# UK Fundraising

Fundraising news, ideas and inspiration for professional charity fundraisers

- Site: https://fundraising.co.uk/

## Bridgit wins People’s Choice at Blackbaud’s bbcon

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/19/bridgit-wins-peoples-choice-blackbaud-bbcon/
- Published: 2026-10-19T03:58:19+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Bridgit, the data integration platform built for charities and the only startup
from the UK and Ireland in Blackbaud’s 2026 Social Good Startup Program, has won
the People’s Choice Award at bbcon 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.**

Bridgit was one of eleven startups that pitched at Blackbaud’s showcase. [UK Fundraising reported in February](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/02/bridgit-joins-blackbauds-global-accelerator/)
that it had been selected for the accelerator, the only startup chosen from the 
UK and Ireland. Its People’s Choice win brings sponsorship of the 2027 conference,
plus dedicated sales enablement and marketing support.

**Sean Donnelly**, Co-Founder and CEO of [Bridgit](https://www.hibridgit.com/), 
said:

> “Winning the People’s Choice Award means a great deal to us because it came from
> the people who live with charity data every day. For a small UK team, standing
> on the bbcon stage in Columbus and being chosen by the audience was a moment we
> won’t forget. Fundraising teams everywhere lose hours each week downloading, cleaning
> and re-uploading spreadsheets between platforms, and this recognition tells us
> the problem we’re solving is one the sector feels deeply on both sides of the 
> pond. We’re grateful to Blackbaud’s Social Good Startup Programme for giving us
> this platform and to everyone who voted.”
> ![Sean and Rob from Bridgit at bbcon](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/
> 10/Sean-and-Rob-Bridgit-1200x900.jpg)
> Sean and Rob at bbcon

## Bridgit People’s Choice Award: how the vote worked

After the startups pitched live at Blackbaud’s showcase in September, [Blackbaud](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/blackbaud/)
customers and the public were invited to vote for the solution they thought had 
the most potential. Voting closed on 30 September, and the winner was announced 
on the main stage at bbcon on 1 October.

A panel of Blackbaud judges chose separate Judges’ Choice winners: DonorAtlas, Apps
NXT and Untapped Solutions, the last with a Corporate Impact distinction.

## What Bridgit does

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/10/bridgit-logo-2026@2x-1200x739.png)

Blackbaud describes [Bridgit](https://www.hibridgit.com/) as an AI-powered platform
that helps nonprofits get more from their data by connecting systems, automating
data cleanup and mapping, and making information easier to use across teams.

UK Fundraising’s February coverage reported that Bridgit automates the flow of data
between a charity’s fundraising platforms, CRMs and marketing tools. At that point
the company was preparing to expand to serve American nonprofits, and the bbcon 
win puts it in front of a large US audience.

## Clean data before AI

Donnelly linked the award to the sector’s growing interest in artificial intelligence:

> “Charities are being told that AI will transform how they work, but none of that
> is possible without clean, connected data. That’s the foundation Bridgit builds,
> and this award [shows] how much appetite there is for practical tools that make
> the sector’s data work harder. We’re excited to build on this with Blackbaud and
> all of our fantastic platform partners, and to keep making life easier for the
> teams doing the fundraising.”

## Also at bbcon 2026

![The 2026 Blackbaud 2026 SGSP cohort in Charleston](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2026/10/SGSP-2026-Cohort-in-Charleston-1200x900.jpeg)

The 2026 Blackbaud 2026 SGSP cohort in Charleston

Blackbaud’s annual conference also saw the company unveil Platform for Good, a connected
foundation for data, workflows, AI and partners across its ecosystem, and Lantern,
a fundraising-specific language model developed with Databricks. Blackbaud also 
announced the winners of its 2026 Impact Awards.

