In the spring of 2020, in the middle of a raging pandemic, the Stockholm City Mission began the work of collecting at least 30 million krona (€2.6m), a third of the cost necessary to rebuild and renovate the church of St. Paul.

We faced a huge challenge, and it was also the first time we had undertaken such a large-scale fundraising campaign.

Yet by December 2020, we had raised SEK 45 million (€3.9m)!

How did we do it? Let me take it from the beginning.

The purpose (an excerpt from our Case for Support)

In the heart of Stockholm, at Mariatorget, is St Paul, a meeting place open to everyone and offering a variety of activities. In an increasingly polarized society, with a growing proportion of people living in poverty and loneliness and where many people experiencing homelessness completely lack access to both welfare and security, having a meeting place like St. Paul is extra important.

The idea of ​​a meeting place for everyone was born in 2015 when the Stockholm City Mission took over the church of St Paul. However, the property was run down and needed thorough renovation and rebuilding to create a larger and better space that would open it up to more participants.

Financing

A whopping 90 million Swedish krona was needed to finance the reconstruction. This was funded partly through loans and equity, but we also needed to raise 30 million krona ourselves – and from new donors to avoid parasitising the organization’s annual collection of funds. Did we dare to believe this was possible? At the same time, the pandemic began to gain momentum…

Implementation and success factors

Carrying out such a large fundraising campaign requires many factors to work together. Everyone involved must also be able to set aside the necessary time – and it’s a lot of time!

The purpose and the need

We defined our purpose carefully, with an emphasis on the result we would achieve with the help of the donations we sought. We made it clear that these gifts would make a crucial difference.

Internal conditions

To be successful in a project like this, board, management, employees – everyone, must feel a genuine commitment and contribute to the work.

Our board approved our proposal, and handed the collection task to the management of the Stockholm City Mission. The director (incredibly competent, highly confident and experienced in our issues) was appointed project owner and formed a fundraising group with our major donor team. Each having the specific skills and commitment needed for this task.

External conditions

Four former chairmen with great knowledge of the organization became ambassadors and worked actively to contact potential new donors. Their contribution was extremely important for the final result.

After they had made initial contact, the project owner and myself took over. We also contacted other donors, foundations, companies and private individuals who had potential but had not yet given large gifts. Most contacts were made by telephone and some by mail. If there was interest, we invited them to a meeting on site, or sometimes on Teams. There, they could see with their own eyes what the result would be if we were successful through the architectural sketches and our elaborate presentation.

Kicki Aldrin on a site visit with a foundation that contributed to the appeal

We also received great support from some companies and individuals who contacted potential donors in their own networks.

Donors with potential

Stockholm City Mission annually raises around SEK 200,000 million. This is money used to run our existing businesses.

In other words, we needed to find new donors who had the interest and monetary ability to contribute. Thanks to our close work with ambassadors’ and our own networks, we succeeded very well in this, with donations coming in from major donors, companies and foundations.

Overall, we had around 70 meetings, and about 60% went on to donate to the campaign, showing how important to it is have a long list of potential donors.

Loyalty

In my work with major donors, I always want them to know and feel that their investment is the best they’ve made.

Since the funds for St. Paul came from different categories of donors, I designed specific programmes for each category based on their wants and needs. Let me give two examples.

We knew companies that contributed would want visibility of this – with their customers, employees and other stakeholders – in order to strengthen their brand through their commitment. We produced communication packages that they could in turn use across both their channels and ours.

Regular communication also helped to keep donors up to date with the project. Everyone who contributed received a regular info email during the 18 months of construction. We talked about the different phases of the reconstruction. Pictures and videos were sent along, and as it was a pandemic, we invited people to digital information meetings where they also had the opportunity to ask questions. I had email and phone contact and was available for questions. With the end of the pandemic, digital meetings were replaced by physical meetings on site, which was fantastic for everyone.

Many of our donors have expressed gratitude and joy at being so “close” to the project all the time. Several donors are still giving to other projects.

The new St Paul was inaugurated on December 7, 2022, of course with the presence of several donors.

Artist Stina Wirsén painted a fresco on the large wall in the dining room with the theme “A place for all”. At the top, she has handwritten donor names as a reminder of their commitment.

Two questions:

I have had the privilege of lecturing on this amazing campaign and usually get two questions.

Did the pandemic affect our fundraising?

Yes, for the better. Many of the donors are people high up in business and normally difficult to reach and get meetings with. During the pandemic, more were at home and we had an easier time reaching them.

What would I say is the single most important of all success factors in a major fundraising campaign?

The honest and genuine commitment of everyone working on the campaign. The donor feels that you are passionate about and believe in the purpose yourself. It can be decisive for a yes or no.

The icing on the cake

As well as achieving our target, Stockholm City Mission also won the Swedish Fundraising Association’s “Fundraising Organization of the Year” award in 2020 for this campaign.

Kicki Aldrin

About Christina “Kicki” Aldrin

Kicki is a trained marketing economist and has worked in marketing and communications for many years. In 2007 she took the step to move from the private sector to nonprofit activity. Since then, she has worked in fundraising and is an EFA certified fundraiser. At Stockholm City Mission, Kicki has specialized in major gifts from private individuals and foundations, and is fundraising manager, major donors and foundations.

She loves creating and developing close and long-lasting relationships and always wants “her” donors to feel that they have made their best investment ever.

There is nothing more enticing than having a great idea to fundraise for, because it captures people’s attention. The concept of this project was simple – it was about enabling a community in Malawi to access affordable energy by paying for the solar energy they use at a price cheaper than what they pay for kerosene, candles or torch batteries. This in turn pays for the maintenance of the solar home systems installed on their home.

We called it Light a Village. It’s an approach that takes the risk away from families who would struggle to buy a solar home system in instalments. Giving them away would not be sustainable or scalable. At the beginning it was just an idea based on our observations with communities in rural communities in Malawi desperate to have solar energy to light their home but unable to afford the cost.

Kesilina Chiwoza turning on her SolarAid light

Phase 1: Finding a funder to take a chance

But to turn an idea like this into reality requires funding, so at the outset you need to focus on finding and convincing a funder who is the decision maker ­– ideally an individual. They are more likely to take a risk for an idea that has potential but is unproven. An organisation or committee giving away someone else’s money is less likely to take a risk ­– save them to approach later.

We had a funder in mind. This was the Turner Kirk Trust, which was set up by two philanthropists who knew us well and were, in their words, willing to “fund ideas that might fail”. This sort of funder is very special and can be the catalyst to get things going. They agreed to a donation of £75,000 to implement the first phase of the project – a trial in 500 homes.

