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 Ÿ Thursday 17th July 2014 Ÿ 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.
3LIZ TAIT
(+20)
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)
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.
7
TONY
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
GREGORIO
HEAD 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.
14DANIELLE
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.
18IMOGEN
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)
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)
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

Fundraising Magazine's Top 50 Most Influential Poll

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