Revolutionise and PFI merge to create fundraising and mission accelerator
Howard Lake | 5 September 2022 | News
Seminar specialist Revolutionise International has merged with Philanthropy and Fundraising International, the fundraising growth consultancy. The merged business is branded as Revolutionise: accelerating people with purpose.
The companies’ staff bring over 10 years of experience in helping charities around the world grow their fundraising income sustainably at scale and pace, and training events and conferences for fundraisers. PFI has worked with over 400 clients across 30 countries, and is “the largest private funder of fundraising research in the world”.
Alan Clayton, CEO, explains the reason for the merger. He said:
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“We have seen phenomenal growth across our client base over the last three years as teams and leaders have triumphed through the most challenging circumstances. We have been able to measure the behaviours which drive this growth and and can identify in particular the emotionally intelligent characteristics that allow some organisations to maintain or re-discover focus and energy whatever the world throws at them.
“Structure without focus and energy seems to achieve little, whereas emotional leadership creates the environment within which streamlined structures can flourish.”
Expanding to private and public sectors
As Revolutionise the team is expanding its work from charities and NGOs to private and public sector organisations that aim to work for social good. The company’s expertise in acceleration in income and mission is combined with behavioural insights from across sectors.
This cross-departmental approach can be summed up in a three-word methodology which defines
the needs which Revolutionise meets:
- Aspire
- Align
- Accelerate
Clayton explained: “We have been working with clients as diverse as arts and sports organisations, PCR-testing biotechs and even promoting the railway. It turns out that what we have learned over the decades about accelerating fundraising organisations applies to any purpose driven organisation – and they know a few things which fundraisers can benefit from too.”
This multi-sector expansion is at the heart of Revolutionise’s major new event, Revolutionise 2023. The three-day event in March is a gathering for purposeful individuals and organisations who want to balance achievement with contribution. Up to 750 high-level professionals from the private, public, and charity sectors will take part amid the beautiful surroundings at Crossbasket Castle in Glasgow.
Great Fundraising programme continues
The fundraising acceleration work will of course continue at Revolutionise, in particular providing and developing the ‘Great Fundraising’ programme it has built over the last ten years with such success around the world.
This will be further augmented by the latest academic research commissioned from Professor Adrian Sargeant and team on the subject of “What makes fundraisers tick?”
This research is currently under analysis and is studying “the largest data set of professional fundraisers ever achieved”. It will report in November.
It will also be presented on 30 November at the Revolutionise Annual Lecture in London, for which tickets will be available shortly.
Expanding Mission Accelerator
In addition, Revolutionise is expanding the capacity of its Mission Accelerator programme. At its heart is the conviction that, when a theory of change precisely aligns with fundraising communications, then an organisation can really fly. The two are not the same, but they do need to work very closely together.
Clayton explains:
“Our biggest breakthrough during the COVID years has been in joined working between programmes teams and fundraising teams to bring emotional alignment to the entire organisation. This cuts out the cultural conflict between functions and creates that much needed focus and energy. Many of our clients now want to re-find this focus after many months of distractions.”
Why now?
Why is the merger happening now? Clayton said:
“What we are hearing now is organisations wishing to ‘get the energy back’ as teams return refreshed.
“We are very clear that focus and leadership are what create energy. We are also clear in terms of our service offering that the synergy created by seminars, creativity and consulting provides the optimum solution. So that’s why we are merging and re-launching now – it’s time for so many organisations to get the energy back.”
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.