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.
Thanking Major Donors Like You Mean It: Beyond the Template
A thank-you letter that reads like a template tells donors they are not really known. Hannah Shepherd shares a simple approach to writing donor thanks that feel personal — and explains why the difference between a warm, specific letter and a formal acknowledgement is greater than most fundraisers realise.
How to Discover What Really Matters to Your Major Donors (Without Guesswork)
Understanding what drives your major donors is not about reading between the lines — it is about asking the right questions and creating the right conditions for an honest conversation. Hannah Shepherd explains how to do this in a way that feels natural rather than transactional.
Why Major Donor Fundraisers Should Love the Sunday Times Rich List
Major donor fundraisers often dismiss the Sunday Times Rich List as irrelevant, or misuse it as a direct prospect source. Hannah Shepherd explains what it is actually useful for — understanding wealth patterns and sectors — and how to use those insights to identify better prospects in your own networks.
The 2025 Code of Fundraising Practice: What It Means for Your Charity
Discover what the 2025 Code of Fundraising Practice means for your charity, with clear guidance, practical actions, and key changes fundraisers need to know.
Beyond the Application: Why Trust Fundraising Is Really About Relationships
Strong applications alone are no longer enough. The strongest trust fundraising programmes are built on genuine funder relationships — before, during, and long after any application. Stacey Teece explains what relationship-led trust fundraising actually looks like in practice.
How to Find and Approach the Right Trust Funders
A scattergun approach to trust fundraising wastes time and rarely works. Stacey Teece explains how to research, assess, and approach funders strategically — so you invest your energy where it is most likely to result in a grant.
How to Make Core Costs Fundable: The Reframing Approach
Funders often overlook operational costs because they do not connect emotionally with line items labelled 'overhead'. Stacey Teece explains how a shift in language and framing can make your essential costs genuinely fundable — and why this matters more than ever.
Trust Fundraising 101: Understanding the UK Funding Landscape
Trust fundraising offers charities a significant income opportunity — but success requires more than having a worthy cause. Stacey Teece walks through the landscape, the key players, and the approach that gives new trust fundraisers the strongest possible start.
Why Trust Fundraisers Must Be Involved in Project Design
When trust fundraisers are brought in at the last minute, applications suffer. Stacey Teece makes the case for involving fundraisers in project design from the outset — and explains why the charities that do this consistently raise more from trusts.
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.
