Fundraising in the sector is tough right now — but we don’t have to go it alone.
In February and April 2025, the London PLUS Fundraising Community of Practice (CoP) hosted two useful sessions that brought together 29 attendees from 17 organisations from across London — all looking to share ideas, get peer support, and navigate the sector’s complex funding landscape.
What’s a Community of Practice?
A Community of Practice (CoP) is a network of colleagues tackling shared challenges. The London PLUS Fundraising CoP connects small and medium-sized homelessness organisations with funders, helping them collaborate, share insights, and learn from each other in real-time.
What we covered
Colleagues shared about some pressing issues facing fundraisers:
- Intense competition for funding is leaving many feeling burnt out, with funders themselves overwhelmed by demand.
- Corporate fundraising remains a challenge, with organisations unsure how to approach businesses — and many corporate offers focused more on short-term volunteering than long-term impact.
- Recruiting and retaining skilled fundraisers is becoming harder, and many in these roles report feeling isolated or discouraged by repeated funding knock-backs.
How do we overcome these challenges?
The sessions weren’t just about identifying problems — they also sparked powerful ideas:
- Make fundraising a team effort: From frontline staff collecting powerful stories to senior leaders building a culture of fundraising, everyone has a role to play. Developing a culture to work this way is crucial to foster from senior managers.
- Talk to trustees: Starting discussions with Board of Trustees around Social Investment, increasing fundraiser salaries, and hiring freelance support were all explored.
- Build relationships, not just applications: Whether it’s partnering with other organisations or applying for awards like the Homeless Link Excellence Awards, raising your profile adds strength to any funding bid.
- Get strategic about corporate partnerships: Focus on impact. Corporates offering CV support or mentoring can be far more valuable than a one-off volunteering day. Managing corporate funders’ expectations is crucial. As charitable organisations, we need to be clear about how corporates can mutually benefit our organisations. Future Community of Practice sessions will explore corporate funding in more depth.
- Learn and adapt: Develop strong bid writing skills and explore funding diversification, including social investment — with resources Social Investment Business offering helpful case studies.
The Bigger Picture
CoP attendees also discussed the need to influence systemic change, highlighting the Reset Homelessness campaign and Breaking the Cycle initiative as opportunities to shift from crisis responses to long-term solutions.
What’s Next?
The next Fundraising Community of Practice will dive deeper into Corporate Fundraising and takes place online on 10th July. [Book your place here!]
If you’d like to hear more or stay connected with future London PLUS events and training, reach out to Marie Stewart.