 * **[Bridgit joins Blackbaud’s global accelerator](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/02/bridgit-joins-blackbauds-global-accelerator/)(
   2 February 2026)
 * **[Highlights from Blackbaud’s bbcon 2020](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/10/09/highlights-from-blackbauds-bbcon-2020/)(
   9 October 2020)**

## Directory of Social Change to close after 50 years

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/15/directory-of-social-change-to-close-after-50-years/
- Published: 2026-10-15T12:03:05+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The charity that trained, informed and challenged generations of UK fundraisers
has appointed an insolvency practitioner. Twenty-five jobs will be lost.**

The Directory of Social Change (DSC), the training, publishing and funding-information
charity founded in 1975, is to close. Its leaders announced on 14 October that an
insolvency practitioner has been appointed to manage its closure.

Chief executive **Debra Allcock Tyler** and chair **William Butler** said they were
devastated that DSC’s work had come to such a sudden end. Twenty-five staff are 
losing their jobs, and the leaders said they were doing all they can to support 
them. Allcock Tyler shared the announcement on LinkedIn with a single word of her
own: “Heartbroken.”

## Why is it closing?

In a joint statement, Allcock Tyler and Butler said DSC had been squeezed by the
same pressures facing the charities it serves. They cited tighter budgets among 
its beneficiaries, rising supplier and National Insurance costs, increased competition,
changes in how people buy and learn, and the growth of AI.

They also pointed to a funding landscape that does not favour causes as “unexciting
and never-ending” as infrastructure.

DSC’s income-generating model, they said, had carried it through five decades of
turmoil and allowed it to cross-subsidise its policy and campaigning work from its
own independent resources.

The latest accounts show how earned that income was. In 2024, DSC reported income
of £1.91 million against spending of £1.64 million, a surplus of about £270,000.
Just £6,880 came from donations and legacies, and Civil Society reported that most
of the rest came from publications. The Charity Commission register recorded 29 
employees for that year. What has changed since is not yet public.

## Is anyone trying to save it?

No rescue has been announced. The statement says that, despite “appeals to key funders”,
trustees and staff were unable to find a way to continue. The leaders said they 
could not comment further.

Among the replies to Allcock Tyler’s LinkedIn post, **Malcolm John**, founder of
Board Racial Diversity UK, hoped the response would “spark another concerted funding
response”. No such effort has been announced.

In the meantime, the **Funds Online subscription service** will stay open for existing
subscribers “for the time being”, and books and digital downloads remain on sale
through the DSC website. People with existing course or event bookings will be contacted
in due course. DSC’s final annual conference was held earlier this month. What happens
to its publications, databases and brand is not yet known.

![Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO of Directory of Social Change](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2026/10/debra-allcock-tyler-image-directory-of-social-change.jpeg)

Debra Allcock Tyler. Photo: Directory of Social Change

## Fifty years of DSC

[DSC began at a kitchen table in Maida Vale](https://www.dsc.org.uk/?p=2734821),
London, where **Michael Norton** wrote a book called _The Directory of Social Change_.
He had returned from a four-month trip to the USA in 1975 determined to give people
the ideas, information and contacts to create social change. The first two volumes,
on education and play and on community, appeared in 1977, followed by directories
on women and housing.

Fundraising came next. Norton and his wife Hilary, who had written one of the first
books on fundraising, ran four one-day seminars on trusts, government, companies
and special events. All were fully booked. He transcribed and sold the sessions 
as loose-leaf packs, then books, and DSC was in both publishing and training.

In 1984, looking for a more sustainable income, Norton created the first Guide to
Company Giving and asked Luke FitzHerbert to produce a Guide to the Major Trusts.
Those guides gave DSC the social enterprise model that sustained it for the rest
of its life. FitzHerbert became co-director in 1988, the year DSC registered as 
a charity, and the pair established a Liverpool office. DSC says it has supported
hundreds of thousands of charities and community groups.

[Fitzherbert died in a road accident](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/01/09/luke-fitzherbert-dies-car-accident/)
in 2007.

Norton left in 1995 to found the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action, and 
was [honoured with the Charity Awards’ Outstanding Achievement award](https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/michael-norton-is-2014-outstanding-achievement-winner.html)
in 2014. Mike Eastwood led DSC until 2001, when Allcock Tyler was appointed.

