About Course
Building Funder Relationships That Last
CPD Accredited – July 2026 Edition
A practical, UK-focused training course on cultivating, managing and sustaining meaningful relationships with funders, grounded in charity law, the Code of Fundraising Practice and best practice across every stage of the funder lifecycle.
Who Is This Course For?
This course has been designed for anyone responsible for building and managing relationships with funders in a UK charity or voluntary organisation. Whether you are a:
- Fundraiser or development professional managing a portfolio of grant relationships
- Trustee with strategic oversight of income and funder engagement
- Chief Executive responsible for senior-level funder relationships and partnerships
- Volunteer or new entrant stepping into a fundraising or development role
- Finance lead who wants to understand the relationship context behind grant funding
- Charity manager seeking to build a sustainable, diversified funding base
This course will give you the knowledge, frameworks and legal grounding to build funder relationships that go far beyond individual grants, relationships that are ethical, compliant and built to last.
Course Overview
6 modules · Average 3 to 4 hours to complete · Work at your own pace
Understanding the UK Funding Landscape
Before you can build a funder relationship, you need to understand who funders are, how they operate and what drives their decision-making. This module maps the UK funding ecosystem, from charitable trusts and foundations to statutory bodies, lottery distributors, corporate funders and community foundations. You will learn how grant-making trusts are legally constituted under the Charities Act 2011, the significance of their governing document and charitable objects, and what the Trustee Act 2000 means for how funders assess grant recipients. The Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice frames everything.
Research & Prospect Development
Effective funder relationships begin long before you make an approach. This module covers how to research funders thoroughly and legally, using the Charity Commission register, Companies House, 360Giving and GrantNav to build genuine intelligence about prospective funders. You will learn what UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 permit in prospect research, how to conduct a Legitimate Interests Assessment, and how to build and prioritise a funder prospect pipeline that reflects your organisation’s real strengths and alignment.
Making the Approach
How you make your first approach to a funder matters as much as what you say. This module covers the principles of ethical, intelligent funder engagement, how to make contact, the etiquette of funder meetings, how to tailor your case to different funder types, and what the Code of Fundraising Practice requires in terms of honesty, transparency and respect. Worked examples of strong first approaches and what not to do are included throughout.
Legal & Ethical Duties in Funder Relationships
Funder relationships come with legal and ethical obligations. This module covers your duties under the Charities Act 2011, grant agreement obligations, the legal implications of restricted and unrestricted funds under the Charities SORP, your obligations under UK GDPR when managing funder contact data, and the Fundraising Regulator’s expectations around honesty and transparency. Practical guidance on what to do when things go wrong is included.
Stewardship, Nurturing the Relationship
Winning a grant is just the beginning. Stewardship is the ongoing work of keeping funders informed, valued and engaged so they invest again. This module covers the principles of excellent grant stewardship, impact reporting, financial reporting, communicating bad news professionally, and the etiquette of thanking funders in ways that comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice. You will also learn how to move funders along a relationship journey from transactional grant-makers to genuine long-term partners.
Long-Term Relationship Strategy
The final module brings everything together. You will learn how to diversify your funding and build income resilience, including the Charity Commission’s expectations on financial sustainability and concentration risk, how to plan renewals and secure multi-year funding, how to build your organisation’s reputation as a funder-ready charity, and how to handle rejection professionally when a relationship ends.
What You Will Learn
On completion of all modules, you will be able to:
- ✓ Understand how the UK funding ecosystem is structured and what drives funder decision-making
- ✓ Conduct thorough, legally compliant funder research using the Charity Commission register, 360Giving and other authoritative sources
- ✓ Make a confident, well-targeted first approach to prospective funders in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice
- ✓ Comply with your legal and ethical obligations in managing funder relationships, including under UK GDPR and the Charities SORP
- ✓ Deliver excellent funder stewardship that keeps relationships strong and encourages repeat investment
- ✓ Build a strategic funder relationship plan that protects against concentration risk and supports long-term financial resilience
Benefits for You and Your Organisation
✓ Secure More Repeat Funding
Strong funder relationships lead to repeat grants and longer-term partnerships. This course teaches you how to turn one-off funders into sustained supporters.
✓ Stay Legally Compliant
Know your obligations under UK charity law, the Code of Fundraising Practice and UK GDPR, and manage funder relationships with confidence that you are on the right side of the rules.
✓ Build Funder Confidence
Funders back organisations they trust. Excellent stewardship, transparent reporting and ethical engagement signal the credibility that attracts sustained investment.
✓ Protect Your Organisation
Understanding concentration risk and building a diversified funder portfolio means your organisation is protected when individual funders change priorities or funding ends.
✓ A Resource You Will Keep Using
Download and save the course for future reference. Return to it whenever you are onboarding a new fundraiser, reviewing your funder strategy or preparing for a key approach.
✓ Recognised Achievement
Complete all six modules and receive a personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion to support your continuing professional development.
– Amie Elliott, GeckoFundraising Ltd
How It Works
Complete your purchase using our secure online card payment. Access to the full course is granted immediately upon payment being received, no waiting, no delay.
Work through the modules online at any time, at your own pace. Your progress is saved automatically in your browser, so you can dip in and out across multiple sessions to fit around your work. Please complete the course on the same device and browser throughout, as your progress is stored locally and will not transfer between devices.
Once complete, save the course as a PDF to keep on your desktop. Return to it whenever you need it, a practical reference resource you will use again and again.
Complete all modules and generate your personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion instantly, at no extra cost, a record of your professional development to share with trustees, employers or commissioners.
Course Investment
One-off payment including VAT · No subscription · Instant access on payment
- Complete online at your own pace, 3 to 4 hours on average
- Full course available to download and save for future reference
- Links to authoritative UK legislation and official guidance throughout
- Personalised, printable CPD-accredited certificate of completion on finishing all modules
- Course content covers the legal framework for charities in England and Wales · Also available in course bundles and the Full Catalogue (£649 including VAT)
Access to the course content is granted immediately upon receipt of your completed online card payment. You will be able to start learning straight away.
Important: complete this course on one device
Your progress, knowledge-check answers and certificate details are saved locally in the browser you use to open the course. They are not stored on our server and will not transfer to another device, or to a different browser on the same device. Please start and finish the course using the same device and browser. Clearing your browser history or site data, or using a private or incognito window, will also erase your progress. Your downloadable copy of the course is unaffected and can be opened anywhere.
Course Content
Building Funder Relationships That Last
Building Funder Relationships That Last