Trusts and Major Donors Conference 2025

Sessions

Room 1

Canaries in the coal mine – current trends and how to take action
Speakers: Maddy Gazzard, Joanna Jeffery & Caroline Danks,

Join three sector canaries, each of whom have undertaken research / gathered data to help inform our day to day work as fundraisers. From the changing behaviour of foundations and philanthropists to observing how return on investment in fundraising has changed over recent years, Jo, Maddy and Caroline will present the facts, identify commonalities and will paint a picture of where fundraising is at right now. More importantly, we’ll give you fresh and practical ideas for navigating a changing landscape with confidence.

Key learnings from this session:

1. An understanding of sector wide trends and themes
2. Knowledge about how things are changing
3. Practical ideas on how to adapt your fundraising

The story of an £18m gift – how Barnardos secured it’s largest donation ever
Speaker: João Silva, Barnardo’s

In this presentation, João Silva intends to tell the tale of how he helped to bring in the largest single grant in Barnardo’s 159-year history.

This session will highlight the key ingredients that came together at the right time to facilitate this transformational philanthropic gift, while making it clear that this was something João worked on for three years, on and off, before the gift landed.

In particular, the presentation will focus on the historical relationship between the donor, the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust, and Barnardo’s, as an important backdrop to the process. In addition, João intends to demonstrate how having a big and ambitious project in the pipeline, something commensurate with the donor’s own vision, was indispensable in helping Barnardo’s achieve the desired outcome.

Key learnings from the session:

The session emphasises that transformational opportunities like this one, which Joãoe was fortunate enough to identify, work on, and be closely associated with, are few and far between. In any case, as fundraisers and development/advancement professionals, they must be ready to seize those opportunities when they do come. João’s recent experience has taught him that the following things are required:

1. A ‘big ticket’, ambitious transformational project in the back pocket (including being prepared to put personal investment into it).
2. Having the inhouse expertise to deliver such an ambitious project.
3. Involvement from senior corporate leadership, trustees, and all the different specialisms required (senior project planning, legal, media) so that everyone gives this the attention it needs and pulls together in the same direction.

The anatomy of a successful funding proposal
Speaker: Rachel Cross, Lime Green Consulting

While online application forms come with their own frustrations, sometimes writing a funding proposal from scratch is even harder. What should we include? How long should it be? How to structure it? We’ll talk you through our tried-and-tested approach for writing a funding proposal that does your work justice and stands out from the crowd.

1. How to structure a funding proposal when the funder doesn’t give you many guidelines.
2. The most important content to include in a funding proposal when space is limited.
3. How to tailor your funding proposals to make them stand out and show you’re a good match for the funder.

Becoming an Accounts Detective: Understanding Trusts and Foundations in a Shifting Landscape
Speakers: Amsel Page von Spreckelsen & Stacey Teece, Money Tree Fundraising

Amsel is an accountant and Stacey is a fundraiser. Together they will take you through one of the lesser understood aources of information about trusts and foundations – the Annual Accounts. All charities have to produce them, and trusts are no exception, but too often they are viewed as a formaility. With some digging and sharp-eyed analysis however, they can provide insight into the direction of travel, any any potential pitfalls, far in advance of any formal announcements.

Key learnings from this session:

• Discover the major red flags a review of the accounts can expose
• Learn the questions accounts can answer, and how best to ask them
• Gain confidence in strategically planning their trust engagement – getting maximum value from their time and efforts

Trusts and Major Gifts Positivity Party – what’s working and what are we excited about, leaders panel
Speakers: Paul Courtney, Children’s Hospice South West, Arti Chhatralia, Moorfields Eye Charity & Alicia Grainger, Alicia Grainger Fundraising

A panel session comprising of a trusts expert, a major giving / mid value practitioner and a fundraising director, all of whom can’t wait to wax lyrical about the good things they’ve got going on.

Whilst recognising a difficult external landscape, these three fundraisers have good news stories to share, tactics that are working and risks they’ve taken which have well and truly paid off.

Join this session to be uplifted and inspired (and be prepared to steal their ideas with pride).

Room 2

Major donor prospecting – smash your GDPR fears to unlock new prospects
Speaker: Sacha Tremain, RNIB

Your dilemma: You’ve been asked to find some new major donor prospects but you:

a) don’t really know where to start and
b) GDPR keeps you up at night.

I’ve been there too. But, before you open your browser and type into Google “rich people who give”, let me share with you some of the simple and effective ways I’ve learned over the last 20 years on how you can find good prospects that are worth spending time on, rabbit holes to avoid going down, and why common sense (good processes and a Privacy Notice) prevails when it comes to data protection. GDPR is actually a good thing.

Whether you’re in a large or small charity, big budget or no budget, existing major donor programme or just starting, there will be something to takeaway for everyone.