She has led DSC for 25 years. She co-founded and was the first chair of the [Small Charities Coalition](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/12/20/funding-struggles-to-force-spring-closure-of-small-charities-coalition/),
has served on the Charity Commission’s SORP committee, and writes the Third Sector
column. Her books include [It’s a Battle on the Board](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/its-a-battle-on-the-board/),
[It’s Tough at the Top](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/its-tough-at-the-top/) and
[The Pleasure and the Pain](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/pleasure-and-pain-nofibbing-guide-working-people/).

DSC employed around 35 people in London and Liverpool in 2016. It gave up its London
office in December 2020 and its Liverpool office in September 2023, and has worked
fully remotely since.

## What it provided

 * public, online and in-house training courses across fundraising, governance, 
   finance and management;
 * guides, templates and handbooks, including best-selling policy and governance
   titles;
 * Funds Online, which lists more than 8,000 funders giving £8 billion in total;
 * conferences and events;
 * bespoke research for grant-makers, including on armed forces charities;
 * policy and campaigning work, and a bookshop and library service.

## What fundraisers will lose

For fundraisers, the loss is practical as well as sentimental. DSC’s guides and 
Funds Online were a standard route to finding and approaching trusts and companies,
and its courses were, for many, a first formal training.

**Steph Graham**, now chief executive of GoodCRM, said Funds Online was “absolutely
essential” in her fundraising days. **Malcolm John** called the Guide to Major Trusts“
iconic”. **Michael Newsome** of UNICEF’s private sector fundraising team said DSC
gave him “some of my earliest training in the sector”. Civil society and philanthropy
specialist **Fozia Irfan OBE** called it the “first step in our learning” for many.

The immediate worry for working fundraisers is what happens to subscriptions, bookings
and the research behind Funds Online once the insolvency practitioner has finished.

## “A huge loss”

Tributes have poured in. **Richard Radcliffe**, a legacy specialist who has worked
with DSC since the days of Norton and FitzHerbert, said its end “reflects the position
of the whole sector and especially small charities”.

**Joyce Fraser OBE**, a former DSC trustee, said she was “shocked and deeply saddened”,
and described a team of dedicated, passionate people. Charity director **Andrew 
Johnston** recalled mentor training in his first CEO role and, more recently, free
support for his small charity, calling the closure “a massive loss to the charity
sector”. **Susan Booth**, a chief executive, said DSC had been part of her career
from her own development to being a customer, calling it a “huge loss for all of
us”.

## A self-funded model, tested

DSC was an unusual infrastructure body because it earned its living. It sold training,
books and subscriptions to the sector, took no core grant, and used its surplus 
to pay for policy and campaigning. For decades that worked, and DSC’s closure will
worry anyone who believes earned income is the answer for support organisations.

Allcock Tyler had set out the bind in a [Third Sector column in September](https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/debra-allcock-tyler-failing-fund-infrastructure-leaving-restaurant-without-paying-bill/infrastructure/article/1969076),
written after the closure of Reach Volunteering. Infrastructure bodies are expected
to be affordable to cash-strapped charities, offer free help where it is most needed,
prove enormous impact, and still fund themselves. Their customers are charities,
she wrote, and the ones that most need support are often least able to pay. This,
she argued, was no failure of entrepreneurship but a tension built into the purpose.
Funders, she said, tend to run for the exit when infrastructure bodies ask for longer-
term money. Her conclusion now reads as a premonition: “We are not an optional service
charge.”

## A pattern of closures

DSC is the latest in a number of infrastructure bodies to close.

The **Small Charities Coalition**, which Allcock Tyler co-founded and first chaired,
closed in 2022, and the [Foundation for Social Improvement](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/the-fsi/),
behind [Small Charity Week](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/small-charity-week/), 
followed in 2023. [NCVO said at the time](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/fsi-closure-statement/)
that FSI’s closure showed how much the wider infrastructure sector was under strain,
saying that “infrastructure is a vital part of the voluntary sector ecosystem”. 
[Children England then announced it would close](https://civilsociety.co.uk/news/charity-infrastructure-body-children-england-to-close-after-81-years.html)
after 81 years. The Civil Society Group called the three closures “a concerning 
weakening of the fabric supporting civil society”.

