Why isn't major donor fundraising working for your charity? According to Louise Morris, it's rarely the cause, and it's almost never a lack of contacts. Louise is the founder of Summit Fundraising, a consultancy and training company specialising in major donor fundraising. She began her career in sales and marketing at Unilever, moved into the charity sector in her mid-twenties and held fundraising roles at Tommy's, Samaritans and RNID before becoming a Director of Fundraising. Ten years ago, she set up Summit and now works with charities of every size, from small local organisations to household names. In this episode, Louise shares:

• Why losing her Dad prompted her to leave Unilever and look for more meaningful work
• How corporate negotiation training gave her confidence with donors
• Why she stepped away from a director role, and what a missed after-school football club taught her about flexible working
• The fear and "lumpy cashflow" of going it alone, and how Summit grew from there

We then dig into how small and medium-sized charities can start or grow a major donor programme:

• Why it won't grow unless someone has protected time to lead it, even if that's just three hours a week
• Why trustees hold back on introductions, and why they don't need to ask anyone for money
• Why doing major donor fundraising badly can be worse than not doing it at all
• Where to find your first potential major donors (they're probably already involved with you)
• Why being a smaller charity can be a real strength
• The most common mistakes; impatience, skipping the building blocks and nobody owning it
• How long a board should realistically wait, and the milestones to track besides income

Louise closes with a reflection that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt stuck - leadership is not your job title. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and introduction 00:40 Quick-fire questions 03:30 From Unilever to the charity sector 09:40 Leaving the director role and starting Summit 17:20 What Summit does today 20:57 Where to start with major donor fundraising 28:13 Making the case to your board 30:34 The skills and support you need 33:09 Common mistakes charities make 36:21 How long before you see returns? 41:21 Leadership is not your job title Resources mentioned The Summit 3 Essentials guide and other free resources: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/free-... Join the free Summit major donor community: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/join/ Find out more about the Major Donor Fundraising from Scratch programme: https://summitfundraising.co.uk/from-... Connect with   / louise-morrisminstf   (Louise Morris, Summit Fundraising) or visit https://www.summitfundraising.co.uk