Plus option
Residential training + onsite consultancy with you
Keen to have focus and implementation support?
The Plus programme is a high impact version of the School. It’s aimed at individuals and agencies who want to go further and dive deeper into practical implementation, taking the great learning from the training and then identifying where and how to focus their fundraising.
You get all the benefits of the in-person residential school, and we then build on that with a customised full day onsite with you and your colleagues, making sure your strategy is fully embedded.
Between finishing the School and your onsite day we identify exactly how you want to spend your onsite time: developing your digital strategy, crafting a powerful case for support, improving your HNWI engagement skills, reviewing your membership proposition and more.
The onsite day in this format is only available as an add on to one of our in-person residential residential programmes. And it must be reserved before you begin the programme. If you’d like a follow-up to the online School or after you’ve finished the in-person School let us know — we can probably help.
We’ve put together all the info on the In Person School content in one place. Why not download it to review or share with a colleague?
Before the school you’ll have a one-to-one coaching session to establish your aims and interests. Following the school your coach will further develop your plan and identify the issues to be tackled in your onsite day. Depending on what you want form that day, your coach may recommend another member of the team or deliver the onsite day themselves.
Need some quick info?
- About the 28+ different modules available
- About our absolute guarantee of success
- About the outstanding programme leaders
- About the beautiful and comfortable venue
The In Person Plus option takes place in the beautiful Mere Court Hotel in Knutsford, Cheshire. For the full week you’ll be able to concentrate on fundraising, working individually and in a range of project teams on live cases and challenges including your own.We then spend a full day onsite with you, working to embed the learning and build capacity.
- Focused on creating that all important strategy with no distractions.
- 24 hour (more or less!) contact with the programme leaders for questions and answers.
- The chance to catch up with the programme leaders one to one.
- More learning opportunities: small groups, video recording, case studies.
- Live in-the-room Q and A sessions, plus optional breakfast discussion tables.
- Your 350-page workbook plus the chance to study other materials.
- In the month following the school you’ll have a full-day onsite support from a School leader.
- 90 days of follow up support- online or on the phone.
Every NAFS programme is adapted from the results of your pre-programme questionnaire and your initial one to one coaching.
Whichever option you choose, you’ll increase your knowledge and confidence in different sources: individual giving; major donors; legacies; trusts; and commercial sponsorship. We’ll also share techniques and channels: endowments, capital campaigns, face to face, direct mail, proposals and online. Finally, we’ll help you shape all this into a sustainable strategy. Only NAFS offers this integration.
See below for the topics we cover. For 2024 we also have a number of updated and new modules.
Principles of Fundraising
Successful fundraising is underpinned by a number of key principles drawn from disciplines as varied as psychology, sociology and marketing. We’ll share these with you, and show you how to apply them in your setting.
Choosing a Structure
The way you’re organised – legally and from a people perspective – can make a massive difference to your ability to attract funds. We’ll explore the options available and help you establish the best structure for success.
Creating a Value Proposition
To succeed in competitive world of fundraising you need a Value Proposition — a way of distinguishing your offering from others. We’ll show you how to create and share an effective Value Proposition — making your agency or project stand out.
Developing your Strategy
Over the programme — Online, In Person or In Person Plus — you’ll discover how relevant each of the 28 modules is to your own strategy. (You’ll also establish which are not suitable.) The result? An integrated strategy tailored to your organisation and its ambitions.
Writing a Strategy
So you’ve got lots of strategic thoughts, and some good ideas, but how do you shape them into a robust plan that you can share with senior managers or your Board? In this module we help you write a plan to win support and investment and deliver results.
NEW! Donor Demographics
What are the differences between, say, millennials and boomers in terms of attitudes, channels and propensity to give? We explore some of the surprising similarities- and differences- and how to make use of them in your fundraising.
Growing Individual Giving
Central to any contemporary strategy is a powerful individual giving approach — engaging audiences, visitors or users and turning them from supporters to donors. In two modules we show how to build inclusive and sustainable individual fundraising.
Personal Action Planning
This final module will help you crystallise the key learning from the School, and help you identify specific steps for practical action back at work using 5 key focus questions. You’ll have the chance to buddy up with a fellow participant to share ideas.
NEW! Fundraising Storytelling
Stories, our most ancient way of communicating, are a powerful way to share ideas. Neuroscience tells us they’re more memorable than data and create powerful connections to the cause. You’ll learn to shape your ask.