[Research from 360Giving in 2023](https://thefore.org/news/another-blow-for-the-small-charity-sector/)
found that more than 1,000 UK charity infrastructure bodies had closed over the 
previous 12 years.

Local bodies have fared no better. **Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation**,
one of the largest local infrastructure organisations in the country, [collapsed in late 2024](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Manchester_Council_for_Voluntary_Organisation).**
Basildon, Billericay and Wickford CVS** closed in 2025. **Stronger Kent Communities**
announced in June that it would close at the end of September, citing the lack of
funding for its future operations. And [REACH Volunteering announced its planned closure](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/09/01/reach-volunteering-to-close-after-45-years/)
last month, before [announcing that it had received funding to rescue it](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/09/23/reach-volunteering-reverses-closure-after-nine-funders-and-donors-unite-to-fund-it-to-2028/)
for two years.

 * **[Winners of DSC’s Social Change Awards 2020 announced](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/01/25/winners-of-dsc-social-change-awards-2020-announced/)(
   25 January 2020)
 * **[DSC’s CEO publishes It’s Murder in Management book](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/01/15/dsc-ceo-publishes-murder-management-book/)(
   15 January 2019)
 * **[DSC opens pre-orders for The Guide to New Trusts 2026/27](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/01/dsc-opens-pre-orders-for-the-guide-to-new-trusts-2026-27/)(
   1 October 2026)**

## Consultation on powers against extremist abuse of charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/14/consultation-on-powers-against-extremist-abuse-of-charities/
- Published: 2026-10-14T23:52:41+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The government has launched a public consultation on proposals to strengthen the
Charity Commission for England and Wales’s powers to tackle extremist abuse of charities,
including automatically disqualifying people convicted of specified hate-related
offences from serving as charity trustees or senior managers.**

The 10-week consultation, from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS),
invites views from charities, trustees, sector bodies and the public. It closes 
on **22 December 2026**.

## What is being proposed

Under the proposals, anyone convicted of specified hate-related offences would be
automatically disqualified from acting as a charity trustee or senior manager. This
would extend existing rules that already apply to people convicted of terrorism 
and other serious offences.

The Charity Commission would also gain new discretionary powers to disqualify individuals
where there is evidence that they have promoted violence or racial or religious 
hatred. DCMS says the measures were developed jointly with the Commission, drawing
on its casework experience of where current rules fall short.

The consultation will ask how the powers should operate in practice, including how
they can protect charities while safeguarding legitimate debate, campaigning and
freedom of expression.

Civil Society Minister **Vicky Foxcroft** said:

> “Our proposals would strengthen the safeguards around charities while protecting
> legitimate debate and campaigning. We want to hear from charities, trustees and
> the wider public on our plans so that we get them right in practice.”

## The Charity Commission’s view

**David Holdsworth**, CEO of the Charity Commission, said lawful freedom of speech
is fundamental to any democracy and that robust debate and differences of opinion
have always been features of the charity sector. He added that there is no place
in the sector for the promotion of violence or racial or religious hatred, and that
the Commission’s powers must keep pace with changing threats.

DCMS says that since October 2023 the Commission has opened more than 400 cases 
examining potential wrongdoing in charities in the context of the escalation of 
conflict in the Middle East, and made more than 80 referrals to the police where
it considered that a criminal offence might have been committed.

The consultation is part of the government’s wider [Protecting What Matters](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protecting-what-matters-towards-a-more-confident-cohesive-and-resilient-united-kingdom/protecting-what-matters-towards-a-more-confident-cohesive-and-resilient-united-kingdom)
action plan to strengthen protections against extremism, and the government says
it is continuing to work with the Commission on what further powers may be needed
in future. A summary of responses and the government’s response will be published
after the consultation closes.