Dr Ewan Kirk, the co-founder of the Trust said:

“The SolarAid project was precisely in our sweet spot of an untested and untried high-risk idea which, if it were to work, would be transformative and could then leverage larger pools of capital to solve the problem across a country.  However, for SolarAid to achieve this impact, we needed to give them ‘permission to fail’ in a high-risk project.  Fortunately, the pilot project was highly successful and is helping to create a revolution in providing lighting for all.”

Indeed, the first phase ­­– over the course of a year – went well. Whilst there were problems to overcome as you would expect from a new idea (although we didn’t anticipate the rats chewing through the cables!), plans were made for the second phase.

Phase 2: Attracting support to scale up the project

To get to this next stage, we needed funders who could make a decision reasonably quickly ­– within a few months. We needed to raise £240,000 to scale the project up to 2,500 homes. The Turner-Kirk Trust generously agreed to put up a match ­– leaving us a target of an additional £120,000 to raise. We identified funders ­– a mix of individuals, trusts we had good contact with and a corporate. Ten funders were secured within five months, each giving between £10k to £20k. Not one of our existing funders turned us down and the match funding proved to be highly attractive. We also attracted a trust who had never given to us before. These funders loved the idea but in addition, because we’d already trialled it, we now had content we could show them – photographs, case studies, and initial data showing promise. This was enough to convince them.

Phase 3: Achieving the biggest fundraising target yet 

For the third and final phase we needed to raise over £600k. This would require grants or donations of £50k or more (any less, and it would just take too long to raise the total, and require too many funders). The advantage was that we had evidence from the data on delivering the first two phases that was critical to secure support from funders at this level. We began engaging potential funders for this phase shortly after the start of the first one as we knew it would take time. We developed a pipeline and gave each opportunity a % chance of success ­– we filled this pipeline until the total (including a weighted % chance) exceeded our target of £600k. So a £100k application with a 20% chance was logged as £20k. This way we weren’t dependent on opportunities that might deliver a significant grant but where we had a small chance of getting it.

The percentage chance we assigned was much higher where funders effectively invited us to apply. These opportunities were indeed where we succeeded, versus applying for highly competitive “open calls” or speculative applications.

We secured nine funders with an average grant of £67k. Some from the previous phase continued to give too. An individual who gave £10k to phase two insisted on a donation of £15k to phase three. A corporate, the energy company EDF Renewables, who donated £20k stepped up their support to £60k (£20k for each solar project they delivered in the UK).

Our largest grant came from combining forces with two other enterprises, based elsewhere in Africa but working on a very similar concept. By working together we could share learning, which this made the proposal more interesting to the funder we approached – the Dutch postcode lottery DOEN. DOEN in turn introduced us to another foundation, the Swiss-based Good Energies Foundation, who they often collaborate with. A grant of €675k was secured, split between us and the two other solar enterprises.

Ethel Botomani sewing under a SolarAid light

Looking ahead to 100% solar energy access

All in all, just shy of £1 million was raised to deliver the Light a Village project in Malawi. Within a year we expect to reach all 8,813 households in the community. 100% access! That’s a first! The Malawian government wants to scale this at a district level which will be about eight times bigger. As they say in the film Jaws: “we’re going need a bigger boat” and a different funding strategy for this phase. One that incorporates this as a scalable business model from the outset, attracting subsidy and investment rather than relying on just philanthropy.

After that, the ambition is for it to be scaled nationally. We believe it could directly benefit 10 million people in Malawi alone ­– and adapted to be applied elsewhere across sub-saharan Africa.

Last words

So if your organisation has an attractive idea that has potential, break it down into stages that are attractive to different types of funders based on the level of risk they will take. That way you can focus your time on the relevant donors at each stage and prepare the ground for what you will need to persuade other funders down the line.

Insights from fundraising for Light a Village

Richard Turner

About Richard Turner

Richard Turner worked as a chief fundraiser at SolarAid for 2011 to 2016 and returned as director of fundraising in 2021. He has 35 years of experience as a fundraiser at Oxfam, Farm-Africa, FFI and ActionAid UK, as well as consulting and delivering fundraising training for charities with Alan Clayton Associates. He is a trustee of SOFII and on the advisory board for IFC.

Major donation fundraising is becoming increasingly important to nonprofits both internationally and in Austria. To date, however, there has been neither a uniform definition of the amount over which an (above-average) donation is considered a major donation, nor empirical data on how widespread such donations are within the Austrian fundraising sector.

This is the task of Fundraising Verband Austria’s recent study. 83 organizations active in major donation fundraising were invited to participate in an online survey. 26 of them took part and disclosed detailed figures on their major donation structure. In addition, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 representatives of organizations from a wide range of nonprofit sectors with experience in this area.

The fundamental research interest behind this study was to clarify the widespread hypothesis that, compared to leading philanthropy nations, the Austrian donation system is disproportionately supported by lower- and middle-income groups, while major donations are underrepresented. Closely related to this were two more questions: where is major gift fundraising in Austria underdeveloped and capable of expansion in an international comparison, and what factors have contributed to the current situation?

The foundation landscape in Austria

While Austria had a flourishing foundation landscape at the beginning of the 20^th century with around 5,700 organisations, this was heavily impacted by the global economic crisis and the Nazi regime. Attempts to boost Austria’s charitable foundation sector post Second World War failed due to a welfare state mentality that dominated for decades and a lack of tax incentives. Only a nonprofit package introduced in 2015 brought significant improvements, followed by the establishment of foundations and, in recent years, a growing number of large donations. The Charities Reform Act, which came into force in 2024, has since established internationally comparable conditions for philanthropic engagement in Austria. Experts assume that this will further boost large donations from companies, wealthy private individuals and foundations in the future.

Research findings

Defining a major donation

But how do organizations define a major donation? We found that for 32% of the NPOs surveyed as part of this study, a large donation is between 500 and 5,000 euros. 27% answered the question with a value of exactly 5,000 euros. 18% stated a range between 5,000 and less than 50,000 euros, and 23% defined the threshold for a major donation as 50,000 euros or more.

Insights into major giving

In line with their own definition, 22 responding organizations declared their income from major donations in 2022 at EUR 46.4 million. This equates to an increase of 60% in just three years. The general donation income of the entire Austrian third sector grew by 36% in the same period (from 810 million euros to 1.1 billion euros). An analysis of the sources of donations revealed that 60% of major donations are made by companies, 38% by private individuals and only 2% by foundations.

