risks. This structured approach helps develop innovative solutions comprehensively and practically.
How it works:
- Dreamer: Imagine the perfect solution without restrictions.
- Realist: Think about how this solution could be practically implemented.
- Critic: Analyze weaknesses and challenges.
Application:
This technique is great for thoroughly thinking through project ideas and assessing their feasibility.
7. The 5 Whys – Discover the Root of the Problem
How it works:
Ask “Why?” five times to identify the root cause of a problem. This often leads to surprising insights.
Example:
Problem: “Our donor numbers are declining.”
- Why? – Fewer people are donating.
- Why? – Our campaigns don’t resonate with them.
- Why? – We don’t know what motivates them.
- Why? – We don’t collect feedback.
- Why? – We lack the right tools.
8. Bisociation – Linking Different Thought Patterns
Bisociation, a concept introduced by Arthur Koestler, involves connecting two seemingly unrelated or opposing fields of thought. This technique breaks established thought patterns, leading to unconventional solutions.
How it works:
- Define the problem: Clearly articulate what needs solving.
- Free association: Gather words or images that come to mind spontaneously, without a direct connection to the problem.
- Create analogies: Find connections between the problem and the associated terms.
- Transfer: Check what new ideas or solutions arise from these connections.
Example:
If an NGO struggles to attract young donors, the word “gaming” might be chosen. Linking fundraising with gaming could lead to innovative approaches like donation drives in video games or gamification elements in campaigns.
