How to recruit a fundraiser

Before engaging a professional fundraiser, it is important to take some time to clarify exactly what your parish needs. Being clear at this stage will help you get much better value for money and increase the likelihood of achieving the outcomes you are hoping for.

Start by identifying what you want to raise money for and over what period. Are you seeking fundraising support for a specific project or programme with a clear start and end point, or do you need longer-term support to help cover your parish’s ongoing running costs?

In funding terms, it is helpful to distinguish between capital, project or programme costs, and revenue funding. A fundraiser will need this clarity in order to target the right funders and develop a realistic fundraising plan.

• Capital funding covers one-off costs, usually linked to buildings or equipment. This includes repairs, refurbishments, new facilities or major purchases (for example, repairing a church roof, installing a new heating system, or improving a community space).
• Project or programme funding supports time-limited pieces of work with clear activities and outcomes. This might include a fixed-term youth project, a community outreach programme, or a pilot initiative. Although this funding pays for activity and staff time, it is not the same as ongoing revenue funding because it is tied to a specific project and usually ends after a set period.
• Revenue funding supports a parish’s ongoing costs with no fixed end date. This includes core salaries, routine running costs, utilities, and the general costs of keeping parish life and activities going. This is generally much harder to fundraise for from trusts and foundations. Ongoing revenue costs are usually better supported through regular giving and congregational fundraising.

Being clear about which of these you are seeking help with will make it much easier to recruit the right fundraiser and to approach funders whose priorities and grant types are a good match for your parish’s needs.

Before approaching a fundraiser, make sure you have a good grasp of your project costs. What work needs to be done? What will it cost, and over what timescale? Clear budgets and priorities make it far easier for a fundraiser to prioritise appropriate funds.

Taking time to do this thinking upfront will put your parish in a much stronger position when deciding whether to hire a fundraiser, because in some cases, it may be more cost-effective to draw on skills already present within the PCC or wider congregation, particularly for smaller or well-defined projects.

To find the right fundraiser, it is often best to go through trusted networks and professional bodies, rather than open advertising alone.

The following routes can help you identify suitable candidates:

• Your networks: Ask other parishes, deaneries or diocesan colleagues who they have worked with and what their experience was like.
• The LDF Fundraising Team has worked with a few freelance fundraisers, both directly and indirectly, and will likely be able to make recommendations. They can also help you decide whether appointing a fundraiser is the appropriate next step for your project.
• Professional directories and membership bodies: such as the Association of Fundraising Consultants (AFC). Its members are expected to adhere to professional standards and ethical practice.
• National funders, heritage bodies: who may be able to suggest consultants they regularly see delivering strong applications.
• Advertise externally, via social networks, industry publications or listings

When shortlisting candidates, it is important to look carefully at their track record.

In particular, find out which parishes or churches they have worked with before, the types of projects they supported, and the scale of those projects.

For capital projects, it is especially helpful to ask whether they have experience of successfully working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As the UK’s primary heritage funder, their requirements often set the benchmark for other funders. A lack of Heritage Fund experience should not automatically rule out a fundraiser, but it should prompt further questions at the very least.

You will also want to understand how familiar they are with parish life and church processes. This includes PCC decision-making, faculty permissions, diocesan structures and safeguarding requirements, and how they adapt their fundraising approach to work within these frameworks.

It can also be useful to ask what funding sources they think would be most relevant for your parish and project, and why. Their answer can give a good sense of how well they understand both your context and the funding landscape.

There are many generalist fundraising companies who work with a wide range of non-profit organisations. If you are considering this option, take time to do your research. Generalist fundraisers may not always be familiar with the specific dynamics of parishes, church governance or church-based funders, and this can affect the relevance and quality of their advice.

Finally, remember that shortlisting and interviewing a fundraiser is not just about experience on paper. You are choosing someone you may work closely with over many months or even years. Relationships, trust and mutual understanding matter. A good fundraiser will listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and show that they understand the realities and complexities of parish life.

Once you have appointed a fundraiser, the quality of your briefing will have a significant impact on how effective they can be. The clearer and more specific you are from the outset, the better value you will get from their expertise.

A fundraiser cannot create a compelling case in isolation, so share as much background information as possible about your parish, community, mission and the needs you are addressing. This helps ensure applications are accurate, persuasive and rooted in your local context.

Aim to provide a clear, detailed budget and be explicit about how much you need to raise. Set a realistic fundraising target and timescale, and where possible, think about phasing your project, breaking a large fundraising ask into smaller, achievable stages rather than one single total.