NEW Engaging Major Donors
Major donors, the fastest growing area of giving, are able to make a massive difference to many cultural and heritage agencies. This session explores how to identify potential and engage with High Net Worth Individuals.
Building Supporter Journeys
If you’re going to be successful you need to have a supporter journey and a stewardship strategy for every prospect. These complementary tactics shape how you can align the whole organisation around engaging donors.
Making the Ask – in person
How confident are you at asking major donors and business leaders for money? This session offers skills and tactics which will allow you to influence others in on the phone or in a meeting. You’ll get personal feedback on your impact.
UPDATED Online Engagement
Can Social Media really deliver fundraising success… or a digital diversion? These two linked models offer an insight into what is working in social media terms and how you can make the web worker harder for you — promoting donor and potential donor engagement.
Impactful Personal Pitching
This module offers you the practical opportunity to actually ‘pitch’ for money in front of an audience and then get detailed video feedback on your effectiveness. Before the pitch your coach will offer insights and practical tips on how to make an impact.
Focus on Foundations
Trusts and Foundations contribute £4B to UK charities including significant sums to culture and heritage. But to secure your share you have to understand how they really make decisions. (Not what they say!) Discover the 7 success steps.
Sponsorship and CSR
Companies are still investing in the arts. But the money is proving tougher to get. Over two modules we show you how to maximise your chances of sponsorship or CSR success – and how to turn one-off success into a long-term relationship.
Running Major Appeals
At some point in your fundraising career you’ll have to run a major appeal – a campaign, endowment or capital project. This module walks you through the five phases of a successful major appeal and exposes the five major mistakes to avoid.
NEW! Donor Decisions
Understand the latest thinking on how donors make decisions and the implications this has for you. We’ll be sharing insight from a major six-month research project with 10 UK arts organisations– applying neuroscience to fundraising.
Volunteer Board: friend or foe?
Volunteers can be a huge resource for you – helping bring contacts and ideas to the table. But these boards need careful management and a clear brief. We’ll explore how to recruit a high performing board and keep them on track.
Writing Powerful Proposals
Often the only way you can communicate with a funder is in written form. We’ll share the results of our original research which shows that structuring your proposal differently can increase your chances of fundraising success by up to 25%.
Legacy Programme Bootcamp
If you have an older audience legacies and in memoriam gifts can be a major source of support. But how do you create a legacy programme without seeming too cold and calculating? We’ll show you the key steps.
Crowdfunding: magic & myths
Does crowdfunding really work for the arts? In a fast-paced session we’ll look at examples of what works and what definitively doesn’t work when raising money from the crowd — helping you to avoid expensive mistakes.
Case for Support Playbook
At the core of your fundraising sits the Case for Support (C4S). But how do you make yours stand out? We’ll introduce you to the NAFS Playbook, allowing you to share messages clearly and powerfully to different audiences.
Stewardship and Donor Love
Securing donors is only part of the challenge. How do you steward them… and make them feel really loved? In this module we’ll explore how to keep donors and supporters on board for a long-term relationship – discover donor love!
Membership or Superclub?
Old school membership models can actually be a drag on resources and time. To succeed you need to turn your Membership into a Superclub — matching benefits to contribution. We’ll show you how organisations have done this successfully- and you can do it too.
NEW! Measuring Success
How do you really measure success in fundraising? And how do you agree with your boss the most appropriate model? In this module we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches — Return on Investment (RoI) versus Life Time Value (LTV).
Local Authority Fundraising
Raising money if you’re LA or Leisure/Culture Trust needs specific approaches. But be prepared to be encouraged by what is possible. We’ll share case studies of success from Lambeth to Lincolnshire.
Hard-to-Fundraise Causes?
So you’re a producer, an individual, a partnership, a CiC, unknown or even a touring company… Learn how to adapt your approach and structure to succeed in raising cash.
After you’ve been on the programme the team will support you to deliver your strategy and offer help and support with specific challenges
- You’ll take part in an online next step session to ensure you have a clear direction forward
- Your personal coach will again offer you a one-to-one online session to clarify your learning and action steps
- You’ll join the exclusive NAFS alumni and have access to regular professional development
PLUS! The In Person Plus programme offers all of the above plus a customised consultancy day onsite with you, your team, or your board. This day will be specifically designed to make sure you’re able to take the ideas and information in the School and turn it into action. Most participants take advantage of the day within a month of finishing the School. But you can have it whenever suits you, up to after you attend.
