Asking Workshop 2026
You'll have the opportunity to practice and perfect your donor conversations and philanthropic asks in a supportive and secure environment. These role plays are designed for both those new to the profession and seasoned practitioners.
Benefits of Attending
Participation in this conference will prepare attendees to:
- Confidently engage prospective donors in conversations about philanthropy.
- Plan for productive and informative initial visits and cold calls.
- Use role plays as part of your fundraising practice.
Meet Your Chairs
Katie Harland-Edminson
Katie is Chief Development Officer at Durham University. She is responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of development and alumni engagement activity for the University, overseeing a team working across all areas of fundraising, development operations and alumni engagement. She also manages her own portfolio of principal gift prospects and donors. Katie has specific responsibility for internal leadership of a campaign linked to Durham’s 200th anniversary in 2032, working closely with the University’s Executive team and the Campaign Board.
Katie is a graduate of Newcastle University, where she completed a PhD in English Literature. She previously held management and leadership roles in Development at Newcastle and Northumbria universities, where she led on a number of significant fundraising projects and campaigns.
Andrew Harris
Andrew worked for charities and marketing agencies before joining the University of Birmingham in 2002. He grew his career through Major Gifts and Campaigns (Circles of Influence) before leaving in 2010 to develop greater leadership experience. He was Director of Development at Cheltenham College between 2010-2013; on the Executive Board of Aston University between 2013–2020; Director of Campaigns and Alumni Relations at The University of Sheffield between 2020–2026, where, with a terrific team, they launched and exceeded the fundraising and engagement targets for Forged in Sheffield.
In February 2026, he rejoined the University of Birmingham as Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and in doing so fulfilled his long-term career plan.
Guest Speakers
Graeme Byrne
Graeme is the founder of Lagotto Solutions, a company helping universities and schools across the globe to identify and better understand their most prominent and successful alumni. Since its founding in 2015, Lagotto has worked with over 200 organisations to widen and strengthen prospect pools. A set of novel search techniques he developed sit at the heart of Lagotto’s prospect identification work and he is widely regarded as a leading thinker and innovator in this area.
As well as being a prospect research expert Graeme is also a talented and experienced fundraising leader. He was a Partner at More Partnership for 2 years and worked with a broad range of clients during this time (e.g. University College London, London School of Economics, University of Bradford, Bocconi University, Royal Academy of Music). The main focus of his work was the training, development and mentorship of fundraisers, fundraising leaders and prospect researchers.
He also spent 9 years at the University of East Anglia (UEA), also his alma mater, where he established their first major gift programme. He also led UEA's first institutional fundraising effort, The Difference Campaign, which successfully raised £50 million. Under his leadership the campaign was extended and is on track to raise £100 million by 2020.
Prior to his appointment at UEA, Graeme worked in the charity sector as head of fundraising at The Papworth Trust, fundraising manager at Ormiston Children & Families Trust, and as a programme manager at The Prince's Trust.
Fiona Ross
Fiona is Fundraising Manager at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and also a freelance Fundraising & Development Consultant. Fiona was previously the Director of Development at Giggleswick School, where she led the creation and delivery of the school’s first major Development Strategy. Before this, she was the Director of Development at the Grammar School at Leeds, having joined the school from the University of Leeds, where she was the lead on the Student Theme of their first major campaign, “Making a World of Difference”, which successfully raised over £60 million. Fiona has experience with multidimensional campaigns and is particularly skilled in fundraising for bursary and outreach projects. Her roles at GSAL and Giggleswick have had the same focus on the professionalisation of development activity; establishing protocols and procedures, developing events and engagement strategies, and, of course, fundraising using a variety of channels from direct mail to principal giving.
Emily Robin
Emily Robin leads the Advancement team working to serve London Business School’s global network of alumni on its learning journey, creating value for all members of the community and inspiring philanthropic support through the Forever Forward campaign.
Before joining LBS, Emily was Senior Director of Development at INSEAD. She previously held roles at her alma maters, the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School, as well as at Bryn Mawr College and the American School of Paris.
Emily is an active volunteer for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Association Française des Fundraisers. She is a CASE Laureate, recipient of a CASE Crystal Apple for Teaching Excellence, and chair of the CASE Spring Institute in Educational Fundraising. She is a past member of the Boards of SIS Paris Ouest and the French International School of Philadelphia.
Emily is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business of the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania, and she holds a Master of Arts in Linguistics with Distinction from University College, London.