What skills does a Trusts and Foundations fundraiser need?

There are so many traits shared by fundraisers across the board.  On the whole, we are resilient, creative, warm, hard-working, committed, motivated and socially conscious. 

But what skills does a trust fundraiser need specifically, compared say to a corporate fundraiser or a community fundraiser?

I’ve observed over a nearly 20-year long fundraising career, that there are definitely some qualities which are typical to one type of fundraiser over another.

Now, I don’t speak on behalf of ALL trust fundraisers and I certainly don’t want to make assumptions or generalisations about my friends who do different types of fundraising, but when it comes to the skills that a trust fundraiser needs, here are my personal thoughts:

Quick tip:

Don’t forget to schedule regular time for research – not just to help identify new prospects, but also to refresh knowledge on existing prospects who may have updated their criteria and / or application processes.

Identifying a good match is EVERYTHING!

1. Research

We trust fundraisers LOVE research.  We have to because it’s an essential part of the job.

Trust fundraisers need to have excellent research skills to identify potential trusts and foundations that represent a strong match for both organisations’ (charity and funder’s) mission and objectives. For this, we use a range of tools, to understand a funder’s focus area, eligibility criteria, application process and past grant recipients.

Research is the first stop on the trust fundraising train – it’s where we begin. Doing research into a particular funder gives us permission (or not) to pursue an application, assuming a good match is identified. 

It saves us time and it saves our potential supporters time too.

2. Writing

Writing is probably the number one skill most crucial to successful trust fundraising.

A trust fundraiser needs to be able to craft compelling and persuasive grant proposals. This includes the ability to clearly articulate the organisation’s mission, activities, and impact, as well as demonstrate how they align with the priorities of the trusts and foundations to whom they’re applying.

Proposal writing takes many forms, from lengthy passages of prose which describe in detail the activities, outcomes and impact of our charitable work, to short, succinct responses to limited word counts hosted in application forms.

Sometimes we have choice in what we write in a funding proposal and sometimes we’re required to respond to a pre-determined set of questions.

As well as presenting a case, it is really important as a trust fundraiser to become skilled at specifying the difference a gift has made.

If you are naturally great at writing, then trust fundraising is likely to come easily to you.  You’re also likely to be quicker at adapting your case for support / template proposals and will therefore be able to send more proposals out, increasing your overall chances of success.

Funders are recognising more that the ability to write a great proposal is not necessarily congruent with the ability to deliver great work.

Some funders are starting to invite expressions of interest via video and many are encouraging organisations without professional fundraisers to apply.  Not being able to afford a fundraiser shouldn’t exclude high performing charities from accessing funds.

Plenty of larger trust funders offer very specific help and support for people going through their application process.  Do follow their advice to the letter.

If writing isn’t your wheelhouse, it doesn’t mean you won’t be successful, and it doesn’t mean you can’t learn. However, the reality is that a lot of trusts and foundations are receiving more applications than they can realistically process and it is still the case that a well written proposal is more likely to get funded.

3. Project development and internal relationships

Whether you’re fundraising for established work or new projects, it’s imperative that you foster great relationships with internal colleagues.

Why?

Because those delivering the work will have the information and the insights you need for your written proposals or conversations with supporters.

The most skilled trust fundraisers know which questions funders are likely to ask.  It’s our job to tease out the information in a way which doesn’t draw too heavily upon the time of those delivering the charity’s vital work.

Sometimes a funder will ask a question which the operational team has never really considered.  It then becomes the role of the trust fundraiser to support operational teams to contemplate how and why they do things.

A by-product of trust fundraising is that organisations end up getting better at what they do by nature of having to respond to questions from a trust.  These shine a light on day to day practices, ultimately helping charities to be better.

4. Planning and target setting

If you’re leading trusts and foundations for your charity, you need to consider your strategy. 

A strategy is a series of intentional decisions made in the pursuit of a specific goal.  Your strategy will also be shaped by the opportunities available to your organisation (for example, adopting a high value, low volume approach won’t work for a local charity with a relatively modest turnover, delivering impact across a very small geographic location)Creating a strategy involves setting clear goals (with evidence / rationale to back up the choices you’ve made), prioritising funding opportunities, and creating a plan to approach different trusts and foundations effectively.

