Fundraising Bright Spots
Episodes
189. The Die Hard One - Four listens for any season, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’d like handy tips and inspiring examples from our fundraising podcast in 2025, or ideas for what to listen to next, we recorded this special ...
188. The Comeback – Adapting strategy under pressure, with Juliane Caillouette Noble
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In times of rapid change, all charities and social good organisations are having to adapt if we are to survive and continue to make an impact.The Sust...
187. Outward Mindset, with Max Newton and Lindsay Tilston Jones
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest source of stress for most fundraisers is usually conflict with other teams in your organisation. What can you do to improve internal relat...
186. Entrepreneurial Mindset, with Sam Squire
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the funding environment becomes ever more competitive, being ambitious, open to opportunities and willing to adapt is extremely valuable for charit...
185. Fundraising for a small charity, with Laura Harte
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Leading and raising funds for a small charity is demanding enough. The stakes get even higher when you need to raise a lot more money for a capital ap...
184. Major Donor Fundraising - Success Secrets, with Debbie Johnson
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Major Donors can make a huge difference to fundraising income, but fundraising with High Net Worth people can also be really challenging. Debbie John...
183. Growing Community Fundraising, with Punyapriya Singh
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Community fundraising is an invaluable income stream for many charities, both through income raised directly and all the value these relationships add...
182. Fundraising with Trusts and Foundations – Success Secrets, with Atul Kumar
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fundraising with trusts and foundations has become ever more competitive recently.What can you do to increase your success rate with these funders? A...
181. Understanding Donors, with Amy Swart
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most fundraisers know how crucial it is to build genuine relationships with people who care about your cause. But doing it in practice can be far from...
180. Books To Inspire Fundraisers, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are plenty of really good books specifically about fundraising. We’ve also found it invaluable for fundraisers to read well-written books on r...
179. How to change what’s not working, with Craig Linton
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How to change what’s not working. Sometimes in fundraising, things aren’t working, you feel overwhelmed, and you don’t know where to start. The...
178. Growing your confidence to talk to supporters, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Growing your confidence to talk to supporters makes a big difference.What’s the key to increasing High Value Fundraising Income for your charity? Bu...
177. David and Goliath - how to beat tough odds, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you beat tough odds in fundraising? For many fundraisers, the odds are now tougher than ever. Whether it's because your cause is less popular, ...
176. The power of your Why, with Cara Jean Petersen
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The power of your reason why can be immense.Charities often focus too much attention on how they help. They act and speak as though what they do is th...
175. How to attract younger donors, with Lisa Greer
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How to attract younger donors is a valuable issue for a charity to solve. Younger supporters tend to see the world differently to older generations –...
174. We aced all three big pitches – here’s how, with Katie Hillitt
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘We aced all three big pitches – here’s how.’ As most fundraisers are all too aware, pitching to funders is a complex and difficult process.In...
173. High performance culture, with Charlotte Matier
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
High performance culture is invaluable for charities seeking to make a bigger difference. What can we do to encourage an approach to fundraising that ...
172. What do Great Fundraising Organisations do? with Alan Clayton
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do Great Fundraising Organisations do, that is different to the rest? Relatively few charities and non-profits achieve impressive, sustained gro...
171. Growing existing partnerships and winning new ones, with Charlie Richardson
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Growing existing partnerships and winning new ones – these are the two main ways to increase corporate fundraising income for a charity. But they ar...
170. Think and grow rich results! with Jhumar Johnson
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thinking (more) is a powerful way to grow results. Of course, in our busy and ever more distracted world, it’s not always easy to find time to thin...
169. The Fab Four! More Inspiring Listens, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for ideas or fundraising inspiration? Look no further than this special highlights episode.Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fe...
168. Four Inspiring Listens, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’d like practical lessons and some inspiring examples from our fundraising podcast in 2024, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we...
167. How to defend philanthropy, with Dr Beth Breeze
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do we defend philanthropy? There have always been criticisms of charity in general and philanthropy in particular. But in recent years it seems t...
166. Building a transformational strategic partnership, with Megan Marsden and Natalie Wood
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Building a transformational strategic partnership is not easy. But this example shows it can be done. And the reward in furthering your mission is so ...
165. Pitching or presenting to a group - Part 2 with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pitching or presenting to a group is a valuable skill in fundraising. Many people see the purpose of a presentation as sharing information. But we’v...
164. Pitching or presenting to a group, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pitching or presenting to a group is not easy! It can feel stressful. In fact, many fundraisers dislike presenting so much they try to avoid it all to...
