High Value Fundraising: Are You Making the Most of It?
For most charities, a small number of supporters able to give high-value gifts would transform their fortunes. If only there was a way to reach these people, right? High value fundraising gives you that plan. Here's what it covers, why it deserves more attention than it usually gets, and how to get started if you're at the very beginning.
What is high value fundraising?
High value fundraising covers the income you raise from people and organisations with the capacity to give significant gifts. That means major donors (individuals who can make substantial, often regular, donations), trusts and foundations (grant-making bodies that fund work aligned with their objectives), and corporate partners (businesses that want to support your cause in a way that also benefits them).
What links these three income streams isn't the size of the gift on its own but also the relationships that underpin success. Each one relies on you understanding what matters to the donor, funder or business, and building a genuine connection between their priorities and your charity's work. Get that right, and a relatively small number of supporters can make a disproportionate difference to your income.
The 7 steps of major donor fundraising explain why a structured programme matters so much more than a series of one-off asks
Why high value fundraising matters more than most charities realise
Here's the bit charities don't always want to hear. A small proportion of supporters usually account for the majority of voluntary income. It's a pattern fundraisers see again and again, often summed up as the 80/20 rule: roughly 80% of income from around 20% of donors.
And yet, for many charities, fundraising time and budget run the other way: into mass-participation events, community fundraising and individual giving campaigns that reach thousands of people for comparatively modest returns per person.
That's not an argument against community fundraising. It plays a vital role, building awareness and a pipeline of future supporters. But if major donor, trust and corporate relationships aren't being developed alongside it, charities risk under-investing in the income stream most likely to grow significantly.
The most common reason charities underinvest in high value fundraising
Ask charity leaders why they've never started a major donor or trust programme, and you'll usually hear some version of the same thing: it feels too risky. High value fundraising sounds like it needs specialist expertise, a polished case for support and a level of confidence many smaller charities feel they don't have yet. There is also the question of in-year return on investment, which puts a lot of charities off before they have started.
Every type of fundraising carries some risk and a learning curve. High value fundraising is no different. The real risk isn't that it's uniquely difficult, it's what happens if you don't start: missing the income stream most likely to make a significant, lasting difference to your charity. Starting small, with the right groundwork, brings that risk right down, and the potential return makes it worth the effort.
Where to start if you have never had a high value programme
You don't need a five-year strategy to begin. A few practical steps will get you moving:
Start with who you already know. Trustees, volunteers, existing supporters and their networks are often your best first conversations for major donor fundraising, because the relationship already exists.
Research trusts and foundations that fund work like yours. Many publish clear guidelines on what they will and won't support, so you can target your time where it's most likely to pay off.
Get your case for support in shape. Whichever income stream you approach first, you'll need a clear, honest explanation of the difference a gift will make, and why now.
Plan for relationships, not just asks. High value fundraising moves at a different pace to other income streams. Build that into how you plan, and how you measure success.
Not getting the high value income your charity deserves?
We work with charities of all sizes to build major donor, trust and corporate programmes that actually convert. Start with a free conversation.