fundraising

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with- it’s a skill you can build. So how can fundraisers develop the confidence to ask for more, navigate difficult conversations and champion their cause without apologising?

In this episode of the Fundraising Everywhere podcast, Simon Scriver chats with Lauren Currie, founder of UPFRONT and author of Be Upfront: 24 Rules for Life-Changing Confidence. Lauren shares how getting comfortable with discomfort can help fundraisers make bigger, braver asks and why building confidence is about more than changing an individual’s mindset.

From UPFRONT’s beginnings with a red sofa on a conference stage to its work supporting women across the charity sector, Lauren explores the power of community, practice and workplaces where everyone’s voice is heard.

Tune in to Florian Engel’s session from our 2026 Individual Giving Conference “Closing the engagement gap: the missing piece to turn leads into donors”

A common challenge in digital fundraising is the failure to engage supporters effectively before making a financial ask. This is what we call the ‘Engagement Gap’.This session explores how to cultivate deeper relationships through meaningful engagement actions. We will discuss designing strategies that go beyond simple clicks to build lasting trust and connection. Using real-world examples and actionable insights, you will learn to create experiences where supporters feel truly valued. We will also demonstrate how you can integrate wider engagement with your donation asks. By closing the engagement gap for your organisation you can improve the long-term results of your individual giving program.

We’ve gathered our top 5 On-Demand sessions this month so that you can see what’s been popular in our community. You can check out the sessions by clicking on the thumbnails below.

Tune in to Sinem Bilen-Onabanjo’s session from our 2026 Individual Giving Conference “Embedding Legacy Conversations Across the IG Supporter Journey”

Legacy giving shouldn’t be treated as a separate fundraising product or conversation. Instead, it should emerge naturally from the relationships we build with supporters throughout their journey.

This session explores how Individual Giving programmes can create the conditions for meaningful legacy engagement by focusing on supporters’ motivations, values and identities rather than channels or fundraising asks. Drawing on practical examples from Oxfam’s supporter journeys, persona development, stewardship programme and the *Stay in the Fight* campaign, it will demonstrate how legacy can be introduced as a natural continuation of a supporter’s lifelong commitment to a cause.

The session will also challenge the idea that legacy fundraising belongs solely to specialist teams, exploring how stewardship, volunteering, campaigning and supporter care all play a role in creating opportunities for legacy conversations.

Ultimately, successful legacy fundraising is less about identifying the perfect moment to ask and more about embedding legacy thinking across the supporter experience, enabling people to see how the values they champion today can continue to shape the future long after they’re gone.

For experienced fundraisers who might be seeing their success rates nosediving, it’s easy to attribute recent results to the current trust fundraising landscape. You’re not alone if you think it resembles a giant binfire (or dumpster fire for my US pals).

What used to work apparently doesn’t anymore.

Rather than sticking our heads in the sand or carrying on regardless and hoping desperately for a return to the good old days, we need to put on our big girl pants and be open to trying something new, because (in the words of Marshall Goldsmith), what got us here, won’t get us there.

Here are a few thoughts from me on how to continue to be the fundraising legend that you are, despite external factors conspiring against you.

Tune in to Ugo Ikokwu’s session from our 2025 Trusts and Major Donors Conference “Grant makers: spotting an AI doozy – and what to do instead”

“Grant makers: spotting an AI doozy and what to do instead” is a practical, myth-busting session designed for fundraisers navigating the new reality of AI-powered bid writing. As more charities turn to tools like ChatGPT to save time, funders are increasingly encountering applications that sound polished but hollow, generic or ethically risky. This session will help you understand what funders are actually looking out for and how you can use AI well without undermining your voice, credibility or case for support.

We’ll cover the essentials: what AI is (in plain English), how it can genuinely support your fundraising, the ethical considerations you must keep in view, and the common “AI doozies” that immediately raise red flags for funders. Drawing on my experience assessing hundreds of applications and using AI in my own grant-making and social investment work at Trust for London, I’ll show you how to use AI to enhance clarity and storytelling while keeping lived experience, accuracy and authenticity front and centre.

You will leave with practical tips, examples, and questions to ask yourself before submitting any AI-supported application, helping you write smarter bids that still sound powerfully you.

Does it take a lot? Or does it take a little to back yourself? What do you think? 

Backing yourself means just that, backing yourself, trusting in yourself and believing in yourself. 

And it can start from the smallest action. It doesn’t have to be big or noisy! As the saying goes “little drops of water can make a mighty ocean.” 

So what’s stopping you? 

As fundraisers you spend countless hours convincing others to believe in your charity, cause and beneficiaries and that is no mean feat! You’re convincing people from all walks of life and seniority, be it funders, policy makers, decision makers, the general public etc. So one would 

think it would be so easy to go from getting others to believe in your work to now YOU believing in YOU. 