This trend is even clearer for donations of 50,000 euros or more. Since 2020, 86% of the 22 organizations responding to this question have received at least one donation above this threshold. Of these, an even higher proportion (78%) came from companies, 16% from private individuals and 6% from foundations. In total, donations over 50,000 euros in the 26 NPOs led to a volume of 22.7 million euros in 2022 ­– an increase of 112% compared to 2020, when the total value was still 10.7 million euros.

Factors for success

The accompanying interviews with the representatives of 20 nonprofit organizations focused on the questions of what constitutes major donation fundraising and which factors play a role. In principle, the interviews confirmed that a personal relationship is of outstanding importance, with seamless interaction between major donor, fundraiser and organization identified as a key success criterion.

Based on this, key influencing factors could be identified at all levels: On the organizational and fundraising side, for example, a flawless image of the NPO, close involvement of management and board members, and a high degree of patience, consistency and flexibility on the part of fundraisers. At the donor level, it should be noted that they tend to want large, renowned organizations with strong brands as partners and are more likely to invest in “tangible” projects such as construction projects, specific equipment or endowed professorships.

The final conclusion is both sobering and encouraging:

• Austria’s major donations culture, as it currently exists, has room for improvement, but is by no means underdeveloped. A considerable number of private individuals and institutions make above-average donations and are thus committed to charitable causes.
• Especially in the areas of science & research and art & culture, there is a well-developed and established culture of large donations, strongly based on traditional patronage.
• There are still inhibiting factors for philanthropic engagement & major donations in Austria including, for example, the prevailing mentality of providing for the poor, public debates about envy surrounding the topic of wealth, but also the charitable foundation landscape, which is still less developed than in our neighbouring countries.
• Large donations make up a considerable proportion of total donations in Austria. Estimates are still difficult, however.
• The share of large donations in total donation income per organization ranges between 3% and 100%. The relevance of this form of fundraising therefore varies greatly for individual organizations.
• The data situation is also difficult due to many differences and grey areas in the definitions.
• Major donation fundraising has become more professional in Austria, but there is still room for improvement.
• Overall, there is a positive trend and therefore potential for the future. However, this is only reflected to a limited extent due to the level of willingness from organizations to invest in major donation fundraising.

For more information on this study, please email FVA at  fva@fundraising.at.

Main picture by Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash

It is a great privilege to grace the EFA newsletter and offer some thoughts on major gift fundraising here in Sweden. 2022 will not be a year that I look back on with nostalgia. We have been thrown from one crisis (Covid) into another (war in Ukraine) and felt the repercussions in both our professional and personal lives.

Despite the challenges, it is with thankfulness that I was able to attend my first International Fundraising Congress (IFC) this year. I met so many fellow fundraisers from across the globe working to make a change for the better in a plethora of ways. It also made me reflect on my own area of “Major GIFTS”, or perhaps more accurately “Major DONORS” – because my work is intrinsically about relationship building. Relationships that lead to people becoming potential prospects, to gifts, but also to other forms of giving that are just as valuable.

Don’t stop preparing for better times

Another reflection from IFC was that our fellow fundraisers in Ukraine are, despite the war, rebuilding their country. They want Ukraine to be self-sufficient and ready to grow again as soon as possible. If they don’t start now, recovery will take longer. Isn’t this the clearest parable for us outside of a warzone, that we should also keep preparing for better times? Many organisations are preparing for leaner years ahead, yet major gift and legacy fundraising is not something we can afford to stop investing in.

The picture in Sweden…

In Sweden for example we have seen a doubling in the number of US dollar billionaires since the start of the pandemic. A few have become very, very wealthy fast. We are now the 6^th most densely populated country for US dollar billionaires in the world with 8 for every 1 million, whereas the USA has only 1.8 for every million. This, combined with easy access to data held in the public domain, makes prospect research easier than in more restrictive countries.

As for legacies, we have, as in most of the western world, an ageing population that has accumulated immense wealth and moved up the social ladder in their lifetime. Added to this, quite a few of our senior citizens in Sweden do not feel close to family (if they have one, as we also have a high number of single households) and have therefore both the willingness and capacity to leave significant legacies to causes close to their hearts. For major gift and legacy fundraising therefore, there is no time to lose.

…and at the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund

Philanthropy in Sweden is somewhat recent outside of the university and art sectors. We have a relatively large percentage of people with the capacity to make major gifts, but they usually want to remain anonymous, and for the most part give unrestricted gifts. I have had the privilege at the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund to bring in our three largest gifts from individuals in the last five years of SEK 50M, 23.6M and 23M. However, there are those who do want to be visible and to support by using the innovation muscle that Sweden is famous for and getting involved with particular projects. To build these relationships, we also have an advisory board with the connections and skills to help us match projects with prospective donor interests.

Prioritising relationships

Major donor fundraising is after all mainly about relationship building. At the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, it’s up to me to find that link between what engages the donor the most and my charity’s objectives. It can be a digital end of school term performance for a donor who is a musician, or a national cutting-edge gene-sequencing effort for another with a personal link to childhood cancer. While many of my donors in Sweden (so far) give an unrestricted gift, trusting us to use it where it is most needed, care has to be taken to ensure the proposal fits the donor. For this reason, we must value staff who have built up these relationships and support all fundraisers with the best possible tools so we can reach out further and be more efficient.

So it is with some bewilderment that I hear of organisations cutting back on database improvements and on long-term members of staff who have worked with major donors to build relationships over the years. While times are difficult, without the right tools and teams, we will inevitably miss important opportunities to bring in more gifts, and then we all lose out.

Instead, let us all be prepared for the day when the economy is doing well again, and we can continue to build on our mission for the world.

Because it all matters very much in the end.

About Rebecka Winell

Rebecka Winell works as Senior Major Gifts Officer at the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund (Barncancerfonden in Swedish) where she has worked for 6 years. She previously specialised in legacy fundraising (including sitting in the steering group for Goda Testamentet – a group loosely based on the UK’s Remember a Charity campaign), sits on the board of the charity Fair Action, and speaks at national and international fundraising conferences.

The face of philanthropy is changing – quite literally – and both what and how newer philanthropists support is increasingly different from previous generations.

Why people give probably hasn’t changed that much over the decades. Motivation remains driven by personal experience and empathy for the cause – it’s the classic giving from the heart approach. But the causes that are becoming popular are less traditional, with newer donors seeking different ways to bring about change.

At THINK, we have noticed some interesting shifts in philanthropy when it comes to newer philanthropists – whether truly Next Gen donors or simply those donors entering the philanthropy market for the first time.

