Fundraiser of the Year
Andy Watts - Sue Ryder
Andy joined Sue Ryder in 2017, bringing over 10 years of experience in trust fundraising. By the end of 18/19 he had converted trust fundraising at the organisation, embedding a completely new approach and driving the team to an incredible 349% increase on income – to £2.8million. His aim was to focus the team on relationship management, cultivating key trust relationships and delivering excellent supporter experience.
Andy recognises that the relationship is key, and that looked after well, Trusts will give again and again to an organisation. With this approach, a year on from his bumper first year, Andy is still leading the team to success.
Andy’s passion is supporter experience. He champions the use of the ultra-personalised touch, surprising and delighting our Trust supporters of every level, either to celebrate a milestone, update or simply thank them.
Earlier this year Andy’s blog for the IoF website was featured as one of the five most popular of the year. He has also spoken at various events including the IoF Trust Conference. He is very committed to the sector and to educating and encouraging more fundraisers to achieve success in their trust fundraising.
On top of his job at Sue Ryder and his work sharing his knowledge on Trust fundraising, Andy is also a Trustee of Homestart Hertfordshire, where he has worked with the team to support their fundraising strategy.
Andy has all the traits on an excellent fundraiser, from being thoughtful and well planned, to supportive and interested in others, to taking bold decisions and ultimately making the ask when it counts.
Antonia Brownlee - Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet’s Head of Philanthropy, Antonia Brownlee initiated the companies most ambitious fundraising campaign yet, the Five in Five Campaign – supporting the commission and staging of five new full-length ballets in five years, one for every decade of the company’s history. Through supporting her team members to excel, she has tripled the number of our gala guests at our golden themed 50th anniversary gala.
Dean Anderson - ActionAid
Dean started at ActionAid UK as Deputy Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships in 2016. He developed a new ambitious strategy and culture, developed and promoted internal staff and recruited externally to create an exceptional team, including three new focal areas; Corporate Engagement, Principal Giving and New Markets.
Dean also repurposed the research team into a more focused Strategy and Insight Team, who developed innovative products and approaches to increase unrestricted strategic income, like ‘Co-Financing’ (unrestricted donations leveraging existing work to deliver more impact) and ‘Peer-Matched-Giving’ (Major Donors matching donations raised by other supporters during emergency appeals).
Dean also led the development of a successful brand partnership with England Netball through personal stewardship of their CEO, Jo Adams, and co-led the development of the Country Partnership initiative with the ActionAid Federation, enabling close strategic ties, support and funding for key strategic partners.
Dean also encouraged his team’s development, and wider cross-organisational role. His team have run several global skill-share sessions to build the fundraising capacity of the ActionAid federation in places like Liberia. His team also supported cross-organisational initiatives like Safeguarding and Transparency.
From 2016 to 2019, Dean and the Philanthropy and Partnerships Team repeatedly smashed targets and beat expectations, doubling income from £3.5m to £7m. The target for 2020 is £9m.
Eddie Taylor - Alive and Kicking
Eddies’ enthusiasm, innovation and personality has not only increased the charity's income substantially, it has diversified our supporter base and given us the platform to make lasting impact across the communities we support. This is why he should be awarded Fundraiser of the Year
Sally Bramall - The Brain Tumour Charity
Sally’s daughter Lizzie was diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma (a rare childhood brain tumour), and after a brave but devastating battle, Lizzie passed away, aged just 9, in 2018. Since that time, Sally, through the setting up of Lizzie’s Fund Supporter Group, in Lizzie’s memory, has raised over £268,000. Sally has worked tirelessly, with great passion and commitment, from Lizzie’s diagnosis, through the most difficult time when she lost Lizzie, and has continued to do so to the present day. Already planning activities and events for 2020 and beyond, with a target of reaching £300k by the summer.
Sally is determined that Lizzie’s death will not be in vain. Through Lizzie’s Fund, Sally continues to be a real inspiration, raising awareness & much needed funds in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity to enable research in to childhood brain tumours, so that in future, families and children like Lizzie, will not have to go through this painful experience and journey.