## How to respond

The consultation is [on GOV.UK](https://gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-extension-of-the-charity-commissions-powers-to-tackle-extremism).
Responses can also be emailed to ch********@******ov.uk.

 * **[UK government plans new powers to close charities that “promote violence or hatred”](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/09/uk-government-plans-new-powers-to-close-charities/)(
   9 March 2026)**

## Rashad Robinson and Nyasha Gwatidzo to headline IFC 2026

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/13/rashad-robinson-and-nyasha-gwatidzo-to-headline-ifc-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-13T23:43:51+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The International Fundraising Congress (IFC) returns to the Netherlands later 
this month, with both keynote speeches and a programme of live sessions available
free to anyone online.**

Hosted by [The Resource Alliance](https://fundraising.co.uk/tag/resource-alliance/),
IFC 2026 takes place from 20 to 23 October in Noordwijkerhout. More than 90 speakers
will lead 11 masterclasses, 46 workshops, Innovation Hub sessions, Big Topic debates
and open discussions. The theme is “Unstoppable”.

## Two keynotes

Social entrepreneur **Nyasha Gwatidzo**, co-founder of Lucy Gwatidzo Foundation 
Schools, opens the congress on Wednesday 21 October with “To Be Unstoppable”.

A social worker and psychiatrist by training, she has spent four decades working
with children and communities affected by trauma, abuse and systemic inequality.
She has founded social enterprises in Zimbabwe and the UK, including Banya Family
Placement Agency and Vana Trust, and the organisations she has helped build since
1987 have generated **more than £130 million in impact and income**. Her talk will
address how to keep building when systems fail, and she will speak as openly about
failure as about success.

**Rashad Robinson**, author and CEO of Rashad Robinson Advisors, closes the congress
on Friday 23 October with “The Next Story We Tell”.

He led the US racial justice organisation Color of Change for 13 years and co-led
a $7 billion advertising boycott of Facebook and Instagram. He will discuss rebuilding
trust and belonging in polarised societies, why the sector needs movements and not
just organisations, and how narrative and power drive systems change.

His first book, From Presence to Power, was published by Penguin this year and will
be on sale at IFC. (You can [buy it via UK Fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/books/from-presence-to-power/)
too of course).

![IFC 2026 - theme is unstoppable](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/10/
image.png)

Image: Resource Alliance

## **Free online programme**

IFC Online is free to join. Alongside the keynotes, eight sessions run live from
21 to 23 October, with time for questions. All times are Central European Summer
Time, which is UK time plus one hour.

 * Wednesday 21 October: **What You Can Learn From the Radical Right** (Ali Walker
   Davies and Cristina Praz)
 * Thursday 22 October: **The $8 Trillion Islamic Finance Opportunity** (Perihan
   Abou El Ela);
 * **Dignity-Led Fundraising Narratives** (Tehzeeb Lalani and Madan Padaki);
 * **Your Digital Engine Room** (Sarah Crowhurst, JoAnne O’Donovan and Joshua Leigh);
 * **Acquisition Innovation** (Nathalie Ormrod and Arantza Espinosa);
 * **Fix Your Broken Funding Model** (Rebecca Davies and Cameron Becker)
 * Friday 23 October: **Designing Digital Experiences That Convert** (Danielle Rice)

Last year IFC reached 3,953 participants in 125 countries, and 3,271 of them joined
online.

## **On the in-person programme**

Among the debates at the venue, “Can Civil Society Fund Itself?” features **Ingrid
Srinath**, chair of The Resource Alliance, alongside Glen Galaich of the Stupski
Foundation, Robert Osborne of The Osborne Group, Sharon Afandi of the Segal Family
Foundation and Zviko Tsiga of Revolutionise.

A second Big Topic debate, “Competing for Attention with the Radical Right”, brings
together speakers from Amnesty International, Glocalities, Rally and Donio. Loretta
J. Ross of Smith College leads an open discussion on whether we can disagree without
disconnecting.

## **A hard year for the sector**

**Willeke van Rijn**, CEO of The Resource Alliance, acknowledged the pressures facing
fundraisers: cuts, AI moving faster than organisations’ policies, and trust that
is harder to win back than to lose.