Key learnings from this session:

1. You will learn some simple and effective ways charities can identify and qualify new supporters, for all types of budgets, so you don’t waste precious time
2. Simple ways you can ensure you are compliant with data protection
3. Pitfalls to avoid when it comes to prospecting and how you can figure out you’re on the right track by measuring success

Money Talks: How Rosa co-created its gift acceptance policy
Speaker: Liz Griffiths, Rosa

This session will look at the steps Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls, took to develop a new gift acceptance policy. Like many fundraising organisations, Rosa used to take a standard approach to deciding what money was accepted. Decisions were often informed by a low risk tolerance to accepting reputation- damaging or ‘dirty money’. We wanted to do better and, most importantly, develop a policy shaped by the people it would most affect. So, we decided to create a gift acceptance policy in consultation with the women’s and girls’ organisations we support, and one that reflects Rosa’s values.

I’ll talk you through our process, what we discovered along the way and how it gave use the confidence to navigate difficult conversations.

Key learnings from this session:

1. The steps we took to co-creating a gift acceptance policy – and how long it really takes
2. How Rosa aligned its gift acceptance policy with the charity’s values and the new Fundraising Code of Practice
3. Some reflections on the redeeming power of charitable donations

Creative Writing for Fundraisers
Speaker: Jessica Shipp, OSCAR’s Charity

An interactive session on creative writing.

I will lead attendees through easy, manageable, five minute exercises.

An opportunity to lighten the mood and reinvigorate the joy of writing.

No writing experience necessary. I will guide you every step of the way.

A chance to steer clear of the bland data, facts and figures and just focus on the flow and magic of the mind.

Please bring a blank piece of paper and your favourite writing tool (pen or pencil).

Key learnings from this session:

• Develop confidence in creative writing regardless of experience level
• Discover how to tap into imagination
• Experience how free writing can generate fresh fundraising ideas and approaches
• Develop a personal writing style that can make your proposals stand out
• Take away practical exercises that can be used for team building and idea generation.

No Network? No Problem: Building a Major Donor Programme from Scratch
Speaker: Holly Christie, SOS Children’s Villages UK

Starting a major donor programme can feel intimidating, especially if you’re in a small team, have limited capacity, or don’t have an existing network of wealthy supporters. This session is for fundraisers who are at the very beginning of their major donor journey and want a clear, achievable starting point.

We’ll walk through the foundational steps to get your programme up and running, from identifying prospects and setting gift levels, to creating simple cultivation plans and securing your first meeting. No jargon. No assumptions. Just practical tools, relationship-led thinking, and examples you can adapt to fit your own organisation.

This session won’t promise innovation or shortcuts, but it will give you a realistic, replicable approach that builds confidence and momentum.

Key learnings from this session:

1. A clear, step-by-step approach to starting a major donor programme, even if you’re working with limited time, budget or contacts.
2. How to identify and prioritise prospects, and begin building relationships in a way that feels authentic and achievable.
3. The confidence to take your first steps into major giving and permission to start small and build as you go.

Demystifying DAFs – How to nurture relationships with Donor Advised Funds
Speaker: Joanna Roberts, Stewardship

Fundraisers so often wonder how to engage with donors who give via Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), how to be noticed by DAFs and how to nurture those relationships?

This session aims to demystify DAFs and answer those questions, offering practical insights and sign-posting to helpful resources for further learning.

Speaker Joanna Roberts is a Senior Relationship Manager at Stewardship, a Christian charity and Donor Advised Fund founded over a century ago, and will share practical insights informed by an experienced background in philanthropy and major gifts fundraising.

Key learnings from this session:

1. How Donor Advised Funds work and relevant DAF trends
2. The challenges and opportunities for fundraisers and charities
3. Practical ways to nurture relationships with DAFs and DAF donors

Mid-Value Giving: Everything You Need To Know To Get Started
Speaker: Lynne Davies, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

This session will provide an intro to Mid-Value giving, highlighting what it adds to your organisation’s fundraising strategy and why it looks different for everyone.

Lynne will share practical details about how to set up your own Mid-Value programme, including real-life examples from her time at Plan International UK. She’ll answer questions such as: What processes and ways of working need to be in place? What should annual planning look like? How to work with the Major Donor and Individual Giving teams?

The session will also cover the role of direct marketing in Mid-Value and how to master being bespoke and ‘mass’ throughout Mid-Value stewardship journeys.

By sharing her experience and practical examples of setting up a Mid-Value programme, there will be something for everyone to take away from this session.

Key learnings from this session:

• Practical things you’ll need and should be thinking about when setting up a Mid-Value programme in your organisation.
• How to balance bespoke 121 account management with mass marketing across your Mid-Value donor file.
• What stewardship journeys you need for your Mid-Value donors and why they’re so different.
• How Mid-Value can play a central role in your fundraising strategy.

Programme

Click here for a screen-reader friendly version of the programme