Mark Astarita Fellowship launches to support more people into sector
Melanie May | 17 September 2024 | News
Consultancy practice AAW Group launched the Mark Astarita Fellowship on Friday, in memory of the fundraiser who died suddenly in April at the age of 64, and to honour Astarita’s dedication to diversity and fundraising.
The Mark Astarita Fellowship is targeted at people who have faced a range of ‘seen and unseen barriers’ entering the charity sector, including those from working class backgrounds, and to support them into fundraising roles. The programme will also provide ILM certified Leadership training and support to Fellows. It will be led by Charityworks.
The aim is to raise £100,000 to support 20 Fellows in 2024/2025 and a further 20 in 2025/26, and the fund has already raised over £70,000 with Founding Partners AAW, Appco, Britevox, Acwyre and CFP all donating £10,000 each to the fund. Other partners include Open Creates, Good Innovations and JAA. The Founding Partners are now encouraging individuals in the sector to donate to the Fellowship.
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There are already plans for more fundraising activities with Astarita’s ex colleagues from the British Red Cross organising a Christmas pub quiz on 5 December to raise funds for the Fellowship, hosted by AAW at Holborn Studios in London.
The Fellowship was launched by Imogen Ward, Co-Founder of AAW and Rachel Whale, Founder of Charityworks and CEO of Charityworks implementing partner Koreo, at an event on Friday 13 September, attended by over 100 sector leaders, consultancies and agencies, to celebrate the life of Astarita, who was Principal Partner at AAW.
‘Accelerating diversity and inclusion into the fundraising profession’
Commenting, Ward said:
“Mark was always thinking ahead – so whilst he would be delighted that many of his friends and contacts were here tonight raising a glass or two in his memory, the thing that would excite him the most would be the potential to leverage his legacy to do something extraordinary. The Mark Astarita Fellowship will accelerate much needed diversity and inclusion in the fundraising profession and we are excited to be working with Charityworks to help achieve this. We hope that fundraising professionals across the sector will be inspired to donate to the fellowship and to get involved with this positive step for change.”
About Mark Astarita
The adopted son of a British-Italian working-class family, Astarita left school at 15 with almost no qualifications, working his way through the Union Movement via the factory floor and then into the charity sector. A champion of diversity in all its forms, he was particularly interested in helping individuals from non-traditional backgrounds have a successful career in fundraising.
During his career in the charity sector, he was Director of Fundraising at the National Deaf Children’s Fund (NDCS) and the British Red Cross. He was also Chair of the CIOF. He received an OBE for services to the charity sector in 2016, and in 2017, joined Tobin Aldrich and Imogen Ward to form AAW as a Principal Partner.
Shortly before he died, a report from the EY Foundation called for action to urgently increase representation of low-income backgrounds in the charity sector. The launch of the report combined with the news of Astarita’s sudden passing has been a key inspiration for the Fellowship.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.