Crucially, share what you already know, by providing the fundraiser all relevant existing information, helping to avoid duplication and builds on previous learning. This might include:

• previous funding applications
• a list of funders you have applied to
• outcomes (successful or unsuccessful) and feedback
• copies of application text and supporting documents

There are a number of other considerations that should be taken into account:

• Responsibilities: who is responsible for approvals, sign-off, providing accurate information, and holding relationships with funders?
• Being clear on how faith, mission and community impact should be expressed, and what tone feels authentic for your parish.
• Agreeing how often you will meet and how progress will be reported.

• Record-keeping and data protection, and how to document work clearly and provide copies of all applications, correspondence and decisions.

Before any work begins, it is essential to put clear, written arrangements in place. This protects both the parish and the fundraiser, and helps ensure expectations are shared and realistic.

Make sure you have a clear written agreement or contract before work starts. This should include:

• scope of work and deliverables
• fees, payment schedule and expenses
• ownership of documents and intellectual property
• confidentiality and data protection arrangements
• reporting and review points
• notice periods and termination arrangements

Fees should always be transparent. You should never agree to work solely on a percentage or commission basis, as this is considered poor practice and can create unhelpful incentives. Payment should reflect time, expertise and agreed outputs, not the level of funding secured.

Any arrangement should align with the principles of the UK fundraising code that was updated a republished in November 2025. Your fundraiser should be willing to work within these standards and discuss how they apply them in practice. More information on the code can be found HERE

Freelance trusts and foundations fundraiser

Role description

About the parish and project

A brief summary to include:

• A short description of the parish church and setting (e.g. “a Grade I listed parish church in west London”)
• Why the project is needed (key problems to solve, e.g. access, facilities, heating, building repairs)
• What the project will enable (mission, worship, community use, heritage outcomes)
• Any relevant design stage (e.g. “currently at RIBA Stage 2, moving into Stage 3”)

Project overview

Include:

• Project title (if relevant, or if you have one yet)
• Listed status / heritage context (if relevant)
• Headline scope (plain English – e.g. repairs + reordering + new accessible WC)
• Target audiences and beneficiaries (e.g. congregation, local community, schools)
• Approximate overall budget and the fundraising target (or range)

What we need support with (this role)

Make clear this role is trusts and foundations only. Include:

• Developing a trusts and foundations fundraising strategy and plan
• Creating/refreshing a case for support for grant applications
• Researching and building a funder pipeline (a “longlist” and prioritised “shortlist”)
• Advising on project packaging (how to present costs/outcomes for different funders)
• Drafting high-quality grant applications
• Supporting the parish to gather supporting documents and evidence (e.g. policies, budgets, permissions, consultation)
• Setting up simple tracking and reporting (what’s been applied for, outcomes, next steps)
• Regular progress updates to the PCC / fundraising group

What we are not looking for in this role (to avoid confusion)

State clearly:

• This role does not cover general income generation, stewardship of individual major donors, corporate fundraising, events, or community fundraising
• The parish will manage local fundraising and communications separately

Timescale and expected commitment

Include:

• Expected start date and end date (or contract length)
• Key project milestones the fundraiser needs to work around (e.g. permissions, tender, works start)
• Expected time commitment (e.g. days per month or hours per week) – if known
• Whether the work can be remote / hybrid, and any meetings expected (e.g. evening PCC meetings)

Who they will work with

Include:

• Who will line-manage / coordinate the relationship (e.g. project lead, churchwarden, PCC rep)
• Whether there is a fundraising sub-group
• Key consultants already appointed (e.g. architect, PM) and how information will be shared

Essential experience and skills

Include:

• Strong track record of securing trusts and foundations grants for UK charities/churches
• Experience with capital and/or heritage buildings projects (if relevant)
• Ability to translate technical project information into clear funder language
• Strong writing skills and attention to detail
• Confidence working with volunteers and church governance
• Understanding of safeguarding and working appropriately in a church context

Desirable experience

Include if relevant:

• National Lottery Heritage Fund bid writing experience
• Experience with listed church buildings / faculty process
• Familiarity with other typical church funders (e.g. church and heritage grant-makers)

Fee and practical requirements

Keep it simple. Include:

• Fee approach requested (e.g. day rate and /or fixed fee)
• Request that costs include routine expenses (unless agreed otherwise)
• Insurance expectations (optional and proportionate—only include if your parish requires it)

How to apply

Ask for CV and cover letter only. Include:

• CV (max length 2 pages)
• Cover letter (1–2 pages) explaining:
  • Relevant trusts and foundations experience (especially comparable projects)
  • How they would approach this project in the first 6–8 weeks
  • Availability and proposed day rate / fee range
  • One recent example of a successful bid they led (describe, no confidential detail)

• Closing date and email address for application