Major gifts rely on the successful identification of transformational wealth. However, this is no easy task! There are complex roles, assets, business structures and financial terms to navigate and value. Are we sure we are prioritising the right prospects, the truer sources of transformational wealth? Are we factoring all their assets effectively? Are we aligning our asks at the right time and in the right way? Join Jonathan Jeffery, Co-Founder of Pyro.Solutions & PyroTalks CIC, as he explores true sources of transformational wealth, outlining high potential roles and sectors, their assets, liquidity moments and ask planning, along with practical tips on identifying prospects that might be right before eyes.

The session will outline how The Universities of Leeds and Bath are using data insights to align the work of our engagement and fundraising teams. At the core is measuring levels of engagement over time. We then combine that with prospect interests and capacity to target the work of engagement/communications to enhance our donor interactions and develop a pipeline of future prospects. Insights from the data also bring focus the work of fundraisers to show how effectively we are using our time and resources to maximise fundraising performance. Intermediate Level CASE Career level: 3 - 4

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.

Same goal, different methods! In this session, discover how University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter built and enhanced their fundraiser pool management reports using two distinct interactive data visualization tools: Power BI and Tableau. You will gain insight into the metrics used to assess performance and monitor progress, the key data points used to provide a comprehensive overview of the pool, and how this information informs and shapes pool review discussions. This session is accessible to everyone, whether you’re part of a large team or working solo, and regardless of whether you have access to similar software.

This is the first of two sessions on scholarships and will focus on the 'what', 'why' and ‘how’. We’ll start by outlining the building blocks for success followed by a panel discussion with practitioners who will share success stories and answer your questions. We’ll cover: what constitutes a scholarship (vs bursary or prize); benefits for institutions/recipients; effective internal communications, governance and efficient processes to enable success.

Participants will explore how to ensure your culture and processes are optimised for campaign. Through the University of Warwick examples attendees will be guided through critical process's that ensure readiness and alignment with goals. You will gain insight and tools to bring your teams on a journey to Campaign readiness. Intermediate Level CASE Career level: 3 - 4

How we moved away from responsive ad hoc queries/reporting requirements from across the team (and beyond) to develop a suite of dashboards that provide real-time data enabling real-time data driven decisions at a strategic level and a programme delivery level.

In 2023, the Cambridge Development Research and Due Diligence Team were given an ambitious target which, if met, could double the size of the prospect pool in just one year. Meeting this challenge would take creativity, experience, initiative and a little bit of luck. The project would involve a radical ramp-up of prospect identification, exploring new (to the University) jurisdictions and demographics, with all the attendant due diligence considerations. It would also involve a cultural shift; a new way of thinking, talking about and tracking research activity and the value we add. Join Development Research and Due Diligence Manager Natalie Burles to hear more about how Cambridge looked outside of its traditional donor pools and processes to tackle a global prospecting challenge, and the lessons learned along the way; on everything from prospecting, to due diligence, to data, and beyond.

We recently launched our first philanthropic campaign. In this session we will share how we prepared for a successful campaign launch event. We will cover what worked, what didn’t work and how we will do it differently next time. We will discuss data segmentation, data quality, sourcing a diverse range of known and new invitees, planning for and producing the event briefing, and working with teams across the office in a high pressure situation.