Changes in who and what

Younger major donors have a greater desire to give in a more targeted way than their older counterparts. Data from Wealth-X in The New Normal suggests that younger donors donate to a narrower range of causes. And while they may be loyal to particular causes, such as the environment, they are not charity loyal. In other words, they will support initiatives that match their passion, but are just as likely to support a social enterprise or a campaign led by an organisation they haven’t supported previously. They simply support those they feel will deliver impact and change, and rather than giving via ‘old-fashioned’ bank transfer, they may want to donate cryptocurrency, which can send shock waves through finance directors and trustees.

The Milken Institute report Stepping off the Sidelines: The Unrealized Potential of Strategic Ultra-High-Net-Worth Philanthropy (2020) suggests that younger donors, be their wealth self-made or inherited, have a greater taste for donating to advocacy and a better understanding that this is likely to lead to greater impact for their giving. Newer female philanthropists are similarly motivated, especially in traditionally less popular causal areas such as refugees and migrants, as well as increasingly supporting causes directly related to women and girls. All are becoming more engaged, and seeking to be development partners rather than faceless donors; wanting to donate their expertise as well as their money, and to see real evidence of their impact.

Changes in how

The rise of philanthropist-led giving movements and the proliferation of DIY giving circles is a step further and has the potential to see some charities side-lined altogether. While they aren’t currently dominant in the market, there’s the possibility that their growth globally may, in time, attract major donors away from charity-led initiatives to other ‘independent’ major donor programmes where donors combine funds and donate to causes directly.

Where donors used to be more reactive and tended to support the projects they were asked, this too is changing. Over time, there has been a shift from ‘ad hoc’ giving to more strategic investment in charities whose vision aligns with the donor’s own. Donors are more proactive in identifying recipients, often using third parties to help in the process. Wealth and philanthropy managers at private banks or specialist organisations are being commissioned to help donors decide where to give and it is not always the usual suspects with big advertising budgets and a high profile among the general population.

What does it mean?

Trends witnessed in the wider major donor market should be heeded, and charities should consider how they can respond. Clearly, charities operating in causal areas that have not always been popular may find it easier to attract next generation donors. But even traditional causes need to consider  how they can attract particular sub-groups of major donors and encourage them to give their time and expertise, as well as money. INGOs are leading the way here with several setting up giving groups specifically targeting younger or female philanthropists – or in some cases, both – with great success.

It is worth noting that there is a concentration of younger UHNWIs (ultra high net worth individuals) in the tech industry, which has come out of the Covid-19 crisis in good shape, but there are others. Whatever the sector, these potential philanthropists tend to hang out in different places and may not respond to classic fundraising events or asks and the same could be said of other new philanthropists. To engage them, charities will need to be clever, developing products and offers that appeal to their need for direct action and big impact.

There is a word of caution. Younger and female donors are both small minorities amongst UHNWI. The most reliable data suggests that women are perhaps between 1 in 7 and 1 in 10 of UHNWIs globally and only 12% of global UHNWIs are under 50, and it is slightly less than this in the key markets of North American and Europe. So, while they offer new opportunities, more traditional donor types should not be forgotten – for now at least.

Simon Dickson, Think Consulting Solutions

About Simon Dickson

Simon has been working for the charity sector for over 20 years. He started his career as a trust and foundation fundraiser but evolved into a major donor fundraiser through his leadership role in capital campaigns. As a Senior Consultant at THINK Consulting Solutions, he specialises in high value fundraising – trusts, major donors and corporate and their inter-relationships – and in helping charities develop their case for support. He also manages THINK’s Philanthropy and Partnerships, Compliance and Fundraising Directors’ Forums as well being a mentor for early career fundraisers.

Main photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels

European inflation rates are reaching record highs in 2022, pushing up household costs and putting additional financial strain on donors. Although the number of individual givers had been levelling off in some nations well before the pandemic set in, the rising cost of living is likely to make it even more challenging for people to give. Meanwhile, the fortunes of the world’s super rich has climbed further still, widening the wealth gap and seeing nonprofits increasing their focus on major giving.

Over the past year, the world has seen record gifts from many of the most generous philanthropists, not least MacKenzie Scott, Melinda and Bill Gates, and Marcus Rashford. But how are today’s major gift fundraisers appealing to philanthropists and what insights can they share?

Speaking to experts across Europe, several common themes emerge, but none more so than the importance of building and stewarding authentic relationships with those who care deeply about the cause.

Rather than seeking out high net worth individuals to appeal for funds, it’s the relationship that comes first, with fundraisers and nonprofit leaders working hard to creating memorable, honest and inspiring moments, together with funding opportunities that align with supporters’ interests. The need for diversification beyond traditional supporter groups is emphasised, with whole-organisation support, rigorous planning and regular reporting emphasised to ensure those relationships are nurtured and sustained.

Fezzan Ahmed: Diversify your major giving pipeline – don’t just look for the big fish

Fezzan Ahmed, Jigsaw House Society / Queen Mary University of London / Fundraising Consultant

We are in the middle of the largest global anti-racism movement in our history and yet nonprofits often fail to look outside of traditional donor stereotypes to actively engage with black and minority ethnic supporters for major giving. To get this right, we need to go beyond race and ensure our approach is rooted in a genuine commitment to EDI, with values-based fundraising that is relevant to our audience. After all, if we can’t demonstrate how our work relates to their communities, how can we successfully engage and appeal to supporters in those groups?

When working with the children’s charity Barnardo’s to cultivate high value givers from BAME communities, we launched a campaign during Black History Month that celebrated and showcased the organisation’s historical role in supporting black children. To inspire Muslim donors, during Ramadan we offered Zakat-compliant giving, exceeding our target of raising £50,000 despite being new in a crowded market.

Successful major donor strategy doesn’t mean looking for the ‘big fish’ – those who have the capacity to give large amounts. It’s the relationship that comes first. Having a donor pipeline is critical – a clear strategy to funnel supporters through from being one-off or regular givers on to mid-level donors and on from there. Get to know your supporters, looking out for those hidden high value givers who may only give occasionally but whose donations add up to a considerable amount and often go under the radar. Explore how they can be recognised and what opportunities you can offer them to do more. If the focus is on getting that right, stewarding long-term sustainable relationships with genuine values-based fundraising, the rest will follow.

Fezzan Ahmed is a fundraising and marketing consultant in the UK, specialising in engaging BAME communities. He works in business development at Queen Mary University of London and is co-founder of Jigsaw House Society, a space where diverse people are inspired to change the world through impactful projects. 

