In this session, Professor Richard J Aldrich, an expert on intelligence and security studies, at the University of Warwick, and Matt Ferguson, Warwick’s Director of Development will make the case for what the world of philanthropy can learn from the world of security services and professional intelligence gathering. This session is less about dead letter drops and shaken martinis than about how we build relationships that provide us with crucial philanthropic information, how do we motivate prospects do make bigger gifts then they ever have before, how should we deploy influencers and surrogates, and how can we anticipate the pitfalls – classic major gifts conundrums re-explored through the lens of espionage and tradecraft.

Professor Aldrich’s work is well known for his documentaries on the history of intelligence on Channel 4, ITV, and BBC 2.