The deadline is midnight on Monday 19th January 2026. Applications will open in November 2025.

We cannot accept applications after this deadline.

1. First you should check your eligibility for the programme – you can find this in the FAQs and also in the guidelines document when the applications have opened. Please note if you don’t meet these criteria then you will not be able to progress your application on the online form.

2. Then you apply using our online form (draft up your answers first using our downloadable guidelines document) by midnight on Monday 19th January 2026. If you and forms don't get on then you can apply via our 'Alternative Application' method (see FAQs).

3. You will be contacted to let you know the outcome of your application by mid March 2026. If your application is being taken to the next stage you will be invited to a short online interview with our Director, Laura Swan, to discuss your application.

4. Following this call, you will be notified if your application has been successful.

5. Successful applicants will be matched with mentors in March/April 2026. There will be a kick off meeting on Tuesday 24th March 2026 and an Insights Discovery workshop in early April 2026.

We know that not everyone loves forms. And we don’t want that to stop brilliant people from applying! So for we've introduced an ‘alternative application’.

For those who don’t get on with an application form, we encourage you to apply in the way that feels right for you – this could maybe be a video submission or an infographic – it’s up to you!

If you’d like to do this, please just make sure that you cover off the key question areas from the form in your submission. You can then submit your application to hello@elischerfoundation.org.

If you take the alternative application route, we will then be back in touch to ask for key details to log your application so make sure to include your contact details in your submission!

We aim to get back to all applicants within 6-8 weeks of the closing date. For the 2026/27 programme this means we will hope to be able to let you know if we are progressing your application in mid March 2026.

The programme is open to fundraising leaders who:

• Have been in a leadership position for 1-2 years already - the reason we ask for this is that it has been demonstrated that this is when we can provide the best support at a critical time in your career, when you also are getting to grips with nuanced leadership challenges (rather than managerial or operational challenges!). If you want to read a bit more about management vs leadership check out this article by former mentees Karen Searle and Sabrina Nixon.

• Are either a sole fundraiser, responsible for all fundraising within your organisation and with access to senior leadership and the trustee board, OR are already a ‘Head of’, ‘Deputy Director, or ‘Director’ with your organisation. We know that titles vary across the sector so if you are unsure of your fit for the programme reach out to us at hello@elischerfoundation.org.

• Have demonstrated excellence in your career to date – we support fundraising leaders who aren’t afraid to push the boundary, try new things and embrace innovation.

• Come from any fundraising discipline – but remember you need to demonstrate that you are in a position of leadership.

• Are based anywhere globally (although we run the programme in a UK time zone).

• Are currently working IN a charity – we are unable to provide support to consultants or freelancers.

• Are completely committed to their professional and personal development and can demonstrate how they do this. This programme will take an investment of time, energy and effort for the year. Run it past your organisation to make sure this feels like the right time for you to make this investment of time right now, and ensure you can really commit to it so you can get the absolute most out of the programme.

• Are ready to stretch themselves.

You can find the list of questions that we ask in our application guidelines which will be attached here when the applications are open.

Alongside these questions, we’ll also ask for your contact data, plus the name of someone who can support your application (e.g. a referee). The supporter must know you well enough to confirm you have the potential to be a positive influence as a sector leader.

Give yourself a couple of hours to fill out this application.

As you can’t save the online form and return to it later, we do recommend drafting up your answers first in the downloadable guidelines document which will be attached here when applications are open.

The mentoring programme runs for 12 months. The 2026/27 programme will start from April 2026 and run until end March 2027. Successful applicants will be matched with a mentor in March/April 2026.

We will be holding an onboarding session to the programme for successful applicants on Tuesday 24th March 2026 and we will have an Insights Discovery Workshop in early April 2026.

As this is a commitment to your professional and personal development, we recommend that you set aside a minimum of 3-4 hours per month to get the most out of this programme.

Activities will include 1:1 meetings with your mentor, participation in online sessions for the mentee cohort, participation in our online LinkedIn group, and personal follow up learning time.

We pay a lot of attention to our matching process to ensure the right fit for each mentee. Matching is based not on fundraising disciplines areas but on leadership experience, understanding of the main challenges you are currently facing and also personality.

Mentees and mentors have a ‘chemistry meeting’ first off to make sure that they both feel like this is the right fit – and after this they both confirm that they are willing to move forward. If it doesn’t feel like the right fit then we can re-match. It’s important to us that this relationship feels good!

As well as specific benefits based on mentees’ tailored objectives, previous mentees have found the following general benefits:

• Increased confidence and resilience

• Improved ability to influence key stakeholders and engage colleagues

• Enhanced self-awareness, and awareness of others

• Improved strategic thinking skills

• An expanded professional network you can lean on to provide alternative perspectives

Mentees are required to sign a mentoring agreement and code of conduct in order to participate in the programme. It is expected that mentees will engage in the programme, show up to mentoring sessions prepared and ready to learn, and will engage with The Elischer Foundation team.

Mentees submit mentoring objectives, a 6-month progress report and an end of programme report to The Elischer Foundation. We also require all mentees' to fill in a feedback form on completion of the programme.

We’re a very small organisation with a part time team so we really appreciate mentees support in getting things back to us on time!

Mentees are provided with:

• 1:1 mentoring (minimum of 6 sessions throughout the 12 months)

• Insights ‘colour’ profiling

• Monthly learning sessions following The Elischer Foundation leadership framework – these include sessions from invited speakers

• Attendance at our Annual Leadership and Learning Day

• Access to a Cohort LinkedIn group to support peer networking

• Access to Fundraising Everywhere membership for the year as an active mentee

• Additional support as required from The Elischer Foundation

The Elischer Foundation has a wonderful community of alumni mentees and mentors which you are invited to join on completion of the programme. We have a community WhatsApp group and alumni are invited to our Annual Leadership and Learning Day. Alumni have also come back to speak at our learning sessions.