Kicki Aldrin: Plan systematically and bring the whole organisation on board

Kicki Aldrin, Stockholms Stadsmission

In 2020, we started a major donor fundraising campaign for Stockholm’s City Mission with the goal of co-financing the reconstruction of St Paul’s, a church building in Stockholm that we’ve owned since 2015. With a focus on homelessness and raising funds for socially disadvantaged people, this campaign was unique. The building was to serve as a hub for charity’s social inclusion and community-based activities, for cultural events and education – a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for people to meet. Despite Covid-19, we raised 45 million SEK ( €4.3m) in only three months, 15m+ SEK over budget, and the rebuild is now near completion.

The most critical success factor was the commitment and dedication from all levels of our organisation – the former chair, our board, management, fundraisers, communication and administration. We were united in our mission – a clearly defined, attractive and unique case, conveying how this work would make a decisive difference. Our feedback programme, which continues throughout the renovation, is driving even more commitment among donors.

Choose an attractive and unique case that engages the donors and the whole organisation. Plan the campaign carefully and systematically. Evaluate, be patient and be brave.

Kicki Aldrin is fundraising manager – major donors and foundations at Stockholm’s City Mission in Sweden.

St Paul’s Church, Stockholm

Clio Gressani: Having a clear vision and bringing the ‘wow’ factor

Clio Gressani, ShelterBox UK

Imagine if you could truly hook your high value supporters into the organisation. Well, that’s our vision at ShelterBox – to be their ‘Netflix for good’, using insight, data and great storytelling to keep them glued to our mission. On a practical level, this means taking what we know about them and their philanthropic giving, and combining it with some fantastic storytelling around the impact of their gifts to create personalised stewardship plans for all our major givers.

As a vision, it’s simple. But that’s what makes it so powerful; something that everyone in our team can understand and be inspired by. They know that the relationship comes front and centre, over and above the gift. Of course we have monetary targets, but I want my team to focus primarily on the non-monetary ones: creating ‘wow moments’ for supporters; and setting up virtual coffee meetings.

What do I mean by wow moments? This can be as simple as a thank you call on the anniversary of a donor’s first gift. Done well, those calls can be incredibly moving – for our supporters and fundraisers too. Our team love carrying out those calls just as much as our supporters value receiving them – it really helps them feel more energised and happy in their work. And although the focus isn’t on income, this approach has enabled us to achieve some fantastic results; strengthening our donor relationships, achieving 60% growth and raising more than £1.3 million last year.

Clio leads the partnerships and philanthropy team at ShelterBox UK. Originally from the Italian Alps, her belief that passion is contagious has helped her lead high performing teams at Fondazione Veronesi (Milan), CIMA (New York), Peace One Day (London). 

To hear more about Clio’s insights on major giving, tune into this Bright Spot Podcast with Rob Woods. 

Michèle Joanisse: Authentic alignment of philanthropic and fundraising goals 

Michèle JOANISSE, Lausanne University Hospital Foundation

I remember calling Ms. Joli* a few months after starting in my new job as director of the foundation at Lausanne University Hospital. It had been two years since she made her gift and she had not heard from us in between. She was delighted to hear from me. What a relief!  We agreed to meet at the hospital with the scientist she supported (Professor Nicole Deglon) so we could both learn about the impact of her gift funding Huntington Disease research. She was enchanted to see the professor’s laboratory, meet her graduate students and witness the progress made because of her gift.

For three years, I kept in touch, leaving friendly voicemail messages with hopes of reconnecting, and sending holiday cards, the hospital magazine, and articles on Huntington Disease with personalised hand-written notes. Then, one day, she called me, asking if I remembered her. Having received a considerable inheritance in September 2021, she wanted to support the same scientist again. Our meeting in 2018 enabled me to uncover what inspired her gift, what she was passionate about, and discover her altruistic inclination and philanthropic nature.

For her, our visit showed the difference she had made and impact of her gift; she also discovered a scientist who nurtured her relationship with her students, someone who cared about understanding an orphan disease that affected her best friend and deep commitment to pushing the scientific boundaries. I call it an authentic alignment where all seek the same outcome. When I called Ms. Joli, my goal was to start the conversation with the hopes of building a relationship from the ground up for the long-term through stewardship. “Major gifts are inspired gifts,” says James Hodge. Our visit is what inspired her next transformative gift.

Michèle Joanisse, MBA, CFRE, is director of foundation at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland

*The donor’s name has been changed to protect their privacy.

Professor Nicole Deglon, director of the Center for Research in Neuroscience at Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland

Birgit Winterhalter: Being ready for major gifts at an institutional level   

Birgit Winterhalter, Caritas Germany

It is often said that you learn most from your mistakes, and although we have achieved very good results with our major donor programme at Caritas Germany, it is only when something goes wrong that you really take notice.

For almost ten years we’ve been growing our major gift fundraising programme, developing a donor base and hiring new staff to focus on building major donor relationships. These highly valued donors now contribute around 20% of our annual income to Caritas and are highly committed to our work. However, it is vital that we are able to deliver on all our pledges. Institutional readiness is not just a buzzword, it is the basis for ensuring that we can deliver on the promise we make to our donors.

Just recently, one of our supporters approached me – he had donated €50 a few times in the past, but he seemed committed and wanted to do more. Video calls made him uncomfortable and there were restrictions on social distance, so we had to wait some time before we could meet in his garden. But it was worth the wait, because he agreed to provide €300,000 for a specific project in Latin America. Due to the difficult situation in the project country and despite all our efforts, our project partner experienced many delays that jeopardised the whole relationship. We had to work very hard to keep him on board. This shows that you can be the best fundraiser, but if you can’t make sure that everything else is in place to deliver on your promises, it can all be for nothing. When difficulties arise, good, honest communication is crucial. We talked openly about the difficulties and the donor continued to pledge his support.

Birgit Winterhalter is major donor fundraiser at the humanitarian organisation, Caritas Germany. 

Caritas providing medical support to beneficiaries

Pia Watkinson: Trust and transparency are key

Last month, we received the largest gift in our organisation’s history – a grant of SEK 6 million (over €570,000) from the Sjöberg Foundation to fund our rehabilitation programmes for cancer patients. As a small NGO, the CancerRehabFund relies on large donations from corporates and foundations to fund around 50% of our work. A gift of this size is hugely significant for us, enabling us to run many more rehab weeks. It came about in the simplest of ways; from a long-standing supporter, with whom we have a trusted relationship.

