Stop Chasing Applications. Start Securing Invitations

I teach fundraisers and foundation grantees to build relationships with funders before there's ever an application to submit.

Take the funder gap check

Back in my first role as a Trust & Foundation fundraiser I had a spreadsheet I loved.

My job was simple: find the next application date, write a beautiful proposal, and submit it.

That process made sense until it didn't.

A lot of foundations no longer have open calls. Those who do are inundated. The maths stopped working.

When I started working with fundraising teams, I realised my route in wasn't replicable. So I had to find one that was.

What gets results now is something completely different to an organised spreadsheet. It's about building a relationship before the application opens, through visibility, credibility and positioning.

Now I help fundraisers make the same shift.

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Everyday fundraisers like you are

✗ Writing proposals for open calls while the most significant foundations don't even have an application form

✗ Watching peer organisations land major gifts from funders you've never encountered

✗ Hearing 'we work by invitation only' and having no idea what to do next

✗ Building your whole strategy around accessible funders, then wondering why results stay small

✗ No clear path to the funders who could move the needle

Imagine instead....

✓ Knowing exactly which invite-only funders align with your work — and how to get on their radar

✓ Programme officers seeking you out because you showed up in the right places

✓ Building genuine relationships with foundation staff before there's ever a formal ask

✓ Receiving an invitation to submit — from a funder you'd been working towards for months

✓ A pipeline that includes funders who actually align with your work, not just based on their open or closed status.

UPCOMING TRAINING

How to get in front of invite-only funders

A practical, results-focused 4-session course that transforms how your organisation positions itself to get on funders' radars.

Get on the waitlist

"I think I would attend any webinar you put on based on the impact of today's session."

Lizzie Wright, 24-7 Prayer

Here's how we can work together to make it happen:

Invite-Only Funders Training

The popular 'How to Get in Front of Invite-Only Funders' training course runs twice a year.

I also run the training for teams, funder grantee cohorts and networks. Want bespoke training? Please be in touch.

Invite-Only Funders Intensive

Eight weeks of training and implementation support to build your prospect pipeline and get in front of invite-only funders.

You'll learn the methodology, then build working systems with expert guidance - walking away with a prospect pipeline, network activation plan, and clear positioning frameworks.

Fundraising Strategy Development

I'll create a fundraising strategy for your organisation from prospect research and stakeholder interviews to implementation roadmaps and cultivation frameworks.

Add coaching to embed the approach across your team, or design something bespoke for your needs.

Some of the organisations I've worked with

And over 4,500 fundraisers trained across the globe.

FREE FUNDER GAP CHECK

Not sure where to start?

Take the free funder gap check.

Three minutes to find out exactly where your gaps are.

I want to take the check

"Michelle was mind blowing. I was hooked on every word she said. I feel so enriched by the course. She really illustrated well the out-of-box thinking necessary for this work. I also feel like what she taught is also applicable in other things I do, not just fundraising."

Brad, Habonim Dror

Curious about working together?

Let's chat

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