Fundraising Magazine's Top 50 Most Influential Poll

Who’s the most influential person in fundraising?

Every year Fundraising Magazine polls who the most influential people in the sector are. We want to know who has influenced you

and the sector in which you work?

View our slideshow of the top 25 from 2013 and then tell us who is influencing you?

civilsociety.co.uk/mostinfluential

Fundraising thinking, first thing. What does it take to be a fundraising leader?

Two of Fundraising Magazine’s top 50 Most Influential will share their reflections on leadership in fundraising.

To book visit civilsociety.co.uk/fft

9:00 to 11:00 � Thursday 17th July 2014 � London

1MARK

ASTARITA DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING,

BRITISH RED CROSS AND CHAIR, INSTITUTE OF FUNDRAISING

It’s a case of return of the Mark. Astarita again took out the top position in the Most Influential poll by a sizeable margin. His influence was proved this year when, despite Lord Hodgson recommending they be scrapped, Astarita successfully lobbied government to retain the system of national exemption orders.

VOTE FOR 2014: CIVILSOCIETY.CO.UK/MOSTINFLUENTIAL

2ROB COPE

(NEW)DIRECTOR, REMEMBER A CHARITY

Number two, with a bullet, Cope makes a startling debut in this year’s poll. Innovations at Remember A Charity are the envy of legacy fundraisers the world over, from interactive tombstones, cheeky DRTV to a yellow plaque scheme designed to highlight legacy-funded projects.


What to say about Tait? A big mover this year, Tait’s fast-growing operation at Battersea is one many are watching.

3 LIZ TAIT

(+20)DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING,

BATTERSEA DOGS AND CATS HOME


Speller, a dotcom entrepreneur, made some waves in the charity world with the launch of localgiving.com, which facilitates fundraising for small community groups. A matched fund initiative last year raised £1.2m for small charities last year, via 47,000 individual donations.

4MARCELLE

SPELLER (NEW)

FOUNDER AND CEO, LOCALGIVING.COM


Anthony Nolan is on the move, and the general direction of movement is up – much like Miles’ position in this poll. In the last year, fundraising income at the charity is up a quarter –and that’s during an investment phase.

5CATHERINE

MILES (+1)DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING,

ANTHONY NOLAN


Saxton’s influence is unshakable. Between the volume of consumer research produced by his company and his incessant work on society lottery reform (still awaiting government action), he’s still never too far from the headlines.

6JOE

SAXTON (-1)DRIVER OF IDEAS, NFPSYNERGY


Mr Plenary, Elischer is another fundraising guru stalwart. Through work with clients and his explosive (literally, pyrotechnics have been involved), Elischer is hard to miss.

7TONY

ELISCHER (+8)THINK CONSULTING SOLUTIONS


Since 2008, income at Save the Children more than doubled to £333m in 2011. Now, more than two years in to a campaign to raise an additional £150m by 2015, Steele has built an enviable fundraising operation.

8TANYA

STEELE (-4)DIRECTOR OF SUPPORTER

RELATIONS AND FUNDRAISING, SAVE THE CHILDREN


With a refreshed brand, new brand awareness and messaging and one of the most talked-about new fundraising initiatives in the UK (hello Dryathlon), what isn’t influential about Taylor and his operation at Cancer Research UK? Yet he has not managed to crack the top 5.

9RICHARD

TAYLOR (+10)DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING, CANCER

RESEARCH UK


From Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme to society lottery reform and changes to payroll giving, the world of fundraising policy is a busy one and Lewis is engaged with it all.

10PETER

LEWIS (+2)CHIEF EXECUTIVE,

INSTITUTE OF FUNDRAISING


If you have sat on a train going in to London, it’s likely you’ve seen the work of Open Fundraising. Charity adverts calling for a text response are quite regularly the work of the agency, and de Gregorio is leading its charge in the mobile space.

11PAUL DE

GREGORIOHEAD OF MOBILE, OPEN FUNDRAISING


A diminutive and behind-the-scenes operator, Cohen has made her influence felt on many a charity and the Institute of Fundraising itself over the past year. Said one voter: “Tania’s knowledge knows no bounds.”