She said: “It isn’t the whole story.” She pointed to Hamdan Mohammed, who leads 
fundraising for SOS Children’s Villages Palestine, whose team plans for four scenarios
because conditions can change by the hour, and whose fundraised income has doubled
again and again each year.

The Resource Alliance cites delegate surveys from 2024 and 2025: 83% put new approaches
into practice within weeks of IFC 2024, 82% felt confident applying what they learned,
81% of returning attendees reported increased income, and nine in ten said they 
made valuable connections.

IFC 2026 sponsors include Upsall International, Dataro, Mindwize, Giveclarity, Formunauts
and Innovairre.

[Registration for in-person and free online places at IFC](https://resource-alliance.org/event/ifc-2026)
is still open.

 * **[Resource Alliance invites speaker proposals for IFC 2026](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/12/17/resource-alliance-invites-speaker-proposals-for-ifc-2026/)(
   17 December 2025)
 * **[Loretta J Ross to open the International Fundraising Congress 2025](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/09/01/loretta-j-ross-to-open-the-international-fundraising-congress/)(
   1 September 2025)**

## Co-op Foundation commits £2.4 million to green job opportunities for young people

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/13/co-op-foundation-commits-2-4-million-to-green-job-opportunities-for-young-people/
- Published: 2026-10-13T13:38:57+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Co-op Foundation has announced a £2.4 million Green Opportunities Fund to 
help young people in the UK into green jobs and careers. The fund is financed by
sales of Co-op’s [compostable carrier bags](https://www.coop.co.uk/environment/carrier-bags),
together with money from the Foundation itself.**

The announcement is backed by the Foundation’s research with young people. It found
that 59% of those who had heard the term “green job” could not explain what it meant,
and 46% had not heard of green jobs in education. At the same time 72% see Net Zero
as an opportunity. The Foundation links the fund to the wider youth employment challenge,
with nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training,
according to [GOV.UK figures](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/young-people-and-work-interim-report/young-people-and-work-interim-report).

## The first funded partners

 * **Touch of Love Outreach** (Aberdeen)
 * **KRIMMZ** (Bolton): Green Futures for Girls, reaching 150 young women
 * **Comics Youth CIC** (Merseyside): a two-year programme with the Environment 
   Agency
 * **Oasisplay** (London): converting go karts to e-karts
 * **Adra Tai Cyfyngedig** (Gwynedd): Camu i’r Copa, and the Tŷ Gwyrddfai Decarbonisation
   Hub
 * **CAN GROW** (Ballymoney): Lislagan Farm, an 11-acre site
 * **Landworkers’ Alliance** (UK-wide): a three-year campaign

The MCS Foundation is contributing £25,000 towards each of two of the grants, those
to Touch of Love Outreach and Adra Tai Cyfyngedig.

> Heather Thomas, Property and Sustainability Director at Co-op Group, said:
> > “Nearly one million young people in the UK aged 16 to 24 are not in education,
> > employment or training, according to the latest government data, and too many
> > in our communities tell us they don’t know what green jobs are, let alone how
> > to work towards one.
> > “That’s why we’re investing in practical partnerships, yielding opportunities
> > that are accessible, visible and help young people build skills, gain experience
> > and connect with employers.

Nick Crofts, CEO of the [Co-op Foundation](https://www.coopfoundation.org.uk), also
commented:

> “We know from our research that young people care about climate action and want
> to learn more about jobs in sustainability and the green economy, which is why
> targeted funding such as this is so important.
> “At a time when the jobs market is so difficult for young people, we’re proud 
> to fund partners who are leading the way in supporting young people and developing
> a valuable talent pool for the future.”

