Major donor residential course returns in 2015
Howard Lake | 15 September 2014 | News
The Institute of Fundraising is running its Major Donor Residential course again next year, following the success of its inaugural three-day course this year. It will take place at Aston University, Birmingham from 3 – 5 February 2015.
The course offers plenary sessions from the ‘MDR Faculty’, the six leading practitioners and consultants in major donor fundraising who deliver the course, together with guest speakers, including a panel of wealthy individual donors.
Delegates can choose some sessions to tailor the course to their requirements. They will also work in one of several MDR Tutorial groups where they can discuss issues in smaller groups, work on case studies and take part in role play exercises.
Why a three-day course?
Paul Marvell, Director of Professional Development and Membership at the Institute of Fundraising, explained why the course was developed. He said:
“The Major Donor Residential is the Institute of Fundraising’s response to the skills shortage in major donor fundraising being experienced by charities of all sizes. We wanted to put together an immersive learning experience that would really make a profound impact on those attending and allow them to make a step change in their major donor fundraising. Attending MDR is an investment that will repay itself many times over.”
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The course has been developed with fundraising consultants More Partnership.
Simon Pennington, MDR Faculty Member and Director at More Partnership explained that last year’s attendees ranged from those just starting in a major donor role to charity CEOs.
One delegate was able to report on her success within days of attending the course.
Sarah Williamson, Head of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications, Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust, told the Institute:
“You might be pleased to hear that when I came back to my office, I was able to confidently prep my CEO for a major donor meeting on the Friday straight after the course. The end of that story is that on the following Tuesday, we had the news that we were able to secure the largest single donation in our history! So thank you so, so much for the help and advice.”
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiHLg6uALdc[/youtube]
Photo: £50 notes by Claudio Divizia on Shutterstock.com
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.