I met Ingemar Sjöberg (chair of the Sjöberg Foundation) and his brother Bengt Sjöberg in 2016. Bengt, who founded Sjöbergstiftelsen, died of cancer in 2017. We had several meetings at the NGO I was working with at the time, and although he didn’t donate then, we had many interesting discussions.

Last Autumn, Ingemar rang me out of the blue. He had seen which organisation I was heading now and wanted to know more. Being very knowledgeable about cancer, he asked me insightful, detailed questions about our work and finances, asking to see a proposal for three different amounts. I answered his queries transparently, and he took the proposal to his board of directors. They promptly approved the largest sum, and the donation was with us in a matter of weeks.

What’s vital now is that we provide ongoing updates and evaluation of the work, including the number of on-site visits to our rehab programmes. And of course that we continue to nurture that relationship, which is where my role as Secretary General is key. In a small NGO with limited public awareness, I think it’s crucial for senior leaders to be the driving force in nurturing these trusted major donor relationships.

Pia Watkinson is secretary general of the CancerRehabFund in Sweden.

CancerRehabFund beneficiaries with Pia Watkinson (red dress) at Frötuna Gård, near Uppsala

Related features:

Rebecca Allaigre: For transformational change, move from budget-based to mission-based fundraising

Marita Haibach: Don’t be afraid to think big

Isabel Penne: Mind the gap – the undervalued potential of middle donors

Special Focus: What do philanthropists need to help them give big?

For more major giving news and features, click here

Main photo (top) by Aamir Suhail on Unsplash

For years, the number of wealthy people and the size of their assets have been growing in many countries around the world, even during the Corona pandemic. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have participated strongly in this growth. However, the Golden Age of Philanthropy predicted by The Economist back in 2004 has so far fallen far short of expectations.

As far as mega-donations and capital campaigns with billion-euro targets are concerned, we still look with admiration to the USA in particular. Now’s the time to reach out and make major gifts a major part of our future fundraising.

Moving on from the twilight era

Fundraising activities geared specifically at raising big gifts from private individuals led a twilight existence in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until fairly recently. Large donations were always welcome, but generally they happened rather quietly. Since the 1990s, there have been a few pioneering organisations like Greenpeace, WWF and some others who demonstrated that major gift fundraising really can work here in Europe too.

Much has happened in the past decade and major giving is now seen as one of the most promising areas within fundraising. Many organisations have come to realise that an essential prerequisite for a significant increase in the amount and number of large donations for charitable causes of all kinds is the development of specific skills and knowledge. But how can we build sector know-how about approaching wealthy people to inspire their support?

Major donor fundraisers do not fall from sky: major gift fundraising training required

To approach wealthy people, qualified major gift fundraisers are needed. The job market for these professionals is growing steadily. More and more organisations want to hire major gift fundraisers. Often, they start with one position, but in many places, it quickly becomes apparent that one person does not have sufficient capacity to take proper care of all current major donors, let alone to expand the existing potential. At the same time, there is a lack of specialists in this area of fundraising who have the necessary skills to be able to raise large amounts of donations with system and strategy.

People need formal training to become confident and capable major gift fundraisers, and that needs investment. After all, these people will likely go on to bring in large donations and attract new wealthy donors. Giving them training is not only helping them develop the tools needed for the job but giving them an opportunity to meet others in the same boat; to network, learn and share.

Institutional readiness for major gift fundraising

Major gift fundraising involves hard work. Relationship building requires a lot of time and staying power, even though there are occasional examples of surprise major gifts. But particularly with new major donors, lead times are often long before an ask can be made. Patience, intuition, and sensitivity are important keywords, particularly when it comes to deciding when the right time has come to invite a major donor to make another large donation.

Despite the fact that waiting times are often inevitable, by the time a major donor is ready, organisations often find that they are well positioned for fundraising in general but are not prepared for major donor fundraising.

When gearing up for major donor fundraising, it’s important to ensure you have at least these five essential elements in your kitbag. They are: a convincing and motivating case for support; realistic funding projects and plausible financial needs; potential major donors, i.e. people who have the capability to make major gifts; committed leaders within the organisations as well as voluntary external leaders; and structural and personnel requirements (including major gift officers, and a suitable database). These need not only to be present but to be kept updated and tailored to that individual. So, be sure to review and adapt anything that needs changing along the way.

Understanding the potential for the future of major giving

The future of major gifts is big! We believe that it is possible to double the volume of individual donations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland alone by the year 2030. An important prerequisite for this is that major gift fundraising continues to gain momentum and that the wealthy increasingly discover the joy of donating large amounts.

Major donors whose commitment becomes publicly known give a face to fundraising and encourage others to get involved as well. Their joy is contagious. Major donations underline the fact that nonprofit organisations need financial resources to carry out their work.

Successful relationships between donors and fundraising organisations will remain an individual challenge. Ultimately, it is the spirit of individual major donor fundraisers as well as the prevailing basic attitude and institutional readiness in the respective organisation that determines whether the major donor fundraising process is crowned with success.

Integrity and trust are just as important keywords as continuity and reliability. An indication of the untapped potential is that in these times marked by the Corona pandemic, many major donors more generously than ever supported “their” non-profit-organisation. The challenge now is for major gift fundraisers to be bold, to find and cater for their potential big givers and help them feel connected and engaged. It can take courage and sensitivity, but the reward is certainly worth the effort.

Dr. Marita Haibach has recently released the second edition of her major gift fundraising book with co-author Jan Uekermann. Published in German, Großspenden-Fundraising – Wege zu mehr Philanthropie. Grundlagen, Strategie und praktische Umsetzung is available here.

About Dr. Marita Haibach

Major giving consultant, trainer, academic and author, Dr Marita Haibach is one of the pioneers of fundraising and philanthropy in Germany and throughout Europe. In the 1990s and 2000s Marita a played leading role in the establishment of several nonprofit organisations that nowadays have a wide impact in fundraising and the foundation world, including serving as president for the European Fundraising Association (2004-2008), Deutscher Fundraising Verband, the Filia Women’s Foundation and the Pecunia Network of Women with Inherited Wealth.

In 2012, together with Jan Uekermann, she founded the Major Giving Institute, offering on-the-job training for active and systematic major gift fundraising in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The Institute runs one course per year, with three 3-day seminars held over a period of six months.

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

Last month, the American philanthropist and writer, MacKenzie Scott, announced her third colossal tranche of donations, taking her total giving over the past year to an astounding total of over $8.6 billion (€7.3 bn).

