Neil Irwin sets up fundraising consultancy
Howard Lake | 14 October 2013 | News
Northern Ireland fundraising adviser Neil Irwin has left NICVA after 13 years to set up his own fundraising training and consultancy business, niFundraising.
At NICVA he set up its GrantTracker website and used social media channels to share news of funding opportunities. He also helped found the charity Will to Give that has brought 28 charities together to promote legacy funding in Northern Ireland.
Irwin was one of seven NICVA staff who were made redundant over the summer.
“I love working with charities large and small too” Irwin told UK Fundraising. “And I believe my experience and knowledge can continue to help them raise money. I guess I decided not to be redundant. So, I moved from the glass-fronted office one week to the garden shed the next – but really the work hasn’t changed.”
Irwin’s first venture as niFundraising was to book the Belfast Poor House where he held a training event on Fundraising with Trustees. He will soon hold a Masterclass in Grant-writing in Belfast Castle, and then at the end of the year run free sessions on crowdfunding thanks to a Spark Award from Unltd/Santander.
Irwin said that he aims to work with a small number of clients “to develop long-term relationships to achieve successful and sustainable fundraising”. This will cover strategy, training, capacity building, and delivering practical fundraising services.
If things go well, he told UK Fundraising, “I may get a better shed”.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.