Project Design for Trust Fundraising: What Makes a Fundable Project
As trust fundraisers, we rarely have control over the design or delivery of the projects/services for which we are raising necessary income. Nevertheless, we still need to gather as much information as we can to complete our proposals and applications so they make sense and are an inviting opportunity for funders in which to invest.
Does your Case for Support pass the Why? test?
It used to be the natural thing for us to question everything – we asked why? all the time. Over time we’ve stopped doing that so much – we know more, we don’t ask as much. Asking “yeah, but why?” about your fundraising proposition is a good test of whether you’ve arrived at the nub of the issue yet… and if you can’t answer the whys that you come up with you won’t be answering the whys of your audience.
Achieving balance: foundations of fundraising resilience
Regardless of your fundraising specialty, here are some tips from Money Tree Fundraising to help build, or rebuild, your fundraising resilience.
Why Fundraising Consultants Don't Work on Commission
We do not work on a commission basis.
Nor do any fundraisers who follow the Fundraising Code of Practice as laid out by the Fundraising Regulator.
Going Freelance as a Fundraiser: 10 Lessons I Wish I'd Known
Freelance fundraising can be genuinely rewarding — but it comes with its own particular challenges. Beth Upton shares ten honest lessons from experience, covering everything from choosing clients wisely to financial planning to the things that nobody tells you before you start.
Thank. Your. Donors.
Say thank you. Regardless of what the donor says. And listen hard for what the donor means when they say “no need to thank me” in case they mean “don’t make a fuss” or “don’t tell people” but would love for you to say thank you!
Failure to ask: a cautionary tale
One of the most common reasons charities miss major gifts is simply that they never make the ask. Beth Upton tells the story of an organisation that had everything it needed to secure a significant gift — and never asked. The consequences were entirely avoidable.
How you can judge a major donor programme by a cup of tea
Before assessing a major donor programme, you need to understand the culture around it. Beth Upton shares the five warning signs she looks for when visiting a charity for the first time — and why so many of them show up before she has even sat down.
Free Policy Templates for Charities: A Curated Resource List
Getting the right governance policies in place does not have to mean starting from scratch. Beth Upton has compiled a list of free template resources for third sector organisations covering a range of policy areas — with a reminder to adapt them carefully to your specific organisation before use.
What Makes a Great Major Donor Fundraiser? The Six Attributes That Matter Most
Major donor fundraising requires a very specific combination of skills, personality traits, and working habits. Beth Upton identifies the six attributes that distinguish excellent major donor fundraisers — and why understanding them matters whether you are recruiting this role or developing someone already in it.
Trust Fundraising Under Pressure
Emergency trust fundraising is rarely ideal — but sometimes unavoidable. Beth Upton explains how to act quickly and effectively when urgency strikes, and more importantly, how to build a sustainable trust pipeline that prevents the crisis from recurring.
How to Write a Grant Application: The 10 Essentials
The thing is, the ‘perfect’ grant application isn’t an easy recipe. At any point a myriad of elements – guidelines, project design, deadlines and budgets – can alter your plans the same way a missing ingredient can affect your baking.
Trust Fundraising Myths Debunked
We speak to charities every day about fundraising from trusts & foundations. There are some key themes that emerge time and again – misunderstandings about grant-makers, their purpose, their requirements – and we want to set the record straight by airing these trust fundraising myths and explaining the truth instead.
Engaging Major Donors Well: Who, What and How
Major donor fundraising is not as tricky as you might think and it is the one way of fundraising that works regardless of your organisation’s size or cause area and it can be set up on a shoestring budget – as long as it done well. There is no charity that can afford to not consider this area of fundraising.
High Value Fundraising: Are You Making the Most of It?
Our CEO Beth Upton has worked in fundraising since 2002 and is regularly frustrated by the income opportunities not being taken advantage of by charities, large and small.
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