163. Attracting and supporting content creators, with Tom Downie
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you attract and support content creators to help your charity? There are many thousands of people who create their own content and have a thous...
162. How to get the result you really want, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you get the result you really want for your fundraising project or campaign? How can you increase your chances of achieving your outcome when t...
161. Starting a new project or side hustle, with Kenneth Foreman and James Wright
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a new project or side hustle, and keeping it going, isn’t easy. Kenneth Foreman and James Wright are both busy fundraisers and in their spa...
160. How to convince corporate partners of your value, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do you convince companies that partnering with your charity is valuable to them too? Good corporate fundraisers have always known that the best c...
159. Influencing your colleagues, with Paul McKenzie
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of the most difficult challenges for fundraisers involve influencing your colleagues. Whether it's persuading someone in another team to support ...
158. Engage your community with a podcast, with Stephanie Fuller and Adam Zmith
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought about creating a podcast to engage your community?This time we look at an award-winning podcast, The Log Books, which has run fo...
157. What Major Donors Want, Tom Hall Part 2
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our second interview with the experienced philanthropy advisor Tom Hall, we share a fundamental element that most wealthy philanthropists are looki...
156. Philanthropy advisor’s insight on how to attract major donors, with Tom Hall
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do wealthy donors most prize when they weigh up whether to make a major investment in a charity? In 10 years as a philanthropy advisor at UBS ban...
155. Inspiring your corporate partners, with Chris Salt
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best ways to grow fundraising income is to find ways to add value to relationships with supporters and partners. This makes sense in theory...
154. More ways to make Wow Moments, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many ways to deepen relationships with people who care about your good cause. At Bright Spot, one of our favourites is to create Wow Moments...
153. Using focus to grow fundraising, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you concentrate more effort developing relationships with a relatively small number of supporters or corporate partners with high potential, it b...
152. Spotting opportunities to add value, with Rob Woods and Ben Swart
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An effective way to grow fundraising income is to add value to relationships with high value supporters. But how do find ways to do it? One approach i...
151. Game-changing grants from trusts – 4 keys, with Caroline Danks
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What can fundraisers do to increase our chances of securing large, multi-year donations from trusts and charitable foundations? Rob was delighted to t...
150. High Value Fundraising using LinkedIn, with Michelle Benson
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One greatly under-estimated tool for building relationships with potential funders, corporate partners and major donors, is LinkedIn. But what’s the...
149. How to succeed in a tough fundraising environment, with Grant Leboff
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are plenty of factors that make fundraising difficult at the moment. Whether it’s the cost of living crisis, the pace of change, the sense of ...
148. How to smash silos, Part 2, with Joe Jenkins
04 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is silo working inevitable in charities? Or is it possible to create a culture where it’s the norm for the different teams to proactively help each ...
147. How to smash silos, with Joe Jenkins
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the biggest sources of stress for people working in charities is conflict between teams. Many find that however committed they are, and however...
146. Three More Key Listens, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about some of the episodes that most inspired us in 2023...
145. Three Inspiring Listens, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’d like practical lessons and a bunch of encouraging stories from our fundraising podcast in 2023, or you’d like tips on what to listen to n...
144. Lessons from a successful capital campaign, with Steph Pisharody
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This time we’re looking at capital campaigns and appeals, and in particular how to make them work if the charity you work for is relatively small. S...
143. How to smash a media appeal, with Sally Flatman
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just occasionally we (hopefully) have a bigger opportunity to reach more people and raise money. Whether it’s being chosen for a media appeal that r...
142. Precious! How to get and keep your supporters’ attention, with Grant Leboff
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Changes in technology over the last three decades mean our supporters’ now have less time, and more demands on their attention, than at any point in...
141. Winning a £1m partnership for our small charity, (from the archive) with Pippa Hind-Walsh
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many charities see the advantages of creating strategic, long-term partnerships with companies, rather than applying for those intensely competitive C...
140. Fundraising for Unpopular Causes, with Sarah Jane O’Neill
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some types of cause are less popular than others. If your charity is relatively less attractive to many people, what can you do to raise funds success...
139. Generating major gifts momentum (from the archive) with Paul Davies
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can you do to build warm, generous relationships with High Net Worth individuals who care about your cause? Rob talks to Paul Davies, who at the ...
138. Doing things differently, with Ben Akers
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In just four years, the small UK charity Talk Club has grown rapidly, making an ever bigger difference to the community it serves. There are now 78 ta...