While the size of the most recent funding allocation is certainly significant, the selection of 286 ‘historically underfunded and overlooked’ nonprofits is remarkable too, with Scott choosing to support the nonprofit sector itself, including philanthropy infrastructure organisations among the beneficiaries. What’s more, rather than directing how those funds are to be used, she opts to give nonprofits a free rein, writing in her blog:

“Because we believe that teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the money to good use, we encouraged them to spend it however they choose. Many reported that this trust significantly increased the impact of the gift. There is nothing new about amplifying gifts by yielding control. People have been doing it in living rooms and classrooms and workplaces for thousands of years. It empowers receivers by making them feel valued and by unlocking their best solutions. Generosity is generative. Sharing makes more.”

We explore whether this could be indicative of a broader shift among philanthropists away from project funding to a more strategic and long-term approach.

Addressing systemic challenges through philanthropy

As the resource development director at the Association of Community Relations in Romania (ARC Romania) and an independent strategic philanthropy adviser, Madalina Marcu works to help major donors direct their giving. She explains that philanthropists in Romania have been moving towards more strategic funding decisions for a few years now, but that the movement has been accelerated because of systemic problems with the national education system.

Madalina Marcu, ARC Romania

She says: “Young people are dropping out of school and those that stay rarely get a high quality of education. Over the years, it’s become a systemic issue – a problem that impacts the whole of Romanian society and our future workforce.

“Major donors – often entrepreneurs and business leaders– are working hard to drive change, putting pressure on the government to tackle the issue and coming up with their own solutions to address the root cause. They are thinking hard about where they can invest to have most impact and they understand that this is a problem that cannot be fixed overnight – it will take time. This recognition is a major shift for philanthropy here.

Marcu adds: “We’re still in a place where philanthropists want to see a lean team – NGOs with few staff and overheads, but their business thinking is carrying through into their approach to philanthropy. They set KPIs, they want to see a process that can be monitored with measurable outcomes and outputs. And, so long as they can see signs that it’s working, they are prepared to wait.”

She gives the example of one of the country’s largest donor families, who chose not only to give, but to set up and fund an award programme through the Romanian Business Leaders Foundation to recognise good practice in teaching, aiming to reward high standards, rebuild confidence in education and attract more talent into teaching. Five years on, the programme is working well and so the family has increased its investment in the scheme and is working in partnership with other nonprofits.

Investing in core and sustainable funding

Lars Erik Svanberg, Norwegian Trekking Association

Similarly, Lars Erik Svanberg, head of financing and framework conditions at the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT), agrees that philanthropic partners – ranging from commercial organisations to foundations and high net worth philanthropists – are increasingly looking for a longer-term strategic approach.

For 150 years, DNT has been working to promote trekking and to improve conditions for all who enjoy Norway’s broad range of outdoor attractions. The organisation has over 300,000 members, manages 550 cabins and 22,000 km of paths for public use, also running programmes and activities linked to the public health agenda, designed to entice people of all ages and backgrounds to be active and get outdoors.

He says: “We’re seeing a shift – rather than giving small sums to a plethora of different projects with short-term goals, partners increasingly choose to award larger amounts over a longer-term period, wanting to make a bigger impact. We want our supporters to recognise that we can achieve more when we’re not rushing from project to project and having to start again each year. In this respect, the longer-term perspective is a selling point – they can get more for their investment.

“These partnerships give us a better opportunity to plan ahead, build capacity and to have the flexibility to use the money where its needed most. It’s not just a case of working towards longer-term goals, but having the opportunity to spend that money more wisely; to invest in more sustainable programmes.

“Sustainability is becoming more important for all of us and that’s a key focus for our work over the next 10 years. Ultimately, we want to take care of what we have, rather than building new; and this resonates really well with our funding partners.”

Making a transformational and tangible difference

Nathalie Bousseau, Fondation CentraleSupélec

Indeed, a more entrepreneurial style of fundraising and income generation can be influential when it comes to inspiring philanthropists to give. Nathalie Bousseau, director of Fondation CentraleSupélec – a French graduate engineering school, part of the University Paris Saclay, says:

“We’re planning some big projects for the future and we’re going to need considerable investment, so we’re working to develop with new ways to generate income. That includes applying to foundations, taking out a loan to invest in housing for students near to the campus, which is generating rental income already, and even investing in start-up businesses created by our students. This kind of thinking and long-term planning can be all the more appealing to entrepreneurial donors.

“Now, because of the COVID crisis, we find that our major donors are more aware that it may be difficult to raise money in the future. They seem to be more willing to invest in the organisation, rather than just funding particular projects and they are responding well to our own strategic approach and diversification of income streams. This is particularly true for those supporters that have been with us for a long time. They want to know that we will survive and to have a voice in our future.”

According to Marta Redondo, legacy & major donor manager of Cris Cancer Foundation in Spain, major giving isn’t that well established in Spain, but it is starting to grow. She says:

“What we can see is that donors don’t simply want to give and move on. They want to know where the money goes and the real impact their gift is making. I dare say, most of them are not interested in events, presents or publicity. They want results.

“So, we work with supporters to identify what areas are most important to them and aim to offer a turnkey project; a funding opportunity that fits with their motivations and aligns with our mission. This might be a case of creating a grant for a specific type of cancer.”

While individual philanthropic drivers and needs can be wide-ranging, experts agree that, ultimately, big givers are looking for the opportunity to make a transformational and tangible difference to causes they care about.

Dr Beth Breeze, director of the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre and Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent (UK) says:

“Over the 15 years I’ve been studying philanthropists, I don’t think this core goal has substantially changed but perhaps the way of reaching it will change in the light of role models such as MacKenzie Scott, and also as a result of changes in grant-making during the pandemic.

“Charities have always preferred, and hoped for core funding, and have long felt frustrated about the need to ‘project-ise’ their work into fundable chunks. It is increasingly clear that core, no-strings attached funding is the best way for donors to provide the most-valued support, and to give in a way that demonstrates greater trust and partnership with those they support.”

Supporting wealthy people with their giving

There is of course no singular mould for a philanthropist, but a broad spectrum. As such, philanthropy experts emphasise the importance of taking time to develop those individual relationships and to support donors with their giving.

Cath Dovey, The Beacon Collaborative

Cath Dovey, co-founder of The Beacon Collaborative – a collective impact movement working to grow philanthropy across the UK, says: “Sometimes we forget that philanthropy can be really daunting, particularly for those who are new to it. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, there can be a great deal of fear about losing money. Philanthropists want to get it right and make sure their donations go where it’s most needed. But there’s no established pathway for that.

