19-03-2026
Guidance
Case study
©National Trust Images / Paul Harris
Trees. Hedges. Meadows. Ponds. Essential urban infrastructure that bring countless benefits to people in built-up neighbourhoods across the UK.
Parks, green spaces and nature are the biggest source of pride for people living in towns and cities, with many citing a chance to connect with nature as one of the main benefits they bring.
Fundraising is one way that small organisations working to connect more people to their local green and blue spaces can achieve this goal, but it can be tricky to know where to start.
This guide is a taster of a fundraising webinar series by Nature Neighbourhoods in 2024. From public donations to grants, a range of speakers give an overview of what it’s all about and help community organisations get ready to bring more nature home.
Check back later this year to watch recordings from the series, with more detail on each of the topics below. You can also join our newsletter to hear when they’re available.
Discover fundraising in all its forms, from types to models and streams.
Helen Shone, as Fundraising Development Manager for the National Trust, talked about different approaches to fundraising with a spotlight on those most relevant to small charities or Friends Of groups. Check back later in 2026 to view the full webinar, looking at what makes a good fundraising proposition, and the importance of being ‘fundraising ready’.
Find out how to access funds from ‘public’ sources of money – otherwise known as statutory grants.
In this session, Kelly Thomas, as National Grants Manager for the National Trust, shared her top tips to access statutory grants and some of the main sources of them in the UK. She looked at the likely criteria for these types of grant and how to get under the skin of potential funders to strengthen your application.
Learn what’s likely to make a trustee tick - and how to build long-term relationships with Trusts and Foundations.
In this session, Laurinda Luffman, Head of Trusts & Foundations at RSPB and Anna Vaughan, Philanthropy Relationship Manager at the National Trust, looked at the importance of getting to know the people behind a Trust or Foundation. They discussed how to ‘sell’ your project and offered examples of a written application. Once available, the recording will also include a walk-through of a Trust and Foundation application process.
Get the insider view of how to secure donations from companies through corporate fundraising.
In this session, Fay Jackson, as Funding Partnerships Manager at the Co-op, talked about how they support their members and communities through the Co-op difference, and how you might approach businesses with fundraising opportunities in mind. Catherine Marr, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager at RSPB, shared a non-governmental perspective including the importance of mutual benefits in corporate fundraising and ways to manage risk.
Discover the concept of ‘meanwhile use’ - the idea of making an income from assets such as spaces or buildings.
In this session, Casey Morrison, Volunteering & Participation Consultant for the National Trust, shared a toolkit to apply ‘meanwhile use’ for fundraising in local green spaces. The toolkit has activity ideas and examples of how to analyse their potential impact using SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat). He also looked at ‘impact’ vs ‘do-ability’ mapping to help decide if a fundraising venture is right for you.
Learn how to help people understand why they might want to give to your cause in a compelling way.
In this session, Rory Crawford, Project Manager for the National Trust, helps with ways to answer the key question: out of all the stories in the world, what makes yours unique? From setting the scene to explaining impact and fundamentals like costings and timelines, Rory looked at how to build a case for financial support and shared case studies from National Trust places to inspire your own.
Nature Neighbourhoods was a national partnership programme between the National Trust, RSPB and WWF, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Co-op.
The programme’s big idea was to work alongside 18 community organisations over 2 years, helping them co-create people-powered plans for nature in their own neighbourhoods.
Each collaborative plan was firmly rooted in whatever nature and climate actions are most important to the people living and working there. And they were brought to life with Nature Neighbourhood’s funding, support and training.
