Every fundraiser knows the sting of a donor saying “no.”

An invaluable skill is knowing when to step back and when to learn, adapt and try again. In this encouraging conversation, Sarah Tavener, Head of Global Philanthropy at Mines Advisory Group (MAG), shares the remarkable story of how she secured a multi-million-dollar donation after 19 years of thoughtful persistence with the same funder!

We hope Sarah’s insights will help you be tenacious and creative when your idea or proposal still makes sense, so that you too get the transformational results that your hard work deserves.

We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show (e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media). You can find both Rob and Sarah on LinkedIn.

Obviously great fundraising involves building great relationships with your supporters and donors. But how do you do that in practice?

One charity that has been making wonderful progress in recent years is Rennie Grove Peace Hospice. For instance, for their recent Big Give campaign they took on their biggest ever target… and they hit it in just over 24 hours.

Laura Elliott, Head of Supporter Fundraising, talks about a range of effective strategies that have been inspired by listening to the Fundraising Bright Spots show.

This conversation with Rob includes their approach to: stewardship; thanking; the 80/20 Principle; creating Wow Moments; and a culture of learning. She also describes a Gift Aid campaign that has so far inspired an extra 7% of supporters to opt in.

We’d love to know what you think! And thank you so much for supporting our show, e.g. by sharing it with colleagues or on social media. We are both on LinkedIn.

If you'd like to make 2026 your best fundraising year ever, this episode is for you.

Fundraising trainers Rob and Ben share four powerful habits that transform your results - without adding more to your to-do list.

We explore how to: improve your results by getting laser-focused on what matters most; deepen relationships with your most valuable supporters through one simple shift; gain clarity about where to invest your precious time; and identify the leverage points that solve your biggest fundraising challenges.

These aren't about working harder - they're about working smarter. And the best part? You can start any of them today.

If you'd like to get in touch or share this episode with other charities, thank you very much! We are both on LinkedIn