Brutal Facts – No Need to Ask

Wed 29 April 2026

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Join us for a one-day interactive learning experience which will transform your understanding of how major gifts are actually secured.

How to fundraise without asking

We have analysed over seven hundred origin stories of major funding partnerships
and discovered that they all come from just five starting points.


Come to this workshop to discover the reality of high value fundraising – does
funding come from your intentional planning or do funders approach you? You will be
guided by Bill Bruty who has over 40 years of fundraising experience for causes all
over the world.


As a result of this session, you will be able to:

  1. Overcome the barrier of ‘no unsolicited applications’

  2. Build a strategy to open all of the five pathways for major gifts

  3. Understand the role of a fundraiser and the power of collaboration

Places are limited to 20 participants as this will be very interactive learning that will
address your specific challenges.

Brutal Facts: ‘Coming of Age’, What’s Going on with UK Charitable Trusts?

Wed 6th May 2026

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Over the last 21 years we have been through unprecedented financial turmoil: a financial crash in in 2008-9 and a global pandemic in 2020-21. Over the same time, UK trusts have tripled their grantmaking. What’s going on and why?

Reflections and Projections on UK Trusts’ Philanthropy, 2004-2024

What can we learn from the last 21 years and how can this inform our preparation for the next 21? This event will provide unique insight into the world of UK foundations – from five different perspectives:


1. Judith McNeill,
2. Bill Bruty, a fundraiser of over 40 years of experience who has shaped the
landscape of UK trust fundraising.
3. David Carrington,
4. Lesley Alborough,
5. The ‘FTL Fishtank’, a dataset of 100 UK foundations with analysis going back
to 2004.


Join us for a lively and informative discussion which will be essential for both
fundraisers and grantmakers.

ONLINE AND IN-PERSON 6th May 2026, 11am-1.30pm, including an hour of networking @ the Art Workers’
Guild, Queen Square, London.