12TANIA

COHEN (-5)FREELANCE FUNDRAISING

CONSULTANT


The second of the British Red Cross contingent, Verden makes a comeback to the Most Influential this year. And why not? He heads up the largest face-to-face operation in the country – so large it had to create its own in-house team.

13RICHARD VERDEN

(NEW)HEAD OF INDIVIDUAL,

BRITISH RED CROSS


A CharityChicks blogger and generally social, the Merlin digital expert also sits on the Institute’s London Committee and is part of the development team for that organisation’s direct marketing certificate and diploma.

14 DANIELLE

ATKINSON (+6)DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL AND INDIVIDUAL GIVING, MERLIN


This year, Prof Sargeant’s main piece of research found that strong leadership with high-level thinking was at the core of great fundraising. Holding academic positions at universities across continents, Sargeant isn’t afraid to take a shot at what he sees as poor fundraising research.

15PROF ADRIAN

SARGEANT (-7)


Bringans has been at VSO since last June where she is responsible for fundraising for the volunteering organisation, across the whole planet. A previous director of fundraising at Macmillan, Bringans’ impact is still being felt across the sector.

16AMANDA

BRINGANS (NEW)

HEAD OF GLOBAL FUNDING AND BRAND, VSO


Abrahams job got bigger this February. Her role now covers comms, advocacy and campaigns and she declared her team preparing for a “step change in the growth of our sustainable income”.

17KATH

ABRAHAMS (NEW)

DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND INCOME GENERATION, BREAKTHROUGH

BREAST CANCER


Ward is due to become one of a rare breed: a fundraiser turned chief executive. After ten years at Merlin, Ward in September 2013 became CEO at the Lessons for Life foundation. During her time at Merlin, turnover increased from £8m to more than £70m.

18 IMOGEN

WARD (+8)DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND

COMMUNICATIONS, MERLIN


There aren’t many fundraisers who can say their careers have spanned five different decades, but Burnett is not a typical fundraiser. Dividing his time between Scotland, London and France, age has not slowed this veteran.

19KEN

BURNETT (-17)AUTHOR, CONSULTANT AND

CO-FOUNDER, CLAYTON BURNETT


WWF is one of the fast-growing charities that Fundraising profiled back in May, but Aldrich is anything but complacent. The director of fundraising was described by one voter thus: “Quietly disciplined, unpretentious, focused and innovative.”

20TOBIN

ALDRICH (+25)

DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING, WWF UK


Never short of an opinion, this jetset fundraising consultant is another fundraising veteran – starting then Target Direct Marketing in 1993. A long-time trustee of the Institute, Pidgeon last year worked on overhauling the codes of fundraising conduct into one, pithy 80-page code.

21STEPHEN PIDGEON

(+14)INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT


McDowell is the second of the Remember a Charity top brass to make it on to the top 25 this year. Taking up the chair position of the legacy promotion organisation last year, he has a long history of working with RAC.

22ALEX

MCDOWELL (NEW)

HEAD OF LEGACY AND TRIBUTE FUNDRAISING NSPCC


Save the Children has been increasing income across the board, so it says something that corporate partnerships are often singled out as a success story. Coming from the corporate world, Rouse is transforming corporate fundraising.

23DOUGLAS

ROUSE (+11)DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS, SAVE THE

CHILDREN


This fundraising director’s influence is felt not only in her charity, but in the three charities which she serves as a trustee. Caldicott also shares her fundraising thoughts liberally on her self-titled blog and good old Twitter.

24LUCY

CALDICOTT (NEW)

DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING, CLIC SARGENT


Given that the Coffee Morning increased income by 50 per cent year on year, it’s little surprise that Thomas has debuted on this poll this year. A communications expert by trade, she took on the fundraising brief at Macmillan in 2011.

25LYNDA

THOMAS (NEW)

DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING, MACMILLAN


We want to know who has influenced you and the sector in which you work?

Simply list the ten people who most inspire and influence you in your work. The results will be published in the July 2014

issue of Fundraising Magazine and online at civilsociety.co.uk

Give your insights:civilsociety.co.uk/mostinfluential

Most Influential poll 2014

Leadership & Management

Fundraising Magazine's Top 50 Most Influential Poll