Revolutionise International to acquire charity recruitment firm Bruce Tait Associates
Howard Lake | 21 September 2026 | News
Bruce Tait Associates (BTA), the Scottish charity recruitment and consultancy firm, is to become part of Revolutionise International Ltd. The acquisition takes effect on 1 April 2027, when BTA’s founder Bruce Tait retires from the business he started in 2007.
The deal takes “the home of Great Fundraising” into recruitment for the first time. Revolutionise, founded by Alan Clayton, has until now worked around the world with charity leaders on growing income and impact through consultancy, training and events. It will now offer recruitment and executive search alongside that work. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
What changes, and what does not
BTA will continue under its own name, with its existing team, its existing clients and its specialist focus on recruitment and consultancy for UK charities. Annemarie Devlin, Consulting Director at Revolutionise, will take the leadership role alongside the existing team, and Bruce Tait will remain available as an adviser for a period after his retirement.
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Both businesses describe the deal as continuity combined with additional capacity, rather than a change of personnel or direction. BTA clients will gain access to the wider knowledge, expertise and resources of Revolutionise while retaining the relationships and approach they have now. The eight months between announcement and completion have been chosen deliberately to allow a planned transition.
Two businesses with “a shared value set“
Tait and Clayton have known each other for many years, and both say that their businesses have historically complemented one another: different skills and services applied to the same goal of “helping voluntary organisations build capacity in their people and their finances”.
Alan Clayton, founder and Chair of Revolutionise International Ltd, said:
“Bruce and I have known each other for many, many years and we have become good friends as well as business associates. We also share a vision of a thriving voluntary sector in Scotland, the UK and internationally.
“We intend to maintain the values and professionalism inherent in BTA, and Annemarie Devlin will be taking a leadership role alongside the existing BTA team. Bruce will remain on hand as an adviser for a suitable period, of course. I admire Bruce’s achievements and am thrilled he reaches his retirement with the success he so richly deserves.”
Nearly two decades of charity recruitment
BTA was launched in Stirling in 2007 by Tait, who had previously served as a fundraising director and chief executive in Scottish charities. It marked its tenth anniversary in 2017 with its sixth international launch, in Canada, joining sister companies in Ireland and England. Over nearly 20 years it has worked with hundreds of charities through executive search, recruitment and consultancy, covering leadership, fundraising, organisational development and strategic change.
- BTA to lead fundraising drive for Scottish Rugby Assocation (30 June 2016)
The firm has also argued consistently for a more professional, transparent and values-led approach to charity recruitments. A strong appointment “can transform an organisation, while a poor one carries consequences for staff, trustees, beneficiaries and donors”.
Bruce Tait, founder of Bruce Tait Associates, and winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Fundraising award at the CIOF Fundraising Awards 2024, said:
“After nearly 20 years, I am incredibly proud of what BTA has achieved and, most importantly, of the difference our team has been able to make to hundreds of charities and the people and communities they serve. We have also been proud to play a leading role in developing and championing ethical recruitment practice across the charity sector.
“I am delighted that BTA has reached this point and that I can hand over the business with such confidence in its future. I have enormous respect for Alan, for what he has built through Revolutionise, and for the team he has assembled.”
Charity Careers Africa joins the group
BTA’s sister company Charity Careers Africa, based in Cape Town, will also join the Revolutionise group. CCA works with nonprofits and civil society groups throughout Southern Africa, and Revolutionise is already active in supporting nonprofits across the continent. BTA has replicated its services in other countries over the years, establishing sister organisations in Ireland, Canada and, most recently, South Africa.
- Fundraising Camp comes to Scotland, supported by Bruce Tait Associates (11 September 2014)
What happens between now and April 2027
BTA will continue to operate and deliver its existing services throughout the transition period, working with Revolutionise to “make sure that clients, candidates, staff and partners understand what the change means for them”. The stated ambition is to retain what has made BTA distinctive while giving the business greater capacity to serve charities in Scotland and across the UK.
Annemarie Devlin, chief executive of Bruce Tait Associates, said:
“What makes this particularly special is that this is not about changing what has made BTA successful. It is about protecting and building on that legacy, working alongside the fantastic existing team and bringing the additional experience, ideas and resources of Revolutionise to support even more charities.”
The shares in BTA will be acquired by ACA, the holding company for Revolutionise International, on Tait’s retirement on 1 April 2027. Until then, nothing changes for BTA’s clients or candidates, according to the companies: the same name, the same team, and a founder who is stepping back rather than stepping away.
Both organisations will be attending the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Scotland’s Scottish Fundraising Conference this week in Glasgow.
Revolutionise International acquired UK Fundraising in 2022 as part of its acquisition of Fundraising UK Ltd.
- Bruce Tait Associates celebrates 10th anniversary with 6th international launch (25 January 2017)
- Revolutionise and PFI merge to create fundraising and mission accelerator (5 September 2022)
- Centre for Charity Effectiveness lecture shares how charities have transformed fundraising income (26 June 2025)
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.