The question is are you putting the same energy in getting others to believe in your charity and cause, to now you backing and believing yourself.

Over two years ago,Jo Jeffery shared a simple spreadsheet that she had set up to log changes to grant-making.  Now a website, The List captures – in one place – the pausing, spend-down and re structuring of charitable trusts and foundations in the UK. It aims to inform and empower fundraisers with timely and open access to information. Moreover, it is produced by fundraisers for fundraisers.

Jo shares her observations on this year with us adding what  fundraisers can do to navigate this difficult landscape.

Tune in to Eoghan Beecher’s session from our 2025 Individual Giving Conference “Why Won’t You Let Me Donate?”

There are many reasons why someone would choose to donate to a charity of their choice, but there are also many reasons why they might not donate. In this session, we will explore areas that may prevent a supporter from completing an online donation. We will focus on a variety of areas, including creative journeys, user experience and technical implementation.

Our goal is to increase revenue from those who already want to give, but have his an entirely avoidable barrier.

Sometimes it happens partway through a project. Someone agrees to be filmed, and then a few days before the shoot, they change their mind. 

Other times you know from the very start that named faces will never be an option for your organisation. Charities working with survivors of domestic abuse, people seeking asylum, or anyone whose safety depends on not being identified cannot simply film them the way they would film a delighted volunteer. 

None of this means the story has to go untold. It means you need a Plan B, and there are several good ones.

In this episode of the Fundraising Everywhere Podcast, host Simon Scriver sits down with Jeff Schreifels (Principal & Owner) and Andy Milligan (Managing Director, UK & Europe) from Veritus Group for an “ask the expert” session tackling the most frequently asked questions from fundraisers about major and mid-level donor programs.

Legacy giving, also referred to as planned giving or estate planning, is the process of donating cash, property, or other valuable assets to a charity through a financial or estate plan at a later date. This form of giving can transform your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts; Giving USA reports that in 2025, U.S. charitable bequests rose by 19.7%, totaling an estimated $62.19 billion. In other words, if you aren’t appealing for legacy gifts, you’re missing out on valuable fundraising opportunities.

Despite this clear value, development professionals often struggle to initiate conversations about legacy gifts due to their highly personal nature. In this guide, we’ll explore actionable ways to reframe conversations about planned giving to emphasize their role in building a legacy of positive impact.

A few months ago, we broke down the incoming UK email soft opt-in regulation and what it could mean for charities. Now, the guidance is finally here – and a lot has changed. Josh Leigh from Hynt returns to the Fundraising Everywhere podcast with three specialists to unpack the latest ICO guidance and the fundraising regulator’s new framework. 

Fundraising regulation strategist Cam St-Omer Donaldson explains where the two bodies differ, what third-party platforms mean for your data, and why a Legitimate Interest Assessment should be your first step. People and processes consultant Kirsty Mooney breaks down how to map your data flows, document your decisions, and get your team trained and confident. And digital fundraising strategist Sarah Crowhurst explores the opportunities beyond compliance – from smarter segmentation and welcome journeys to SMS, telemarketing, and boosting supporter retention by up to 9%.

Whether you’re a small charity wondering where to start or a major organisation navigating complex partner ecosystems, this episode will help you turn regulation into opportunity.

In this episode of the Fundraising Everywhere podcast, host Simon Scriver sits down with Robin Peake, Deputy CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators and author of the newly updated Complete Fundraising Handbook (8th edition, published by the Directory of Social Change), to talk about what it takes to build a resilient, confident, and effective fundraising career.
Robin shares the story behind writing the book — a nearly 400-page reference designed for fundraisers in the first five years of their careers, especially those working solo or in small teams. They dig into the “squiggly career” path many fundraisers find themselves on, why fundraising is hard (but not complicated), and how to build the confidence to push back when senior colleagues offer opinions that aren’t grounded in evidence.

Legacy giving is a deeply personal decision, often shaped by an individual’s values, emotions, and life experiences. Unlike other forms of charitable giving, leaving a gift in a will requires long-term commitment and forward-thinking. By understanding the psychology behind legacy giving, charities, education institutions, and non-profits can tailor their messaging and engagement strategies to better connect with potential donors. Behavioural science provides valuable insights into why people choose to leave a legacy and how fundraisers can effectively guide them towards this decision.

Following our “Banned and Blocked” webinar on Meta advertising for digital fundraising, we’re diving deeper into the questions we didn’t have time to answer on the day. Simon Scriver sits down with Josh  Leigh from Hynt to tackle the Meta challenges charities are facing right now – from realistic ad budgets and lead generation strategies to navigating Meta’s ever-changing restrictions on social issue content.