Liz Monks’ fundraising legacy lives on as £50k target is beaten
Howard Lake | 1 February 2016 | News
Last week over 130 friends, family and former colleagues of late fundraiser and charity leader Liz Monks gathered to remember her life and dedication to the charity sector, by taking part in an evening of fundraising in her memory. The event saw her final wish of raising over £50,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, far ahead of her original target of £20,000.
Former Fundraising Director of Alzheimer’s UK and of Breast Cancer Campaign (now Breast Cancer Now), Liz Monks died in November 2015 following a battle with cancer. She decided that she wanted to raise £20,000 for Macmillan to provide direct patient support at the Royal Free Hospital in London where she was being treated.
When she told friends and colleagues across the charity sector of her aim, they helped her reach that target within weeks. A true fundraiser, she then aimed higher and invited friends and colleagues to aim for £50,000.
Quiz for Liz
Liz Monks’ final fundraising target was reached – and passed.
The quiz, which also included a raffle with gifts donated from across the sector, was won by a team led by Laurie Boult, Head of Fundraising at Age UK.
The event raised almost £4,500, bringing Monks’ fundraising total to £53,000.
The evening also included tributes from Peter Lewis, Chief Executive of the Institute of Fundraising and Lynda Thomas, Chief Executive of Macmillan and a close friend of Liz’s.
Thomas said:
“Only Liz could leave a legacy like this. She was one of the most wonderfully passionate people that I was fortunate to spend time with – in both a professional and personal capacity. In her time working in the charity sector Liz oversaw an enormous amount of fundraising for so many wonderful and deserving causes. All of us at Macmillan are just so grateful that her final fundraising wish is supporting our mission to ensure no-one has to face cancer alone”.
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Zoe Papadopoulou, Monks’ partner of twenty years, added:
“I am extremely grateful to everyone for their unbelievable generosity. The success of this fundraiser is testament to the overwhelming warmth of spirit amongst the charity community towards Liz.
“Liz worked for and supported so many charities over the years but her personal fundraising for Macmillan was incredibly close to her heart and it has been really humbling to see everyone pull together on what became her last appeal”.
Liz Monks’ JustGiving page is still open and a final fundraising push will take place at her memorial on 9 March 2016 at the Royal College of Art, including a live art auction.
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.