# IRIS acquires Donor Strategy

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/10/07/iris-acquires-donor-strategy/
- Published: 2008-10-07T16:51:06+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

IRIS, the largest privately owned software and services business in the UK, has 
acquired specialist software provider Charity Software Ltd, better known by its 
trading and product name of Donor Strategy.

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/Iris_1223398368.jpg)

IRIS NFP Solutions, the group’s nonprofit specialist arm, now claims a market share
of “54% of the top 100 UK charities”, with over 1,000 not-for-profit organisation
clients.

The acquisition of Donor Strategy further extends IRIS’ reach in the SME charity
and membership market and in wider elements of the education arena, including independent
schools and higher education colleges.

## Advertisement

Founded 30 years ago, IRIS has revenues of around £120 million a year and around
1,200 employees servicing over 60,000 UK businesses from a national network of offices.
This year it was included in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 league table
2008, which ranks Britain’s fastest growing privately owned technology companies
based on their growth over the last three years.

Simon Fowler, MD of IRIS NFP Solutions commented: “There is a tremendous synergy
between the brands and the product portfolios are entirely complementary. Like IRIS,
Donor Strategy has a first class reputation for its software and the quality of 
its personal service”.

[⌊Donor Strategy cake⌉⌊Donor Strategy cake⌉[

Donor Strategy was established in 1994 by Jonathan Air, employs 28 staff and is 
based near Bristol. Air said: “We are delighted that Donor Strategy has joined IRIS
and we are confident that it will provide a safe future for our company… As a larger
organisation with the resources, service commitment and culture to maintain our 
favourable position in the market, IRIS will ensure that our customers’ investments
are protected, our product stays in-tune with the sector and that client care remains
central.”

Air will remain in an advisory role in the initial stages, moving on to pursue social
entrepreneurial projects in Africa.

www.computersoftware.com/industry.asp?industryId=11&parentType=industry&parentId
=11

## Comments

### By: admin

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/10/07/iris-acquires-donor-strategy/#comment-3308
- Published: 2008-11-03T10:48:54+00:00

Michael Webb, editor of NFP Techno, has published an interview with IRIS NFP’s Managing
Director Simon Fowler.

He asks how the newly acquired Donor Strategy will sit alongside IRIS NFP’s other
products, whether other acquisitions are in the pipeline, what savings in terms 
of synergy all the acquisitions have generated, and how long the separate brand 
identities will be retained.

[http://nfptechno.netxtra.net/archive/view.jsp?ref=695](http://nfptechno.netxtra.net/archive/view.jsp?ref=695)