 * **[Single use plastic bags charge increases to 10p](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/04/06/single-use-plastic-bags-charge-increases-to-10p/)(
   6 April 2021)
 * **[Co-op Foundation anounces £1 million fund for Welsh community groups](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/05/01/co-op-foundation-announces-1m-fund-for-welsh-community-groups/)(
   1 May 2019)**
 * **[Co-op Local Community Fund applications close next month](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/06/26/co-op-local-community-fund-applications-close-next-month/)(
   26 June 2024)**

## F2F Fundraising Congress 2027 returns to Vienna

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/12/f2f-fundraising-congress-2027-vienna/
- Published: 2026-10-12T14:20:52+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The third International F2F Fundraising Congress will bring the global face-to-
face (F2F) fundraising community to Vienna from 15 to 17 March 2027.**

Hosted by Fundraising Verband Austria (the Austrian Fundraising Association), the
in-person event takes place at the Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen Vienna. It is expected
to draw fundraising professionals, agencies and sector leaders from around the world
to discuss innovation, ethics and professional development in F2F donor acquisition.

Ruth Williams, CEO of the Austrian Fundraising Association, said F2F remains the
main source of long-term supporters worldwide, and that the Congress gives the global
community a platform to learn, share skills and bring fresh energy to their direct
dialogue fundraising strategies.

## Programme: retention takes centre stage

This year’s theme is retention, examined from several angles: donor value, motivation,
leadership, inclusion, team culture and human-centred management. The organisers
say the focus is on what keeps both donors and fundraisers engaged for the long 
term.

Confirmed programme highlights include:

 * **Marianna Rudyk (Bilyk)** of the Ukrainian Red Cross on how F2F fundraising 
   transforms lives, in a keynote moderated by Roland Csaki of the International
   Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
 * **Siri-Anna Roswall Mattsson** and **Anne Karina Wulf** of Børns Vilkår (The 
   Danish Child Helpline) asking whether objection handling actually works, and 
   letting the data decide.
 * **Daryl Upsall** (Upsall International) and **Martin Gaffney** (SG Support) facilitating
   a participatory debate on the hottest topics in F2F, titled “Face to Face Fundraising
   On Fire”.
 * **John Jeffries** (New Canvassing Experience) drawing on decades of experience
   in a session on motivational theory and practice.
 * **Emily Bracken** of Upsall International (Spain) and **Filipa Morais** of SOS
   Children’s Villages International (Portugal) on the changing donor acquisition
   landscape across markets.
 * **Bruno da Silva Machado** of the Norwegian Refugee Council in a keynote titled“
   Value over Volume”, sharing early donor retention strategies that are already
   showing results.

## Event details

Tickets to the [F2F Fundraising Congress](https://rbveshop.org/) cover full participation
from Monday to Wednesday, catering throughout the event and admission to an official
dinner party on the Tuesday evening. Travel and accommodation are not included.

Early bird tickets are available for a limited time at €1,650. Additional discounts
are offered to returning delegates, attendees travelling long distances, fundraisers
under 30 (“Next-Gen”) and groups of three or more.

The event hashtag is **#F2FCongress27**.

## F2F Conference 2025

You can explore photos from the last international F2F Conference.

 [⌊F2F_Fundraising_Congress_2025-430⌉](https://www.flickr.com/photos/fundraisingverband/54499676172/in/album-72177720325903950)

 * **[RNLI to recruit 160 face to face fundraisers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/25/rnli-to-recruit-160-face-to-face-fundraisers/)(
   25 February 2026)
 * **[Five of the funniest responses given to face to face fundraisers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/12/22/five-funniest-responses-given-face-face-fundraisers/)(
   22 December 2017)
 * **[Global council launches to support F2F fundraising standards](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/09/22/global-council-launches-to-support-f2f-fundraising-standards/)(
   22 September 2022)**

## Giving Record launches to inspire philanthropy

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/09/giving-record-launches-to-inspire-philanthropy/
- Published: 2026-10-09T22:48:42+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Entrepreneur and philanthropist Rory Brooks CBE has launched The Giving Record,
a national initiative to showcase the impact of philanthropy and encourage more 
charitable giving across all four nations of the UK.**

The Giving Record is described as a “living online resource” that collects and shares
stories of charitable initiatives and organisations showing how philanthropy changes
lives and strengthens communities. It launches with twenty stories from around the
country, and non-profits, communities and individuals are invited to contribute 
their own.

