# Best use of major donor fundraising

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/05/16/best-use-major-donor-fundraising/
- Published: 2011-05-16T08:57:40+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

For the campaign or initiative that demonstrates the best use of individual major
donor fundraising.

The shortlisted entries in alphabetical order are:

Marie Curie Cancer Care

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National Trust

Scope

**Marie Curie Cancer Care**

The Marie Curie Nursing Fund

This fund is a produce developed by the major gifts team and invites supporters 
to sponsor a Marie Curie nurse (£19k a year) or healthcare assistant (£13k a year)
for each of three years in a community of their choice. It is marketed to those 
with the capacity to give a single gift of more than £5k who either have an existing
link to Marie Curie or an interest in supporting Prospects were identified through
internal prospecting – database mining, screening and external prospect research.
The Fund is promoted through personal selling by fundraising staff and individual
senior level fundraising volunteers. The target was to raise £350K per year and 
actual figures saw year 1 raise £56K in income and pledges.

**National Trust**

Quercus

The Quercus programme was developed as a new annual giving programme for major donors
giving £5k a year or more, launched in December 2007. As a membership programme 
it aimed to attract new major donors, encourage existing donors to increase their
level of giving, offer additional value to those giving at this level and recruit
a small group of committed major donor advocates. It was originally launched as 
a three-year pilot and had to meet the National Trust 3:1 RoI criteria. It had to
raise £450,000 within five years of its launch, but is actually forecast to raise
£1.1m by the end of year five, and recruit 60 members by the end of February 2010,
which happened 12 months early. As well as being major donors, Quercus members also
sit on advisory panels and the NT’s Council. They have also introduced other major
donors to the programme.

**Scope**

Grangewood Venture Philanthropy Project

This project aimed to raise £1.8m in donations and loans to modernise its residential
programme and to create provision for 15 disabled adults to live independently for
the next 50 years. Scope wanted to acquire 20 new philanthropic supporters, increase
the participation of its existing fundraising board and create better awareness.
The project launched in June 2010 and was fully funded by December 2010, with pledges
of £1.8m in donations, soft loans and commercial loans, three months earlier than
forecast. Extensive research was undertaken before launch and it redefined what 
philanthropists and major donors could achieve for Scope. As well as raising money,
it also engaged supporters in more cause related issues. It was developed as a pilot
and will now form a central part of an appeal to transform Scope’s wider portfolio
of services.

 * **[Best integrated fundraising and campaigning organisation](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/05/16/best-integrated-fundraising-and-campaigning-organisation/)**(
   16 May 2011)
 * **[Best supplier 2011](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/06/06/best-supplier-2011/)**(
   6 June 2011)
 * **[Best up and coming fundraiser 2011](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/06/06/best-and-coming-fundraiser-2011/)**(
   6 June 2011)