18 September 2025
Originally featured in The Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) Resource Library
Independent schools across the UK are operating in a changing environment: to remain competitive and resilient in the decades ahead, many are exploring how to evolve their approach to fundraising and alumni relations as part of a wider commercial strategy.
Rising expectations around bursary provision, facilities investment, and long-term financial resilience demand not only more income, but a more sophisticated development model, something we are increasingly seeing as schools establish and grow development functions.
The UK’s higher education sector offers a tried-and-tested blueprint for building impactful fundraising and alumni engagement programmes. For decades, universities have led the way in donor strategy, campaign execution, and alumni relations — investing in infrastructure, systems, and talent to support long-term philanthropic growth.
Now, independent schools have an opportunity to adapt those practices to their own context and tap into a talent pool of experienced higher education development professionals.
From annual appeals to strategic philanthropy
In many independent schools, fundraising has traditionally focused on short-term appeals often focused on an annual fund, a specific capital project, or a bursary campaign. These remain important, and schools are increasingly looking at how to complement them with longer-term relationship building.
By contrast, university fundraising is strategic and layered. Development teams segment donors carefully, build multi-year gift pipelines, and design campaigns that are aligned with institutional priorities. They invest time in cultivating major donors, managing them through structured “moves management” cycles, and stewarding them thoughtfully after gifts are made.
Practical takeaways for schools:
- Create structured pipelines, especially for parents and alumni with major gift potential.
- Segment communications and engagement.
- Embed long-term planning into every fundraising initiative as well as reactive campaigns.
Telling a bigger story
Universities are expert at creating compelling cases for support. Whether the cause is widening participation, world-class research, or state-of-the-art facilities, they know how to frame a campaign in terms of vision, scale, and long-term impact.
Independent schools sometimes focus fundraising cases on immediate needs, such as building refurbishments or new equipment. Increasingly, schools are broadening these narratives to connect with wider institutional goals and the transformative power of education. More effective is a campaign narrative with themes which resonate strongly with potential donors both within and beyond the immediate school community.
Practical takeaways for schools:
- Develop integrated cases for support that focus on mission, impact, and future generations.
- Align fundraising initiatives with strategic plans, not just operational needs.
- Set multi-year fundraising goals that grow both income and relationships.
Beyond reunions and newsletters
Alumni are among a school’s most valuable long-term assets yet schools often face resourcing challenges in engaging them at scale. In some cases, alumni programmes have a strong social focus, often centred on events and reunions; schools are increasingly looking at how to extend these into wider engagement opportunities.
In higher education, alumni relations is a strategic function. Universities build year-round engagement through volunteering, mentoring, communications, and affinity programming. They view alumni not just as donors, but as brand advocates, advisors, and network builders.
Practical takeaways for schools:
- Build a structured alumni engagement plan with defined objectives and metrics.
- Offer opportunities for alumni to give time, expertise, and influence — not just money.
- Engage younger alumni early to create long-term value and loyalty.
Why higher education professionals are an untapped asset for schools
Many independent schools are beginning to hire former university development staff and for good reason. Professionals from higher education bring not only technical skills (prospect research, CRM management, campaign strategy), but also a cultural understanding of how to build long-term donor relationships.
These professionals are used to working at scale, with multiple audiences and complex stakeholder groups. They understand how to build a case for major gifts, how to partner with senior leaders, and how to manage alumni data responsibly.
What they bring to schools:
- Deep experience with major gift strategy and stewardship.
- Sophisticated alumni programming and communications skills.
- Familiarity with data-driven fundraising and CRM systems
For those making the move, the school environment offers something equally valuable: a tighter-knit community, mission-led education, and the opportunity to make a visible impact quickly. They key is showcasing these opportunities to candidates in the higher education space and demonstrating the value of experience they can bring.
From inspiration to implementation
The opportunity is clear. Independent schools that adapt elements of higher education fundraising and alumni programmes to their own context can open up new opportunities for support, deepen alumni loyalty, and strengthen their future resilience.
The key is professionalisation: adopting proven structures, investing in dedicated staff, and telling a compelling story of impact. Whether it’s launching a bursary fund, designing a capital campaign, or building a lifelong alumni network, higher education offers a roadmap – and the people to help follow it.
By bridging the gap between school and university development teams we open the door to a new chapter in independent school development: one defined not by tradition, but by transformation.
Independent schools navigating choppy waters
Hayley has supported the education sector for the last ten years, providing executive search and interim and consultancy solutions to Independent Schools, Academy Trusts, FE Colleges, and Universities. Her speciality is understanding the education sector and connecting talent that is passionate about providing high-quality, inclusive education. Hayley has built a track record with education leaders and helped many organisations identify top talent.
Hayley has a passion for education; she is a governor for MAT, working closely with the head and trust leaders to ensure excellent levels of education. She previously worked closely with England Rugby Schools to deliver inclusive sport in schools and has strong understanding of the curriculum.
Hayley joined the AQ team to further develop the schools and colleges practice and is driven by making a positive difference to the education sector through the quality of leadership appointments.
You can email her at hayley.mintern@andersonquigley.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