137. Influencing colleagues, (from the archive), with Ben Swart
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most difficult challenges for many fundraisers is encouraging colleagues see things from the supporter or partners’ point of view, and to...
136. AI and fundraising - tips, ideas, ethics, with Emily Casson
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence / AI is here to stay and it’s transforming the way many sectors do business. In this episode we explore what difference AI i...
135. The value of failure, and how to find it, with Richard Turner
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at failure, and why embracing it has a powerful effect on your results. To understand this in the context of fundraising and a...
134. Attracting new corporate partners, with Laura Webb (From the Archive)
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If your charity aims to win and grow corporate partnerships, then one important asset is a proposition or first step that’s both easy to understand ...
133. The Top 20% Rule for growing Individual Giving results, with Craig Linton
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The 80/20 Principle states that results will never be evenly distributed. A minority of your donors have the potential to give much more than the majo...
132. Winning multiple corporate partners, with Cara Hoofe and Sabrina Nixon
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Corporate partnerships can make a huge impact on not only your fundraising, but also your mission directly. One of the valuable things they often brin...
131. How to create a happy, rewarding career. (From the archive), with Liz Tait
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We spend so much of our life at work, it clearly makes sense that we should aim to make this time rewarding and enjoyable. But how do you deliberately...
130. Smashing silos and promoting legacy giving (from the archive) with Claire Routley
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode with Dr Claire Routley, an expert in expert legacy fundraising, was recorded in early March 2020, when the world felt very different. Nev...
129. Attracting younger supporters, Victoria Roe (Part 2).
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can charities do to better attract younger philanthropists to their cause? Many believe this is now an especially important challenge and opportu...
128. Next Generation Philanthropy, with Victoria Roe
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This time we’re exploring how charities can better develop relationships with supporters in their teens, twenties and early thirties. Younger suppor...
127. Building self-sufficiency, with Tess Nixon Spiller
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This time we are again exploring ways to thrive and make a difference when you’re in a new fundraising leadership role. Rob talks to Tess Nixon Spil...
126. How to play to your strengths, with Joanna Dew
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To help us survive, the human brain evolved to be very sensitive to threats in the environment. But if we’re not careful, this negativity bias also ...
125. Growing major donor income from zero to £2m / year. From the Archive Ep. 7
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can you increase high value income for your charity? In this episode, Rob Woods talks to Tony Gaston about the strategies he feels contributed to ...
124. Making the most of a new leadership role, with Tess Nixon Spiller
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This time we’re looking at how to thrive in the first few weeks and months of a new fundraising leadership role. Rob was thrilled to talk to a wise ...
123. Working with celebrities and influencers, Part 2 with Paul Katz
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Obviously well-known people who share the values of your charity have the potential to make a big difference to your fundraising and mission. But how ...
122. Winning a £1m media appeal, with Beatrice Sayer
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If your charity is relatively small or less well known, how do you increase your chances of winning valuable partnerships and media appeals? This time...
121. How do you get your board to invest in fundraising? From The Archive Ep. 5
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most fundraisers agree that you won’t achieve serious growth without first investing in fundraising. But how do you actually persuade the board to i...
120. How to add Wow Factor to funding applications, with David Burgess
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
120. How to add Wow Factor to funding applications, with David Burgess by Rob Woods, Bright Spot
119. Harnessing The Influencer Effect, with Paul Katz
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clearly influencers can boost your charity’s effectiveness in various ways, including through more successful fundraising. But assuming you don’t ...
118. What a year! FOUR more listens to help now, with Louise Morris and Rob Woods
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’d like to hear some key ideas and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for what you or your team could listen to, to help w...
117. Four Valuable Listens, with Louise Morris and Rob Woods
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’d like to hear some useful lessons and stories from the podcast in 2022, or you’d like tips for you or your team on what to listen to next,...
116. An effective value proposition – WHY and HOW? with Tim Kachuriak
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In conducting thousands of fundraising experiments, Tim has found that the most reliable way any charity can grow digital income (and boost the other ...
115. Focus is Power, with Louisa Dodd and Rob Woods
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time Rob talks to the brilliant Louisa Dodd about several ideas that have brought her success this year. This includes: getting super clear on wh...
114. Three ways to increase giving in tough times, with Tim Kachuriak
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can charities do to maintain and grow income at a time when the cost of living is making life so difficult? In this episode Rob talks to Tim Kach...
113. Catalyst! Using match funding to lift giving results, with Ilana Jackman
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One tactic that can transform fundraising results is match funding. But how do you achieve the initial gifts from major donors, and how can you make e...
