Parental leave can pose challenges to the management and development of donor relationships for major gift fundraising teams. Prospect research teams are well positioned to provide support during these periods.

We will look at how the University of Bristol Supporter Development Team worked closely with the University's Major Gift Fundraising Team to ensure continuity and effective prospect management across six instances of parental leave over four years. We will also look at how we utilised the opportunities and dealt with the challenges created by the provision of an additional fundraiser on a nine-month parental leave cover.