Once established, grant making trusts can provide quite a predictable stream of income.  As a result, trust fundraisers are often able to be quite specific about target setting as they plan out their work.

The potential for repeat gifts from trusts is high when you deliver on expectations – this too can help with your planning.

Quick tip: consider the following from your research and your experience:

• What are your goals as a charity?  What funding opportunities do you have available to you? 
• If you have limited capacity for trusts and foundations work (but multiple opportunities), how are you going to choose what to work on?
• What a trust’s typical giving patterns are (how much do they give and to whom?)
• What gifts you have received in the past (if any)
• Reasons that the typical gift might be higher / lower
• Timescales for making an application – how might that work with your financial year

Use this information to inform your planning and target setting.

5. Cultivating relationships 

The most successful trust fundraisers pour time into building and maintaining relationships with the individuals associated with trusts and foundations, recognising it as being vital for securing funding. 

Trust Fundraisers should be skilled in networking, cultivating partnerships, and developing long-term relationships with funders.  Ideally, we need to be great conversationalists who can tell stories about the impact of a grant and the work of their organisations – if this doesn’t feel like your zone of genius, then link your funders up with people in your charity who love to talk about the work.

6. Financial literacy   

Understanding budgets, reports, and the financial needs of the organisation is an essential skill for a trusts and foundations fundraiser. We should be able to analyse financial data, develop accurate budgets, and describe the need to potential funders (and how we believe a funder can contribute in a way which makes sense to the charity or the project).

It’s also important to understand concepts such as match funding (and how it can enable leverage), lead in times (for one off projects) and your charity’s reserves policy.  These will need to be explained to funders in a way which is sets a funding request into context – the statement in your annual report may need additional explanation.

7. Deadlines and distractions   

Fundraisers often juggle multiple projects, deadlines, and funding applications. Strong organisational and time management skills are essential to ensure that tasks are prioritised, deadlines are met, and opportunities are not missed.

In addition, it’s really important to be able to recognise which tasks are essential for fundraising success and which are less so.

Because we’re a helpful bunch (but more realistically, because most charities don’t have the resources which enable individual employees to deeply specialise) many trust fundraisers lack the ability to say no to reactive requests / internal meetings in favour of quiet, distraction free focused time.

Creating regular space for quiet, concentrated work is an essential skill for a trust fundraiser.

8. Resilience and tenacity

Trusts and foundations fundraising can be a competitive and challenging field. Fundraisers need to be persistent, resilient, and able to handle rejection.

Nest Egg reader Tamsyn commented:

“Not only will most applications be rejected but most will be completely unanswered”

There speaks the voice of reason and experience. 

Clare Chillingworth, Trusts and Foundations Manager at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, also shared:

“Resilience. That some things are out of your circle of control.  That even though you are the Trust Fundraiser and you write the application, it’s still a team effort and it’s not your lone responsibility to keep the charity afloat (pressure during COVID-times much???). Trust fundraising is amazing and I love it, but you are going to get many more rejections than grants, you have to accept this, deal with it and learn from every application.”

This element of a Trust Fundraiser’s work is often a massive surprise to those who are new to it.  Know that it’s not you (it’s them!) and that it’s important to stay motivated, maintain a positive attitude and to seek feedback wherever possible.

In conclusion…

There are so many skills a trust fundraiser needs!

In addition to those mentioned above, general knowledge about fundraising and the sector (including other types of fundraising) is enormously helpful.

My colleague, friend and high value expert Angela shared:

“The most valuable experience I had was my very first fundraising job, working in Individual Giving. Reading and responding to donor letters (this was in the dark ages) gave me so many insights into the range of reasons people give to charity and a focus on donors as real people that is crucial for all fundraising disciplines”.

Lived experience can add massive value and authenticity to your work – don’t be afraid to tell your story if it’s relevant, appropriate and you feel safe and supported to do so.

Finally, continuing professional development and staying updated on best practices in fundraising are important for success in this role.