The Brutal Facts
A series of events that will challenge our most cherished fundraising ideas
We’re launching a new series of early evening lectures that will change your thinking about some of our beautiful fundraising theories. In each presentation the facts will be lined up before the established wisdom. If our theories lose, we will explore new thinking based upon the evidence.
Session One: Arguing with the Wind. Can fundraising get better year-on-year?
5-8pm, 24th March 2020
Art Workers’ Guild,6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT
Cost: £90
Synopsis
If you depend upon income from trusts for your organisation’s survival, or for your fundraising target, then you need to have a complex understanding of the world of trusts.
We will use two sources of evidence to examine the belief in the potential for continual growth in income. The first is our annual study of 1oo trusts, the second is our overall analysis of 10 years of trust and HNWI individual income from 50 of our clients (500 years of fundraising).
Having studied the accounts of 100 trusts from 2004 to 2018, we have a massive dataset of over 16,000 indicators. This has given us a unique insight into a group of funders who have given over £4.4 billion over 18 years. After 2008, we saw how trusts responded to the most dramatic economic slump in generations and, then, 10 years later, watch their annual grantmaking double in size.
So, what are the secrets that make trusts so resilient? Why do they increase their giving, whilst their income has been static? Do they behave as an accidental unit, moving as one, or does the behaviour of a few dominate the numbers?
This presentation is based upon our extensive data and interviews with the key players. We’ll then look at this market understanding with our 10-year analysis of the income raised by 50 of our clients. You’ll come away with a deep, evidence-based knowledge of this world of trust grantmaking. You’ll be able to set targets based upon reality, although these truths might be uncomfortable.
The doors will open at 5pm, the presentation will begin at 5.30 and from 7pm there will be a drinks reception, giving you a chance to network with the other delegates.