Periodic Consulting

There are many reasons why clients choose periodic fundraising consultancy services, rather than request a comprehensive study, strategy review or a full-time campaign manager.

It could be that you already have a large, very experienced in-house fundraising team, able to pick up many of the specialist fundraising tasks that consultants are usually asked to provide. In these cases, we offer a tailored, step-by-step partnership that complements existing strengths and injects clarity or momentum when it’s needed.

National Lottery applications

We also offer a service to help you benefit from our expertise in planning and submitting major applications to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Lottery Community Fund, Arts Council England or Sport England. If you’ve never completed an application before, or you’ve struggled to find success with these key grant-makers, you may be interested in engaging us to provide specialist guidance that will set you on your way.

Project Development

New fundraising initiatives require careful planning and the appropriate delivery mechanisms. Often your existing team may not have previous experience of such initiatives and therefore the best solution may well be to bring in periodic support to ensure that the programme is ready at the right time and with the right impact.

Campaign development support

You may have a sizeable in-house development team, but are also planning a major capital fundraising project in addition to meeting your essential annual revenue costs. In this situation, it makes sound business sense to invest in some short-term additional resource to help deliver the capital campaign, which could be hands on major gifts fundraising, or mentoring and training your in-house team to develop the new skills required.

Training

Sometimes our clients want to focus on skills development. Through our suite of training packages, we can upskill both volunteer leadership and in-house development teams on topics such as asking for the money and bid writing.

The key elements of periodic fundraising support

Whilst this varies from client to client, our consultancy services will often include:

The key benefits

  • Supports your existing fundraising staff with expert advice and guidance when they need it most
  • Strengthens grant success with major funding bodies like the National Lottery Heritage Fund
  • Provides short-term additional back-up when planning or delivering a capital fundraising campaign
  • Helps to ensure that new projects or programmes benefit from wider knowledge and experience

"We have a small team here at The London Clinic, so the support of Gifted has been invaluable to ensure we progress fundraising plans at pace. The Gifted teams experience mixed with their approachable nature ensures it’s always a pleasure to work with them on achieving our ambitious goals."
Rachael Church, Executive Director, The London Clinic

"Whilst we have a dedicated team of volunteers at St Paul’s, we did not know how to go about raising the funds we need for our project. The training and mentoring package we’ve had from Amy has been so valuable. Not only have we gained new skills to take forward for the future, but we have benefitted greatly from the specialist knowledge about what is required for applications which Amy has given us."
Rev. Michael Woodcock, Parish priest at St. Paul’s, Witherslack

"The planning of Dippy on Tour North West has been fun, inspiring and challenging all at the same time. We enlisted Gifted to add extra capacity to our team for this major project and their professional guidance has been invaluable in shaping and delivering our plans." 
Darren Grice, Deputy Chief Executive, Link4Life

"Gifted is helping us to steer a course for a new generation of giving at the Goldsmiths’ Company. Throughout our long history, philanthropic giving has always been central to what we have stood for. We are grateful for Andrew’s insights and advice on how best to ensure that we inspire our members so that we can continue to be relevant contributors to national life."
Sir David Reddaway, Clerk, The Goldsmiths’ Company

Further information

Client assignments
  • Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust
  • akt
  • Bolton NHS Charitable Foundation
  • British School at Rome
  • Canterbury Cathedral Trust
  • Christ Church Ardsley
  • Christ Church Dore
  • CARA/Universities UK
  • De Montfort University
  • Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust
  • Gloucester Cathedral
  • Hadleigh Grand Foeffment Charity
  • King Edward VI Camphill School for Boys
  • Kent Surrey & Sussex Air ambulance Service
  • Kissing It Better
  • Leeds Hospitals' Charity
  • Malvern St James Girls' School
  • MCC Foundation
  • Myton Hospice
  • Norfolk Hospice
  • NorthCare Charity
  • RCDSC, Nepal
  • Rochdale Development Agency
  • Rochdale Music Service
  • St Olaf's Church Wasdale
  • St Mary's Church Dalton
  • Seacombe United Reformed Church
  • Solihull School
  • Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation
  • St Mary's Collegiate Church Warwick
  • St Mary's Calne
  • St Paul's Witherslack
  • The Airey Neave Trust
  • The Bach Choir
  • The Egypt Exploration Society
  • The Kennel Club Charitable Trust
  • The King's School Macclesfield
  • The Leeds Library
  • The London Clinic
  • The Lord Leycester Hospital
  • The Skinner's Company
  • Vintage Trains Charitable Trust
  • Wakefield Grammar School Foundation
  • Warwick Independent Schools' Foundation
  • Warwickshire College
  • Wren Hall
  • Youth Adventure Trust
Services list

Feasibility Studies
Campaign Management

Strategy Reviews and Development Audits
Periodic Consulting

Legacies
Communications

Periodic Consulting resources

Case Studies

The Lord Leycester Hospital

Achieving success with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

View Case Study

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust

Why periodic consulting can create the perfect fundraising partnership.

