Brief for a Fundraising Consultant to produce a five-year Fundraising Strategy for Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Background and current position
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House (EGH) has been open to the public since 2014, thanks to a £2.5m restoration project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Following our 10-year anniversary of opening in 2024/25, we are now looking ahead to the next 10 years.
After 11 years of operating, EGH is at a critical point in terms of its future viability. In 2023/24 the organisation had a deficit of more than £90,000, and although the charity has broken-even in 2024/25 this is largely thanks to two large one-off donations. Fundraising (via grants and private donations) has been largely led by the Director and trustees.
EGH is reliant on grant funding to cover project work and audience development activities and has been successful in doing this over the past eight years, but it has struggled to secure funding to support core costs. The EGH Friends scheme was reviewed and successfully relaunched in 2024 and has seen an increase in membership numbers and income. Several fundraising initiatives aimed at private donors have been tested in the past 12 months including a campaign (£10 for 10 years) and a donor cultivation event in May 2025.
We will be reviewing our vision and values, creating a new five-year business plan and exploring new ideas for commercial income. However, alongside this we also need a realistic fundraising strategy, relative to the size of the organisation, that the staff and trustees can deliver over the next five years.
Purpose of the consultancy
We are seeking an experienced fundraiser to produce a fundraising strategy and implementation plan for Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. This will guide future fundraising from statutory sources, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, grant-making trusts and foundations, major donors, the corporate sector and lower-level donors. The fundraising priority is to ensure the future financial sustainability of EGH while also identifying opportunities for future capital projects.
We have aspirations for a potential future capital project to recreate the house’s Victorian conservatory, and a secondary outcome of this consultancy would be an indication of how this might be achieved once the primary objective of securing the sustainability of the museum has been met.
Objectives
- Develop a five-year fundraising strategy that identifies and prioritises funding sources, how their support can be secured and for what projects or activities
- Develop a strong case for support for the organisation that provides the basis upon which approaches to funders will be made.
- Propose an implementation lan detailing timelines, roles, resource requirements, and KPIs to support delivery of the strategy.
- Develop a stewardship and acknowledgement plan to ensure all funders are appropriately thanked and their relationships with the organisation developed
Scope of work
- Review past and existing funding streams and the current status of funder relationships
- Review future organisation project plans and revenue targets
- Consult with trustees and staff, and use desk research, to map potential funding sources
- Deliver final strategy document with detailed implementation plan that takes into account the resource available to dedicate to fundraising.
- Identify organisational risks to the successful delivery of the strategy/plan, and make recommendations for mitigation
Deliverables
- Draft strategy and implementation plan for feedback from trustees and staff
- On-site presentation to museum trustees and key partners
- Final five-year fundraising strategy and implementation plan
Consultant requirements
- Proven track record in developing successful fundraising strategies for museums or heritage organisations
- Experience working with public and charitable funding bodies
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
Submission
Please submit:
- A short proposal outlining what your approach to this consultancy would be
- A draft timeline and budget for the project
- Details of relevant experience and references
- CVs of lead consultant(s)
by the deadline of 1 July 2026 to sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk
Timeline
Deadline for applications: 1 July 2026
Appointment of consultant: 1 August 2026
Draft fundraising strategy for board review: Jan 2027
Final strategy to be approved: March 2027
Implementation of strategy from April 2027
Budget
We have a budget of £8,000 to deliver the consultancy work.
We also have an additional implementation budget of £3000 to deliver new printed/digital assets and two donor cultivation events which should be spent by May 2028.
Contact
If you have any questions please contact The Director, Sally Jastrzebski-Lloyd at sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk
Funding for this project
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Funding for this business planning has been made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
