FSI training helps small charities that may otherwise not be able to afford to invest in staff skills, to diversify, secure and retain donors.

The FSI delivers 8 training sessions per quarter, free of charge for individuals from 100% not for profit organisations with an annual raised voluntary income of less than £1.5 million.

An Introduction to Major Gifts.

Major Donor fundraising is the fastest growing area of new income for charities in the UK and internationally.  This session equips delegates with an understanding of major gift strategies, boosts confidence in making ‘the ask’ for donations and helps them to develop long term strategies for securing major gifts for their organisations.

Stewardship.

This one day course is a chance for delegates get creative with how they thank and maintain a relationship with donors. Delegates leave the session understanding the vital role of Stewardship in increasing long term support and with a lot of ideas as teams fight it out for the prize awarded for the most creative Stewardship idea!

Building your Donor Base and Cultivating Donors.

Developing a relationship with donors is vitally important, as it is through this process that donors and charities learn about each others passion, vision and expectations. This session gives practical advice behind the process of identifying, researching and developing plans for Major Donors to ensure continued support for your charity.

Exploring Current Social Networks.

This half day workshop is a chance for delegates to make their ‘funding treasure map’, get colourful and realistic about how they will access future support for their charity to ensure sustainability. Each delegate leaves with a big piece of paper filled with contacts and prospects they may not have realised they already had, together with ways of moving these networks forward to ensure success.

Successful Fundraising Events.

This session equips delegates with the knowledge and tools to deliver an efficient and effective fundraising event that ensures that the event not only raises funds but will raise awareness and bring new supporters and donors into their organisation. Delegates return to their organisations with their project book started, ready to implement their plan for their next event.

Thinking about an Appeal?

This session is an important reality check for an organisation contemplating running a capital appeal, from the early stages when organisations must be honest and ask ‘is this the right time for an appeal?’ to the details of planning, strategy, management and evaluation of the process. Delegates are able to learn from Pauline’s first hand experience as National Campaign manager for the NSPCC’s Full Stop appeal.   
     
Building your Core Case for Support.

This two day course empowers delegates to develop an inspiring internal document that creates a uniform message about why they are important as an organisation, how they make a difference and what people can do to support or get involved. Within this interactive session delegates prepare and deliver presentations to the rest of the group, help each other to identify their USP, and leave with their Case for Support structure in place, ready to complete when they return to their organisations.

Funding from Trusts and Foundations.

With an estimated 10,000 independent trusts and foundations in the UK giving £2 billion in grants each year they are a prime source of funding for Not-for-profit organisations. This session helps delegates to prepare concise, well-researched and tailored proposals to ensure the delivery from trusts and foundations.

If you are interested, have a look at our Events calendar to see what is going on.

This is what previous delegates have said:

‘May I take this opportunity to say how useful our fundraising team has found the courses they have attended which have been run by the FSI and what a useful additional to our fundraising skills this is proving to be.  So many thanks from us all!’
Jennie Meadows, The Place2Be.

‘Thanks so much. My colleague attended your event yesterday on Appeals. He said it was extremely informative, worthwhile and professionally run with real tools to help do the job. I’m looking forward to feeling as enthused!’
FareShare

Thinking About An Appeal Training

‘I just wanted to thank you both for a great course yesterday - probably the best I've ever been on in terms of practical as well as theoretical support. Inspired, invigorated (and healthily traumatised by the reality of it all), I struck while the iron was hot and got started on rethinking/overhauling our campaign strategy when I got in last night!!
Anyway, thank you so much again for yesterday and for making me feel so welcome’
Rachael Grime, Chief Executive, Derbyshire Community Foundation.

Thinking About an Appeal Training

‘Your training has been the highlight of my year so far!  Really superb, practical and inspiring.’
Ondine Upton, Working Families.

‘Just wanted to say thanks for the benefit of your considerable expertise and knowledge last Friday, it really got me thinking, and for a one day training (which I often find next to useless) it was invaluable.’
Vivienne Hayes, Chief Executive, Women's Resource Centre
An Introduction to Major Gifts Training

‘Two of the most knowledgeable and inspiring fundraisers I have met.’
Jon Cann, Fields in Trust.

‘Absolute gold dust – taught with passion and experience – very exciting’

An Introduction to Major Gifts Training Training

‘Just wanted to send my thanks for the Appeal training on Tuesday. It was incredibly useful, and is exactly the sort of focused and tangible advice that helps charities get results.’
Jonathan Pelluet, Corporate Development Manager, FareShare.

Thinking About an Appeal Training

'Many thanks – this is a fantastic service your organisation is providing for charities like ours.'
Howard Hurd, Director of Funding and Development, The Down Syndrome Educational Trust.

‘The work of the foundation is just what the third sector needs and I was excited to find out that such work is going on.  I really hope that we can work together in the future.’
Charlotte Alcock, Music and Change (MAC).