A trust fundraising review and training in 2021, and a progress review in 2023.
The brief
2021. After a significant restructure of its Fundraising and Engagement Directorate, and the resignation of its Trusts Executive, PDSA wanted to review its trust fundraising programme. It asked for recommendations to improve it, and for help to upskill its Philanthropy Team, whose manager had little or no trust fundraising experience.
2023. Two years on, PDSA had made many of the improvements and had started recruiting a second full-time trust fundraiser. It asked us to review progress since 2021, to assess what the extra post could add, and to identify opportunities for growth.
What we did
2021. We reviewed and analysed five years of PDSA's trust fundraising, including its response to the exceptional circumstances of 2020. Our report made practical recommendations on strategy, activity and recruitment, including changes to team structure and ways of working. We also ran a skills audit of the Philanthropy Team, then designed and delivered bespoke trusts training to meet the needs it found.
2023. Our senior consultant interviewed members of the philanthropy and project teams. She reviewed the latest annual review and financial reports, the case for support, recent successful and unsuccessful proposals, and correspondence with funders, then reported with recommendations.
Results
2021: a Philanthropy Team better skilled for trust fundraising, and a strategy to address the review's findings already under way.
2023: every suggested change to presentation, order of narrative, formatting and wording implemented.
A second experienced trust fundraiser in post, making the workload manageable for two.
Five propositions on treating medical conditions across all 48 PDSA pet hospitals, released for use with funders.
A proportionate approach to core costs, adding up to 10% to project budgets, which succeeded on the first application that used it.
"Our experience has been 100% positive and the recommendations made have been implemented by the Trust fundraisers already."
PDSA