# 50 most influential in fundraising – and on Twitter

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/06/09/50-most-influential-fundraising-and-twitter/
- Published: 2010-06-09T08:59:50+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/50_most_influential_2010_twitter.
jpg)

Fundraising magazine has published the [2010 Most Influential in Fundraising list](http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/docs/50_most_influential_2010.pdf),
as voted for by readers of the magazine. The list usually generates lots of interest
amongst those who are on it, or who hope or even expect to be on it. It also generates
debate about the value of such lists, and there are always elements of the list 
that provoke criticism.

Here are just two comments on the list on Twitter yesterday:

Hate this! Beauty parade for mostly middle -aged men…? RT [@howardlake](http://twitter.com/howardlake):
The 50 most influential in fundraising list: [http://bit.ly/dpRU9o](http://bit.ly/dpRU9o)
[Tue Jun 08 09:53:54 ](http://twitter.com/bernardrossmc/status/15695770566) via 
[TweetDeck](http://www.tweetdeck.com)[](http://twitter.com/bernardrossmc)**[Bernard Ross](http://twitter.com/bernardrossmc)**

bernardrossmc

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

<1/3 are women. RT [@howardlake](http://twitter.com/howardlake): The [@CSFundraising](http://twitter.com/CSFundraising)
50 most influential in fundraising list is out: [http://bit.ly/dpRU9o](http://bit.ly/dpRU9o)
[Tue Jun 08 09:54:33 ](http://twitter.com/gillmcl/status/15695795982) via [Echofon](http://www.echofon.com)
[](http://twitter.com/gillmcl)**[Gill McLellan](http://twitter.com/gillmcl)**
gillmcl

I’m on the list by the way. Number 40, down from 25 last year, but that’s good enough
for my ego. (And yes, you might have spotted that I’m male, in my 40s, a consultant…).

But what is influence in fundraising? For some of those on the list it is a consequence
of political position – Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and Barack Obama all appear
on the list. (Actually, I’m still puzzled about Obama at number 33: just how is 
he so influential in fundraising in the UK? Has he developed a particularly nifty
angle in Gift Aid, or is he a model face-to-face fundraiser?).

For others, influence is down to their track record as a consultant, service provider,
or an actual fundraiser. Yes, this year there are still practising fundraisers on
the list.

But I was wondering whether social media has played any importance in determining
the list – and I’m not referring to the ‘vote for me’ campaigns that have allegedly
gone on over the years by some keen to reach the top. Needless to say, I was wondering
in the context that social media, or at least online media, is what gets me onto
the list – and I’m grateful for it.

While I don’t have time to analyse the social media presence of each of the 50, 
it wasn’t too hard to find out how many used Twitter. So, here is my version of 
the 50 most influential people in fundraising in the UK in terms of those who use
Twitter:

@nfpsynergy

@stevgeorg

@tonyelischer

@kenburnett1

@claytonburnett

@bernardrossmc

@markyphillips

@gordonmichie

@derekhumphries

@timlongfoot

@barackobama

@jamesbriggs

@Richardradclif

@jonduschinsky

@howardlake

@ianmacquillin

@stevenjandrews

So, 17 out of 50 use Twitter. (If I’ve missed anyone out, do let me know). I don’t
think there is any significance in this – it doesn’t prove that Twitter (or social
media) brings you influence in fundraising. All it does indicate is that now it’s
very easy for you and all fundraisers who want to to communicate quickly and directly
with some influential people in this industry.

Now I’ve made it even easier for you to sample the collected musings of these influencers
on Twitter. I’ve created a list of them at

http://twitter.com/howardlake/most-influential-2010

which lets you see who they are, their latest tweets, and lets you sign up to receive
their future messages in one easy click.

 * **[How fundraisers could use Twitter's new places feature](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/06/15/how-fundraisers-could-use-twitter039s-new-places-feature/)**(
   15 June 2010)
 * **[JustCoz.org lets you donate a tweet a day](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/06/21/justcozorg-lets-you-donate-tweet-day/)**(
   21 June 2010)
 * **[Importance of getting some tweets character perfect](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/06/30/importance-getting-some-tweets-character-perfect/)**(
   30 June 2010)