How many times have you applied to the same funder, or tried to build a relationship with a partner, before deciding enough is enough?
Two years? Three? Five, if you’re particularly determined?
I recently enjoyed a fascinating conversation with Sarah Tavener, Head of Global Philanthropy at MAG — the Mines Advisory Group, which removes landmines and unexploded ordnance from conflict-affected communities around the world.
Sarah is a graduate of Major Gifts Mastery and in our conversation for the Fundraising Bright Spots podcast, Sarah shared that she applied for the same philanthropy prize nineteen times!
In the summer of 2025, MAG was awarded a philanthropy prize and donation from a single foundation. It was worth $3,000,000 in unrestricted funding.
I found this story, and how it can help any of us to keep going in spite of our own fundraising setbacks, truly inspiring.
Know when to keep going — and when to walk away
The first thing Sarah is clear about: being ‘persistent’ only makes sense if it’s a conscious choice. Don’t be a tenacious martyr for the sake of it! Obviously not every “no” deserves a second application, let alone a nineteenth.
Her thought process is worth unpicking. Each year, she returned to the same question: does MAG genuinely fit what this prize is looking for? The answer, consistently, was yes. MAG alleviates human suffering — the prize’s core purpose — and over the years was doing it for more people in more places. Whilst there was certainly lots of competition, their eligibility to be applying was not in doubt.
She advises us to distinguish between what type of ‘no’ you are getting. A “never darken our doors again” is a clear signal to move on. But most rejections don’t say that. They are often more likely to mean: not this time, not quite, not yet. Those are very different messages — and treating them as final is a mistake.
So before you write off a funder, ask yourself honestly: do we fit? What kind of no did we actually receive? And have we made our case in the most inspiring way we can?
The wider lesson: many fundraisers give up too soon
This isn’t only about a philanthropy prize or foundation grant. The same principle applies to any high-value relationship you’re trying to build — a potential or past corporate partner, a major donor who attended your event, a trust you’ve had some communication with that didn’t lead to anything.
In my experience, one of the most common fundraising mistakes is giving insufficient creativity and tenacity to the funding relationships with the greatest potential. As a result, one theme from our training that people find valuable is about taking advantage of the so-called 80/20 Principle.
In a busy fundraising job, it’s easy to see how it often doesn’t happen unless you’re focused and deliberate about giving some time to the opportunities with high potential.
Sometimes you’re not super clear how much more valuable and fitting this funder would be, and therefore deserving of your focus, than others.
Sometimes, you just get distracted by other things on your to do list. In truth they are urgent, but compared to the other thing, not nearly as important.
What Sarah’s story asks us to consider is this: rather than moving on, what’s another way to add value to this important relationship? What’s a fresh angle, a new story, a different reason to get in touch?
Tenacity usually doesn’t mean doing the same thing again and again, like a fly against a window. Almost always it means being willing to learn from your progress so far and from what hasn’t worked yet. And try something else!
And if that doesn’t work? Try something else…
Building the relationship, year by year
Sarah was determined to add value to the relationship where possible. She shared stories with the foundation team outside of the formal process. A Happy Thanksgiving message. An update on a development that felt relevant to someone she’d already spoken with. Small things, done consistently, that helped the foundation understand not just MAG’s work — but the passion and character of the people behind it.
For example, during a visit to Cambodia, Sarah noticed that a member of the foundation team loved dogs. MAG uses detection dogs to help clear land in several countries. Later on, when MAG deployed dog teams to Ukraine, Sarah shared that story — knowing her contact would be interested.
The disproportionate value of sharing real examples — especially ones that connect with what you know a funder cares about — is one of the principles that Sarah found useful when she took part in the Major Gifts Mastery programme. It has been an important part of her fundraising ever since.
When it still doesn’t work — and you have to pick yourself up again
In 2024, MAG were finalists. They did a spectacular visit to Cambodia. The application felt as strong as it had ever been. And they didn’t win.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Sarah says. “I’m sure many of your listeners have been in that position where everything just felt so right, and yet it didn’t go your way.”
She gave herself a couple of days to process her disappointment. Then she went back to it again, with fresh determination to build on what the visit had shown her. That next application won the $3,000,000 prize.
“Sometimes failure is fuel,” she says. “If you believe in what you’re doing, and you believe it is right — pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, and crack on.”
Is there a funder, partner or donor you have given up on?
Or more likely, what’s one relationship with huge potential… that has stalled or faded somehow, and that you haven’t given the fresh attention it deserves?
What’s one way you could add value to that relationship today?
Want to develop this kind of approach in your own fundraising?
One of the strategies we teach on our Major Gifts Mastery programme is exactly this: how to combine Bright Spot creativity and skills with the kind of fierce, intelligent tenacity that Sarah used to get this transformational result.
Whether you’re building relationships with major donors or trusts, the programme will give you the practical tools and renewed belief to pursue your most important opportunities — and keep going when the going gets tough. You can find out more and get in touch here.
And if you’d like to hear the full conversation with Sarah, you can listen to the podcast episode here.
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