On a recent trip to Coventry Cathedral, I was once again inspired at the power of fundraising. The original cathedral was badly bombed in 1940 by the Luftwaffe, leaving a shell of a building. It’s an amazing story of how Provost Dick Howard who led the Cathedral at the time, chose to adopt a path of forgiveness and reconciliation towards Germany. In addition to choosing this route, he also vowed that the Cathedral would be rebuilt as a symbol of reconciliation. The design that was ultimately accepted, was one where a new Cathedral would be built alongside the ruins of the old bombed Cathedral. The incredible juxtaposition of an ancient bombed Gothic ruin, alongside a modern building the roof of which soars 90 metres high, is simply mind blowing, and worth a visit. It literally took my breath away. Never have human beings looked so tiny to me, as they looked when I saw them scurrying around on the ground in this cavernous building.

From a fundraising perspective though, what floored me, is that the Cathedral was bombed in 1940, and it was rebuilt and consecrated in 1962! That means that it took a mere 22 years for the new Cathedral to be built. We all know that historically, Cathedrals sometimes took centuries to complete. Many architects who designed them knew that they would not be completed in their lifetimes.

And yet here we have Coventry Cathedral rebuilt, admittedly with 20th century technology, but in a time when Britain was experiencing severe economic austerity in the aftermath of two world wars. People were homeless and food was still being rationed.

Like all fundraising success stories, the Cathedral was built because someone believed it could and should happen. Provost Dick Howard communicated his message far and wide, and built relationships with people who were swept up in his vision for a magnificent symbol of reconciliation in a time when the world desperately needed it. It has been voted as Britain’s most loved building in a BBC survey.

Personally, I love Coventry Cathedral not only because it is an awe-inspiring building, but also because it reminds me that fundraising for causes we believe in and love, is possible even in the darkest of times. We just need to do what I bet Provost Dick Howard did – believe in our cause, create a vision and communicate it to the right people in the right way. It’s always been, and always will be, about building relationships.