How to attract major donors to your charity
Attracting major donors is about readiness. Hannah Shepherd sets out the foundations that make a charity worth a major donor's attention: a clear definition of a major gift, a case for support built on impact, a pipeline that starts with your existing supporters, and internal systems that stand up to scrutiny.
Summer Recharge: Permission to Rest and How to Set Yourself Up for a Busy Autumn
August in trust fundraising can feel strange. The pace slows, funders go quiet, and for people used to being busy that stillness is uncomfortable. Stacey Teece makes the case for rest, and sets out a short, realistic August list that makes September easier.
What Special Talents Do You Bring to Fundraising?
There is no single blueprint for a great fundraiser. Some lead with warmth, others with strategy, others with sheer persistence. Hannah Shepherd sets out the seven talents that show up again and again, and why the strongest teams are built by pairing them rather than duplicating them.
Managing Up: The Internal Conversations That Can Make-or-Break Trust Fundraising
Trust fundraisers are brilliant at navigating external barriers. The internal ones, the conversations about impact data, targets and telling beneficiary stories, get far less attention. Stacey Teece explores the internal conversations that decide whether trust fundraising thrives or struggles.
The Questions Trust Fundraisers Are Really Asking
After nearly two years of Let's Chat sessions, training and client work, Stacey Teece keeps hearing the same questions from trust fundraisers. Here she answers the most common ones honestly and practically, from executive summaries and application length to how much to ask for and making the case for core costs. No judgement, no silly questions.
Summer Isn't Slow Season, It's Strategy Season: A Major Donor Fundraiser's Guide
Summer is often called the quiet season in major donor fundraising. Hannah Shepherd makes the case that it is one of the richest windows in the calendar, and shares five practical ways to use it, from engagement calendars and due diligence to solicitation planning.
Showing Up When It's Hard - Building Resilience as a Trust Fundraiser
The rejections in trust fundraising are relentless, and the emotional weight is real. Resilience is not about pushing through regardless. It is about knowing yourself well enough to step back, ask for help and look after yourself, so you can keep showing up.
When the Answer is No — How to Respond to a Rejection and Keep the Relationship Warm
A rejection letter can feel like the end of the road, but it doesn't have to be. This post looks at how to respond to a trust funding "no" with grace, when to ask for feedback, and how to keep the relationship warm for future applications.
The 7 Steps of Major Donor Fundraising: What Goes Wrong and How to Fix It
The 7 steps of major donor fundraising are widely known — but following them does not guarantee success. Beth Upton argues that charities struggle not because they misunderstand the steps, but because they have not put the organisational foundations in place first. Here is what to address before you start the sequence.
The Executive Summary: The Part of Your Trust Proposal That Does the Heavy Lifting
The executive summary is often treated as an introduction. In practice, it is the part of your proposal that a funder reads most carefully, and sometimes the only part they read at all. Get five specific things right, in the right order, and your proposal stands a much stronger chance of getting the attention it deserves.
Why Good Trust Applications Still Fail — and What to Do About It
Most trust applications that fail aren't bad ones. They're good applications with fixable problems. Stacey Teece unpacks the most common patterns she sees — from describing activities instead of impact to sending applications in volume rather than with precision — and explains what small adjustments actually move the needle.
Top 5 reflections – a year at Money Tree Fundraising
Hannah Shepherd marks her first year at Money Tree Fundraising with five honest reflections on what makes major donor fundraising succeed — from organisational culture to the fundamentals that never change.
You Know Your Stuff. So Why Does Trust Fundraising Still Feel Lonely Sometimes?
Trust fundraising is one of the most skilled, complex roles in the sector. It's also one of the loneliest. Stacey explores why that isolation happens — and what we can practically do about it.
Your Trust Pipeline Is Trying to Tell You Something. Are You Listening?
Your trust pipeline is more than a tracker of money in and money out. Stacey Teece explains how to read it as a map of your funder relationships — and what to do when it reveals that something needs to change.
Good news on Trust funding — but is it the whole story?
Positive headlines about trust funding growth are welcome — but they can mask very different realities for individual fundraisers. Stacey Teece looks at what the data actually means for your cause area, and why digging deeper into the numbers matters.
How to Improve Your Trust Success Rates
If your trust applications are not converting, adding more to the pile is not the answer. Stacey Teece sets out why a more strategic and relationship-led approach makes more difference than volume ever will — and what that looks like in practice.
From Daffodils to Donors: A Spring Reflection on Major Giving
What do daffodils have to do with major donor fundraising? More than you might think. Hannah Shepherd uses the rhythms of the garden to explore what a strong, intentional major donor programme looks like at every stage — from soil preparation to the long bloom.
When Compliance Feels Like Good Fundraising
Organisations with strong ethical foundations in their fundraising find that compliance feels less like a checklist and more like a confirmation. Stacey Teece reflects on delivering training about the 2025 Code — and what it reveals about the charities that are already doing this well.
Dancing for a Cause: What Zumba Taught Me About Major Donor Cultivation
The principles that make Zumba work turn out to apply remarkably well to major donor fundraising. Hannah Shepherd draws out the parallels — authentic connection, consistent rhythm, active listening, proper warm-ups, and patience with individual timelines.
How to Handle Rejection in Major Donor Fundraising
No in major donor fundraising is rarely the end of the conversation. Hannah Shepherd explores what rejection really means, how to stay curious about the reasons behind it, and how a refusal — handled well — can actually strengthen the relationship for next time.