View Case Study

Guides

How To Appoint A Fundraising Consultancy

View Guide

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

View Guide

Insights Videos

Finding A Way Through Your Next Fundraising Challenge

Newsletters

Update - Autumn/Winter 2024

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Autumn/Winter 2024.

View Newsletter

Update - Spring/Summer 2024

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Spring/Summer 2024.

View Newsletter

Update - Autumn/Winter 2023

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Autumn/Winter 2023.

View Newsletter

Update - Spring/Summer 2023

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Spring/Summer 2023.

View Newsletter

Update - Autumn/Winter 2022

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Autumn/Winter 2022.

View Newsletter

Update - Spring/Summer 2022

Read about the latest Gifted updates from Summer/Spring 2022.

View Newsletter

Update - Autumn/Winter 2021

View Newsletter

Update - Spring/Summer 2021

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Update - Autumn/Winter 2020

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Update - Spring/Summer 2020

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Update - Autumn/Winter 2019

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Update - Spring/Summer 2019

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Update - Autumn/Winter 2018

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Update - Spring/Summer 2018

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Update - Autumn/Winter 2017

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Update - Spring/Summer 2017

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Update - Autumn/Winter 2016

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Podcasts

Gifted Talks Fundraising Podcast 4: Who to ask for a gift, when, and for how much?

In this episode, we discuss how the Prospect Evaluation & Rating process can:

  • Power your capital fundraising campaign, starting at the feasibility study.
  • Prioritise your urgent asks, by assessing your givers' capacity, interest, access and propensity to make the gifts needed to win.
  • Resolve how much money to ask each prospect to give.

Please send your questions or suggestions for future discussion topics to: [email protected]

Gifted Talks Fundraising Podcast 3: Legacies - the extraordinary lifetime gift

In this episode, we discuss how to create a Legacy Giving programme:

  • Today, 78% of UK wealth is held by 'baby boomers', with £5b forecast to be given away by 2050.
  • Short-termism in fundraising planning, by putting off a proactive legacy campaign, will cost your charity many future major gifts.
  • "These are the most unforgettable people you may never have met"

Please send your questions or suggestions for future discussion topics to: [email protected]

Gifted Talks Fundraising Podcast 2: Planning your next Christmas/Winter Campaign

Gifted Directors Amy Stevens, Chris Goldie and Andrew Day share their extensive fundraising experience, reflecting on current challenges and emerging opportunities across the Third Sector. These candid "kitchen table" conversations offer practical insights and helpful tips on a range of fundraising topics.

In this episode, we discuss how to turn the season of 'good cheer' into fundraising success:

  • Being clear about the objectives for your Christmas Campaign.
  • When is the best time to engage your prospects?
  • Are Christmas Cards worth the effort?
  • Keeping the engagement personal, and meaningful.

Please send your questions or suggestions for future discussion topics to: [email protected]

Gifted Talks Fundraising Podcast 1: School Bursaries - fundraising that changes lives

Gifted Directors Amy Stevens, Chris Goldie and Andrew Day share their extensive fundraising experience, reflecting on current challenges and emerging opportunities across the Third Sector. These candid "kitchen table" conversations offer practical insights and helpful tips on a range of fundraising topics.

In this episode, we discuss how the bursaries at independent schools:

  • Have a powerful fundraising case.
  • Are grounded in a long history of educational philanthropy.
  • Not only transform the prospects for specific children, but strengthen the overall school culture.

Please send your questions or suggestions for future discussion topics to: [email protected]

Service Videos

Periodic Consulting

Surveys

The Fundraising Landscape - Survey Results

View Survey

Webinar Videos

Is your database working hard enough?

Trust Foundation Report Insights

How Can Churches Come Back Stronger?

NHS Fundraising: Where Do We Go From Here?

Find out more

To arrange a no-obligation discussion of your fundraising needs, contact [email protected]

Why clients engage periodic or ad hoc consultancy services