Trust Fundraising: A £4 Billion Opportunity
In the UK, close to 10,000 charitable trusts grant over £4 billion per year to good causes. Many organisations have found that this can be a reliable and steady stream of income.
Hiring the Right Fundraiser: How to Avoid the Most Common Mistake
The single biggest mistake I see from those recruiting for high value roles is the mistake of choosing the best person of those who came for interview rather than holding out for the person with the right skills, attributes and experience.
Cultivation Events: A 12-Point Checklist for Major Donor Fundraisers
Events will never be the be-all-and-end-all of major donor fundraising. Whilst they can be delightful, fun and a real talking point at home, they are more often than not an expensive distraction.
What Do Your Major Donors Actually Want From You?
In a recent piece of client work we conducted a survey of the charity’s top donors, in order to better understand what they thought about the work of the charity and what interaction they were looking for. When summarising the donor feedback to pass on to the charity, it struck me that there were three identifiable themes.
6 Essentials for a Successful Major Donor Programme
We are often asked what needs to be in place for successful major donor fundraising, to which the answer varies depending on the charity. However, there are 6 generally accepted fundamental factors (I don’t claim to have invented these!), which should act as the core of your major donor programme
Major Donor Fundraising: What Are You Waiting For?
Most charities seem fascinated by the concept of major donor fundraising, yet very few explore it thoroughly or have everything in place to run a major donor programme effectively. This is totally understandable as most charities are small, don’t have the resources and don’t know where to look for potential wealthy benefactors.
How big is big?
Defining a major gift is not about picking a round number — it is about understanding your capacity to invest in individual relationships. Beth Upton explains how to find your organisation's own threshold and what it means for how you segment and manage your donor base.
Delighting your Donor
The secret to delighting major donors is simpler than most fundraisers think — it starts with being honest about how many donor relationships you can genuinely sustain. Beth Upton explains how to find your capacity and then deliver exactly what your donors want.
Is a Development Board a Help or a Hindrance for Major Gift Fundraising?
A Development Board can be a powerful asset for major donor fundraising — but only when the conditions are right. Beth Upton explains the three factors that determine whether a Board will help or hinder your fundraising, and when it is better to say no.