112. The power of consistency, with Grace Cannings
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever been inspired by a good fundraising idea or principle, but failed to put it into practice, I hope you’re going to find this a valua...
111. Stewardship that inspires – Trust Fundraising Part 2, with Neela Jane Stansfield
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can you do to build better, more long-term relationships with funders? In my second interview with trusts and foundations fundraising expert, Nee...
110. Growing trusts income through better relationships, with Neela Jane Stansfield
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time we’re looking at successful fundraising with trusts and foundations, with an interview with Neela Jane Stansfield, author of Grants Fundra...
109. Shifting Power in fundraising PART 2, with Shukry Adan and Lulu Smithwick
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can charities do to shift power to those with lived experience of the issues the charity addresses? And how can this approach improve fundraising...
108. Shifting Power – beneficiary-led fundraising, with Shukry Adan and Lulu Smithwick
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you shift power to those with experience of the issues your charity addresses? And what are the many benefits of this approach? This time, Rob ...
107. Cost of living crisis – three ideas to help fundraisers now, with Rob Woods
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dramatic rises in the cost of living continue to create challenges for charity fundraisers, and as we move towards autumn and winter, the challenges m...
106. Successful crypto-currency fundraising, Part 2, with Nicola Gunn
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wondered about ways to attract / receive donations from people interested in cryptocurrency, check out these two episodes with Nicola...
105. How to raise funds for your charity through cryptocurrency, with Nicola Gunn
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nicola and Rob talk about her charity’s progress and learnings in raising funds through crypto-philanthropy. Nicola demystifies key concepts; talks ...
104. How we grew Gift Aid claim results; and adding WOW, with Phoebe Cooper
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Phoebe and Rob talk about how she and her colleagues have helped supporters understand and see the value of claiming Gift Aid. The project has been wo...
103. Thankathon! How and why, with Alice Barley
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Settling on a specific day or week to proactively reach out to appreciate donors can be very powerful. And it’s especially valuable during tough eco...
102. Keep your fundraising talent – Part 2, with Paul Nott
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recruitment and retention of fundraisers is as challenging as it’s ever been, so this time we share more ideas and examples to help you attract and ...
101. Keep your talent! Ideas for improving retention, with Paul Nott
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As recruitment and retention of fundraisers become ever more important, in this episode we share ideas to help you keep good people thriving at your c...
100. Cost of living crisis; and thinking small, with Rachel Ketola and Phoebe Cooper
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate our 100th episode, Rob spoke to two regular listeners, both with great fundraising stories to tell. Rachel Ketola shares how being proact...
99. The surprising power of tiny habits
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After studying fundraising success for nearly two decades, Rob has found that great results rarely come from one stroke of brilliance. Rather, it usua...
98. More fundraising confidence through Story Power, with Ben Swart
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you hear real examples of your charities’ work, that connection to an important ‘why’ has a powerful effect on your fundraising mojo. But i...
97. More tips for growing your fundraising success rate, with Ciaran Biggins.
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ciaran Biggins is an experienced fundraiser and the founder of MindFood, a small London charity which uses gardening to help people improve their ment...
96. MindFood – raising funds for a small charity, with Ciaran Biggins.
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ciaran Biggins is an experienced corporate fundraiser who over a decade ago decided to set up a social enterprise to help people with their mental hea...
95. The power of knowing your values, with Martha Awojobi
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time Rob interviews Martha Awojobi, who two years ago changed the focus of her career from fundraising to anti-racism consultancy for the charity...
94. Digital fundraising success, especially now, with Emily Casson.
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Clearly digital approaches can help your fundraising success, but digital also feels daunting to many charities. So how do make it work in practice? I...
93. Transform income through fabulous, consistent engagement, with Rob Woods
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The first story I share in this episode is of a charity’s appeal raising SIX TIMES more than its (already ambitious) target. How did they do it? I b...
92. Win that pitch! with Laura Matthews and Rob Woods
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you can build partnerships informally, without needing to pitch, but sooner or later most corporate fundraisers will be asked to pitch forma...
91. More ways to grow major donor and mid-level income, with Lynda Harwood-Compton
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most fundraisers are aware that improving relationships with supporters helps grow high value results. But what can fundraisers do to achieve this in ...
90. Using stories and contrast to inspire, with Ben Swart and Rob Woods
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you get the chance to explain your charity’s work, we’ve found that what you choose to say or write makes a big difference to fundraising res...