Strategic Grants

FIA 2026 Conference
2026-02-25 12:00 - 2026-02-27 17:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Victoria, 3006
Come meet us at FIA Conference 2026!
Our team will be at stand 33 and our Grants Strategist, Chris Mills, will be chairing a panel with Coralie Nichols from Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation and Rebecca Goosen from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The session will discuss lessons on building enduring partnerships with invitation-only funders. More details below!
We’re also proud to be this year’s Fundraising Champion of the Year Award Sponsor, celebrating excellence across our sector. We can’t wait to celebrate the finalists and winners alongside you. See you at conference!
Lessons on building enduring partnerships with invitation-only funders
Friday 27 Feb 2026 – 11:05 am – 12:05 pm
Many fundraisers believe that invitation-only funders are beyond their reach, a perception that can lead to missed opportunities for impactful, long-term partnerships. But with a strategic approach focused on alignment and sustained engagement, securing support from these funders is not only possible but can lead to ongoing investment.
In this session, facilitated by Strategic Grants’ Chris Mills, Rebecca Goosen from Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria and Coralie Nichols, CEO of Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation, will share how an initial strategic email led to an $80,000 donation from ISNF, and how RBGV transformed this one-off gift into a high-value, sustained partnership.
Attendees will learn:

Strategies for identifying and approaching invitation-only funders.
The practical steps taken from both sides of the funding equation – RBGV’s proactive engagement to ISNF’s positive response.
Insights from a funder’s perspective on what makes an initial approach compelling, leading to an invitation for further discussion.
Best practices for reporting and tailored engagement to transform one-off grants into ongoing partnerships.
Tips for nurturing funder relationships for sustained philanthropic investment.

https://fiaconference.org.au/programs/?track=0&speaker=Chris+Mills&grading=0#
