# Vote for most influential people in fundraising

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/06/21/vote-most-influential-people-fundraising/
- Published: 2005-06-21T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Professional Fundraising magazine is once again asking who are the 50 most influential
people in fundraising. This year you can vote for your choice online.
This is the
third year the magazine has run this feature. They know it raises laughs, doubts
and complaints: “each time we’ve been criticised: criticised because this exercise
is seen to be self-referential backslapping; putting people before their cause; 
or just plain daft”, the magazine’s publisher writes.

Nevertheless, they argue that the sector is highly professionalised and, like other
sectors such as IT, new media, and human resources, it deserves its own most influential
list.

“So,” say Professional Fundraising, “if you think this is just a mechanism whereby
a few mates at the centre of fundraising can raise their profiles even higher, and
has nothing to do with you, then think again.

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“We believe that voting on who you, as a fundraiser, think is influencing your own
profession most, is an important barometer not just of the impact people are having
on the fundraising sector but how that impact is perceived.”

Modesty would normally prevent us from mentioning that UK Fundraising’s publisher
Howard Lake made it onto the list in 2004. But self-publicity and a desire for kudos
wins out. However, being ranked 39th most influential person does make one wonder
just how much influence one has. Now, a top five ranking, that would be something
to crow about.

What kind of machinations go on to get elevated to the list, we don’t know. The 
chair of the corporate fundraising group has already encouraged its members to vote
for a corporate fundraiser: “I thought it would be good to try and influence the
poll to ensure that someone with involvement in corporate fundraising appeared in
the top 10, as our area of fundraising is not always highly (or at all) represented
in these kind of exercises”, wrote Daniel Fletcher earlier this month.

We’ll leave it up to you. You can vote for up to 15 people, listed in order of how
influential you think they are. This is influence in terms of influencing the fundraising
environment (legislation, regulation, good practice, representation, furthering 
debate etc) for good (or bad).

The closing date for votes is 30 June 2005.

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