Stephen Cotterill: Learning and development crucial for fundraising’s future success

07 Mar 2025 Voices

Learning and development are crucial for the future success of the fundraising sector.

By MAY / Adobe Stock

Fundraisers are incredibly good at sharing. Every year at our Elevate conference, I am inspired not only by the conversations I have but also by the general atmosphere of openness and collaboration. Sometimes it’s hard getting the delegates to stop chatting with each other long enough so that I can get the sessions to start (or finish) on time.

However, when it comes to mentoring there are some hurdles that the sector still needs to overcome. These are discussed at length in the cover feature of this issue, and I would encourage you to take on board what is being said and consider mentoring yourself, if you are not already. It can be an extremely rewarding process both for mentor and mentee, and can be a valuable addition to any formal or informal learning and development programme within an organisation.

Learning and development are vital for the success of the sector, whether that is through mentoring or just sharing thoughts over a cup of coffee at a conference. Every month in this magazine, we publish best practice case studies, expert insight and analysis, thought leadership and strategy features contributed by practising members of the fundraising community. Over the years, we have built up a wealth of informative resources for professionals at all stages of their career and covering all channels of fundraising from events to regular giving to legacies.

To save this wealth of reference material from sitting idly behind a paywall somewhere, we’ve created the Next Steps in Fundraising guide available to download for free. Just scan in the QR code on page 26 of this edition to get your copy. The guide contains case studies from the likes of RSPB, British Heart Foundation, Parkinson’s UK and NSPCC, as well as in-depth features on a range of topics such as major donor giving, corporate partnerships and grant funding. Each chapter covers a different income channel and includes a series of exercises to complete individually or with your team, to help generate ideas and help you assess where you are on your fundraising journey and where you need to be.

@stevejcotterill is editor of Fundraising Magazine

Fundraising Magazine is a practical and inspiring magazine that provides fundraising professionals with the tools to unlock new revenue streams, yield better results from campaigns and boost donor income. Subscribe today to receive 10 issues per year and access to premium fundraising content on civilsociety.co.uk. Find more information here and subscribe today!