What Is a Trust Fundraising Strategy, and Why Do You Need One?
A trust fundraising strategy does not need to be long or polished. It is a clear plan of where your trust income is now, where you want it to go and how you will get there. Stacey Teece explains why so many charities go without one, what to put in it and who to involve.
What is a charitable trust, and how do trusts decide who to fund?
What a charitable trust is, where its money comes from, how trustees decide who to fund, and what has changed for charities asking them.
How to find the right trust funders, and how to approach them
How to find trust funders that fit your charity, with free tools to search and a guide to making first contact.
How to Approach a Major Donor You Have No Connection To
Most of the wealthy people on your prospect list are not as unconnected as they look. Beth Upton explains how to check for a route in first, and what to ask for when a cold approach is the only option left.
A Note to Anyone Who Sets a Trust Fundraiser's Targets
Trust fundraisers are often measured on how many applications they submit, yet the data shows relationships, research and alignment drive success. Stacey Teece writes for the managers, chief executives and trustees who set the targets. She sets out what the work involves, what the figures say and what to measure instead.
The 3 Cs: How to Decide Which Major Donor Prospects to Approach First
Most charities have plenty of prospect names and no order to work them in. Beth Upton explains how to score capacity, commitment and connection, and why the most impressive name is often not the best prospect.
Is Trust Fundraising Still a Good Investment in 2026?
Trust fundraising still returns £8.38 for every £1 spent, more than any other income stream, but the return is falling and sending more applications no longer works. Stacey Teece sets out the ROI, success rate and application data, and what it means if you are starting a programme or reviewing one.
How Do You Define a Major Gift for Your Charity?
Here at Money Tree Fundraising, one of the most common questions that we get asked is ‘How do you define a major gift?’, with our clients expecting us to state a fixed sum for them. Others come to us with their own pre-determined definitions and there is huge disparity between their answers.
How to Keep Building Your Pipeline When the Obvious Opportunities Feel Exhausted
A thinning trust pipeline means one of two things, and they need completely different responses. Stacey Teece sets out how to tell which situation you are in, and where to look when the obvious funders are exhausted: sideways angles, smaller and newer trusts, and the network already sitting around your organisation.
Why Systems Matter as Much as Major Donor Relationships
Major donor fundraising is relationship driven, and relationships built on instinct alone do not survive staff turnover. Behind every programme that keeps working sits a CRM used properly, records kept consistently, and thanking built into the cycle rather than left to whoever remembers. Here is what needs to be in place.
What is trust fundraising, really? Back to basics this autumn
September is a natural moment to revisit the basics of trust fundraising. Stacey Teece sets out the eight foundations behind a strong programme and the honest funding landscape UK trust fundraisers are working within right now.
Trust Fundraising Planning: How to Prepare for a Busy Autumn
August and early September are the quietest weeks a trust fundraiser gets all year. Stacey Teece sets out how to use them: an honest pipeline review, a realistic income forecast, every autumn deadline in the diary, and end of grant reports prepared before the rush arrives. A few intentional hours now is what makes September manageable.
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.