The Story of LFS 
LFS is the fundraising partner for some of the UK’s best loved and most respected charities. Established over 35 years ago, LFS has over 180+ face-to-face fundraising professionals working in communities across the UK, from Cornwall to the North of Scotland. They offer a fully managed or recruitment-only service for organisations running charity lotteries. They also work to help organisations (including charities, air ambulances and hospices) expand their pool of committed and regular donors.
When signing up new supporters, LFS collects and processes the payers’ bank details to enable payments to be collected by Direct Debit. This is because Direct Debit is an excellent payment method for charities. It is the cheapest way to collect money, can speed up collections and ensure a high retention rate of payers. By signing people up to pay by direct debit, these payers can become ongoing – often lifelong – supporters.
As the LFS teams have signed up thousands of supporters for regular direct debit payments, the scale and complexity of their operations have continued to develop. LFS have, in the past, found Direct Debit Bureaux to be expensive and unresponsive. Having worked previously however with the Movimo Directors, Gavin Lawrence and Debbie Lane, over a period of many years, they knew from experience that Movimo would take a different approach.
Direct Debit Support from an organisation that they could trust
LFS has chosen and worked with the Movimo Directors before. Gavin Lawrence first delivered Bacs training to LFS many years ago, and over the following 10+ years, the relationship blossomed.
In addition to providing training, advice, and guidance, Gavin and Debbie have previously designed and delivered a Bacs processing service for LFS. Given the long-lasting and successful past relationship, LFS knew that in Movimo, they would have a trusted, knowledgeable, and caring partner who could help support them in their continued growth. As well as having confidence in Movimo’s expertise, LFS knew that the ethos of both companies aligned. Both organisations really value a truly collaborative relationship and enjoy working together.
"Movimo is our number one go-to partner for all our Bacs processing needs. Their professional support and forward planning greatly benefit LFS, helping us provide our clients with a flexible, cost-effective, and compliant service. Over the years, we have built a strong partnership with Movimo. Gavin and Debbie consistently provide the reliable and trusted service we require as a highly regulated Lottery and Regular Giving provider for the Third Sector."
Steve Williams
LFS Founder and DIrector
The Movimo difference and approach
LFS knew that Movimo would dedicate time and resources to support LFS as they continued to explore new opportunities and deal with multiple stakeholders. The new partnership between LFS and Movimo started with a review of existing processes to identify any areas for improvement. Working together, Movimo has helped LFS to improve the speed and efficiency of their processes, reduce costs, and deliver the best possible service to their growing customer base. And this is just the first step – the partnership will be an ongoing process to review and anticipate future needs so that effective solutions can be implemented.
"LFS have always been a joy to work with, so we were delighted when they decided to work with us at Movimo. Their values reflect our own, and we want to work hard to ensure that we provide them with a great service that is both proactive and responsive."
Gavin Lawrence
Movimo Founder and DIrector
Improvements in Process and Confidence
The service improvements introduced by Movimo mean that the LFS team can confidently continue to scale their Direct Debit operations.
Helping LFS reduce the administration burden was a key focus area. One way of achieving this was to improve the process of accessing and actioning Bacs reports. After mapping the teams’ needs, Movimo implemented automations to ensure that all Bacs reports are made available before the start of the working day. This allows the LFS team to make a speedy start, avoids delays, and ensures more time can be dedicated to compiling the daily collections. In addition, Bacs reports are provided in the format most appropriate to the report type (html, xml or both), thereby reducing the requirement to sift through and action each separately.
Movimo support LFS with their daily Bacs submissions across multiple Service User Numbers. Additional layers of contingency have been added which enable later Bacs submission runs. In turn, this provides the team more time to process necessary updates and create and check the daily Bacs files – creating more space within the business.
Supplying advice on the Bacs Rules and guidance on individual queries was also key. This provides confidence and reassurance to the team to help them comply with the Bacs Scheme Rules. As Accredited Bacs training providers, the Movimo team is well-paced to deliver support on the Bacs rules and best practices. Any anomalous information within the reports can be explained and dealt with appropriately, ensuring the best possible outcomes for both LFS clients and the individual payers.
In addition to meeting all requirements from a practical point of view, Movimo is keen to keep budgetary considerations in mind. A cost analysis was undertaken to help minimise expenditure on this vital service. This reassures LFS that as the team escalates operations, the costs will remain on a fixed pricing model, with no hidden hikes or additional charges.
The Future
As true partners, Movimo and LFS are in regular contact. This open communication line provides familiarity and continuity and means that queries are actioned quickly and efficiently. The successful relationship between Movimo and LFS continues and will adapt and evolve to meet new opportunities head-on.
How could Movimo support you!
This case study looks at the relationship between Movimo and LFS, but we know that every organisation we work with is different. Our aim is to help enhance and improve your processes and not try to bend them to our own. This is underpinned with unrivalled knowledge and understanding of processes and rules. Whether through our accredited training courses or through process reviews, we are perfectly placed to deliver a service you can trust. Contact us today for an informal chat to see if simple changes could improve your Direct Debit collection success and reduce your costs.