“It’s so important to support donors through the process, educating them around how it works and what to expect from you. And that’s what they will remember when they go into the next phase of the relationship.”

Being sensitive to the high levels of anxiety that wealthy people may feel about their wealth and spending is just one of a series of a barriers to giving identified in Beacon’s recent report, The Giving Experience – Overcoming the barriers to giving among the wealthy in the UK.

She adds: “High net worth donors can be so easily misunderstood. Often, they are highly successful business people wanting to engage as partners, but the world of philanthropy has completely different timescales and expectations. If a donor calls to ask what’s going on, they are sometimes perceived to be demanding or ego-driven, when usually it’s just that they are busy people with busy lives, wanting to be helpful. They are looking for reassurance that their support is having an impact and it takes time to establish that trust.”

“At the end of the day, rich people are just people – they have the same hopes, fears and dreams. They want to understand how they can help, the impact of their gifts and to feel a sense of security that they have done the right thing. So, it’s all about managing the relationship, sharing information about what you’re doing and helping them feel that they are part of the solution.”

Appealing to today’s philanthropists

Sharing their views on what nonprofits can do to appeal to wealthy philanthropists, experts highlight the importance of offering strategic and sustainable funding opportunities, setting goals with clear benchmarks to monitor progress along the way, communicating regularly and openly, and involving the board of trustees.

“Regular communication is really important,” says Dovey. “We always encourage charities to go beyond the brochure, inviting donors to join events and come together with other supporters, creating opportunities to really get to know them better.”

Bousseau highlights the importance of transparency, saying: “High net worth supporters expect us to be honest with them and that means ensuring that fundraising teams are comfortable answering questions not only about a charity’s mission, but about the finances and future of the organisation. I also think that involvement from the board of trustees is key, conveying how much a philanthropist really means to the organisation.”

Marcu agrees that board support is critical, concluding: “Often the best way to start those relationships is to ask for advice and listen to what they have to say long before you ask for money. Treating a philanthropist as an adviser not only enables them to give you their feedback and to help create solutions that they will want to invest in, but teaches you to speak in their language.

“It can be really hard to build major donor relationships from zero, so having board members that are willing to open doors, that have the business expertise and experience to speak as equals with the people you’re approaching, is so important.

“After all, it’s all about relationships– philanthropists will invest in those they believe and trust.”

Related features on Major giving

Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

The Young Givers report establishes that wealthy millennials may be frustrated about bigger issues, but they generally don’t connect their giving with systems change, and that they know less than you might expect about the complexities and workings of the charity ecosystem. Donating is often in the moment and they are not currently seeking long term engagement

Wealthy millennials often use the word “impact” to describe their own experience and professional goals. But when charities use this word, it means something different to them.

Giving is not a core part of their identity though some see it as playing a role later in life. It can be intensely personal and therefore difficult or ‘awkward’ to talk about. However, there is an intrinsic sense of pride in their giving even if they rarely articulate this publicly.

Individual fundraising however is completely different and they are very willing to talk about events and sponsorships that they have done to raise funds.

Giving by wealthy millennials is not structured and is more ad hoc. They typically connect with charities in three settings: through work, lifestyle activities and if they face a major life event

For wealthy young millennials, their time is money. They see volunteering as more valuable than a financial contribution, but that doesn’t mean they understand the financial value of their volunteering commitment.

The report intends to help fundraisers, wealth advisors and charity sector professionals better understand the needs of wealthy millennials and develop long-standing relationships with the next generation.

The research was funded by the Arts Council England, with the organisation’s director of philanthropy, Clare Titley, saying:

“We found that this group want to understand how their contribution is making a difference. They want to know where their money is going, and what causes cultural organisations are engaging with in their work. They also want to understand how giving can be meaningful for them, within the scope of their busy lives: how can they help you to do your best work, and how can they engage personally, through opportunities such as volunteering.”

See the full report here.

Photo by Ph B on Unsplash

The UK study carried out by The Management Centre (=mc consulting) was replicated in the Netherlands, asking fundraising leaders and specialist consultants to share their thoughts on what the next three to five years hold for fundraising.

In a Fondsenwerving blog post, Reinier Spruit published the results of the Dutch study, which summarised the views of 31 fundraising experts (fundraising department heads and consultants). He reported that major donors, legacies, and individual regular giving were seen to be the most likely areas for growth in fundraising income over the next 3-5 years,  while corporate giving, community fundraising and earned income/services were predicted to decline.

78% of those asked thought income from major donors was likely to rise, along with 71% for bequests, and 70% for regular giving. 45% thought income from corporate fundraising was likely to shrink, along with 34% for community fundraising and events, and 29% for earned income/services.

Spruit commented:

“The results are not surprising. Legacies, major giving and regular donors have been a priority in every fundraising strategy I’ve seen in recent years. However, I am particularly happy that regular giving comes by as a growth area, because from time to time you hear these opinions and views that donors are not willing to commit anymore. I completely disagree. People know that to solve the world’s biggest problems support is needed for a longer period of time. And they want to give for a longer period of time. It’s our challenge to give our donors the best giving experience, so that they want to keep giving.”

In the UK study, =mc consulting collated the views of 25 fundraising experts, finding that half of UK respondents predicted a drop in corporate giving, with a decline in community/event fundraising also anticipated. And, whereas the Netherlands expects to see growth in regular giving, the majority of UK respondents either expect to see a decline (54%), or for it to remain static, with only 23% thinking it will grow.

However, as in the Netherlands, UK experts also pointed to legacies and major donors as areas where they anticipate significant growth. 77% expect growth in legacies/bequests, and 81% in income from major donors. Many also predicted an increase in one-off donations, with =mc consulting querying whether this could reflect the sense that supporters are reluctant to make longer-term regular commitments. 

Bernard Ross, managing director at =mc consulting, commented:

“The changes we are seeing in society and in fundraising are so disruptive that trends data and benchmarking – what happened in the past – are more or less useless: ‘driving by looking exclusively in the rearview mirror, hoping the road ahead is the same.’ Fundraising directors, working with their CEOs and Boards need to make some big bold bets to safeguard income and services. What this research shows is that UK, Dutch and US fundraisers don’t all agree, but there are some common threads. The scenarios work we’re doing will help discover the ways forward.”

A third study among US fundraisers echoed the UK and Dutch findings, anticipating gains from bequests, major donors, and regular donors. Half foresaw a drop in corporate giving.

A phase two of the research is now underway, creating scenarios over the next five years with around 45 of the top fundraisers from the three studies.