Session descriptions:

Funding for Change – Transformation at BBC Children in Need
Speaker: Fozia Irfan
A session to inform the audience about the major transformation in funding, we are making at BBC Children in Need through our new Grantmaking Strategy. We will discuss the rationale for these changes and the principles we will start to embed and how this affects the charity sector and those who may wish to apply for our funding. The session will be presented by Fozia Irfan OBE, who has led the BBC Children in Need team, through the process of a new strategy and grantmaking process and is known for advocating for more equitable funding practices.

Fundraising during an economic and political catatstrophe
Speaker: Caroline Danks
Caroline is having an existential crisis. Possibly because she just had a big birthday (or it’s the justice seeking Libran in her), or possibly because the world feels unstable at best and downright fucking dangerous at worst. When fewer people are able to access what they need for a basic standard of living, it’s easy to feel as fundraisers, that our work is nothing more than a sticking plaster (and a crappy one at that) and that we can’t possibly do enough to make a shred of a difference. This session is a journey from anger to hope. It’s a (short) rant about the state of the world followed by some practical advice for continuing a successful fundraising practice, despite the challenges in the world around us. It’s for tired fundraisers, who still have the spark of a flame inside them and want to do the best they can with what they have.

Building relationships with invitation-only trusts
Speaker: Mike Zywina
Ever found a funder that seems like the perfect fit, only to learn they don’t accept unsolicited applications? When you’ve exhausted all the “obvious” funding avenues, engaging some key invitation-only funders can feel like a tantalising way of broadening your funding base. But how can you get on their radar, especially if they don’t even welcome initial enquiries? Getting invitation-only funders to take notice isn’t quick or easy, but it is possible. Over the years I’ve seen charities do this brilliantly, and helped organisations to open doors that they previously thought were bolted firmly shut. In this session I’ll share some tips on how you can do it too – and show that you don’t need to be a household name charity, with a big address book of contacts, to make it happ

Good Will Hunting: How we navigated through a period of crisis
Speaker: Nirali Daudia
In this session, you’ll hear about what keeps Nirali motivated in her role and in philanthropy fundraising, and what have been the biggest drivers of success at Prostate Cancer UK during a period of immense change in the organisation.

Digging much deeper into trusts research
Speaker: Jonathan Ashton
Research might be the worst discussed issue in trust fundraising. Accurate, deep understanding is central to getting our key targets to choose us, but difficult because trusts don’t necessarily communicate what they’re really doing. However, we can largely just assume we know how to research. If we do so, it is very easy to miss the key details. This talk will break down the skills and techniques we actually need for good research, focusing on those issues that perhaps are most overlooked.

Asking or offering? The psychology of raising large gifts with confidence!
Speaker: Louise Morris
The fear of rejection, someone saying no, is very real with many, many fundraisers’. So if this is you, you’re not alone! But it can stop you building great major donor relationships – picking up the phone to donors, meeting them with confidence – and ultimately raising more. There is a growing body of evidence that giving is good for people! And in major donor fundraising we have the unique privilege of being able to understand and connect with donors one on one. So how can we use and understand the psychology of giving and this evidence to overcome that fear? Louise Morris is a major donor specialist and has worked with over 200 charities and interviewed 100 philanthropists. She’s helped hundreds of fundraisers become confident and comfortable securing support for their amazing causes, so join her for this session so you can be too.

The Major Donor Fundraising Viiew of the Cost of Living Crisis
Speaker: Beth Upton
The cost of living crisis is affecting fundraising across the board – or is it? Not all donors are affected equally, or even affected at all by our current crisis. What do we know about major donors and how can we harness what we know to support the organisations we work for?

Doin’ the Due: tips for carrying out due diligence on major donors
Speaker: Amsel Page von Spreckelsen
When we’re told we need to do due diligence on a donors, what does that actually mean? Why should we be worried where our money comes from and what risks are inherent in income? We’ll take a look at why due diligence matters, what it is and where you should start when undertaking your checks.

Navigating Powerful Funders: Trusts and Corporate Edition
Speakers: Cyronic Lackey, Angie Turner, Jerrel Jackson & Martha Awojobi
Addressing the market failure around the flow of capital to BAME-LED organisations.

Major Donor Stewardship
Speaker: Caroline Gellatly, Amy Sweeting & Rob Dickinson
It’s a widely shared lesson in major donor fundraising: your biggest gift will come from someone you already know, who is already giving. Over my ten years working in philanthropy, I have found this to be true. Whilst programme growth and donor recruitment is often the first KPI your board looks at, maintaining and building on relationships with your existing supporters has been the key to my success in securing six- and seven-figure gifts at multiple different organisations. I’ll share some of the ways I’ve done this, from staying on top of your donor pipeline (even without a charity-wide CRM!), to navigating the challenges of virtual stewardship during lockdown.