## A narrowing base of donors

The organisers say the launch responds to a worrying trend. While the total donated
by individuals has risen, it is coming from a smaller pool of donors: six million
fewer people give to charity than ten years ago. At the same time, private wealth
in the UK has never been higher, and the country faces what the organisers call 
history’s largest generational transfer of wealth, estimated at £5.5-7 trillion 
over the next three decades.

Local government funding for charities has also fallen over the longer term, increasing
the need for other sources of income, including philanthropy.

> Rory Brooks said:

> “We need more and better philanthropy, and to do this we need to make giving feel
> easier, more normal and more expected for those with the means to contribute.”

## Focus on outcomes, not donors

Rather than concentrating on famous donors, large one-off gifts and individual fortunes,
the initiative deliberately shifts attention to where the money goes and what it
achieves. It is intended to become a national resource for charities, funders and
the wider sector, and a call to action to put more private wealth to public good.

The Giving Record is a partnership between the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation,
Why Philanthropy Matters and Greenwood Place, the philanthropy accelerator. Brooks
established the foundation with his wife in 2005 and has served on the board of 
the Charity Commission since 2023, having been reappointed for a second term in 
March 2026. **Rhodri Davies** is Founder and Director of Why Philanthropy Matters.

Rhodri Davies said:

> “The stories we have collected for the Giving Record make it clear that philanthropy
> is not a mysterious or distant phenomenon, but rather something that is happening
> in places and communities across the UK every day and making a real difference
> to all our lives.”
>  * **[Achates Philanthropy Prize returns to champion new donors amidst decline in UK giving](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/05/18/achates-philanthropy-prize-returns-for-2026/)(
>    18 May 2026)
>  * **[Government sets out roadmap to spread philanthropic investment beyond London](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/04/13/government-sets-out-roadmap-to-spread-philanthropic-investment-beyond-london/)(
>    13 April 2026)
>  * **[Donations from UK’s richest have fallen 20% despite their income rising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/12/15/donations-from-uks-richest-have-fallen-20-despite-their-income-rising/)(
>    15 December 2021)**

## Martin Lewis funds charity-run “Small Ideas Initiative” to turn public frustrations into policy

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/09/martin-lewis-funds-charity-run-small-ideas-initiative/
- Published: 2026-10-09T07:08:41+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Consumer champion Martin Lewis is putting £175,000 of his own money into two charities
to collect the public’s suggestions for everyday fixes, with a cross-party panel
to choose the best.**

The founder of MoneySavingExpert has launched the [Small Ideas Initiative](https://small-ideas.org),
asking the public to send in practical, non-controversial fixes to everyday frustrations.
Two charities will run it, funded by a personal donation from Lewis.

Lewis said the public is invited to submit ideas at small-ideas.org. His examples
include live sewage updates for beaches and standardised allergen menus. Other ideas
cited in coverage include fairer car parking charges and clearer naming of tax-free
childcare.

The idea dates back a year, when an interviewer asked him what he would have told
the Government if he had been advising it. His reply was to come up with 100 small
things that annoy people and fix one a day for the first 100 days. As he left the
stage, he emailed himself a reminder to set up a “small ideas” institute.

## Two charities at the centre

Lewis has given **£175,000** to the two organising charities, Nesta’s **Centre for
Collective Intelligence** and public participation charity [Involve](https://www.involve.org.uk/).
They will collate the submissions and narrow them to about 200 workable ideas. These
will then be developed into formal policy proposals, which Lewis says he will take
back to the public for feedback.

A cross-party panel will then choose around 50 ideas, and the initiative will start
trying to make them happen. Coverage says the panel runs from Reform UK to the Green
Party. The panel consists of:

 * **Jonathan Bartley**, Councillor and former Co-Leader (Green Party)
 * **Tracy Brabin**, Mayor of West Yorkshire (Labour)
 * **Tamara Finkelstein**, Chief Executive of Royal Academy of Engineering, former
   permanent secretary
 * **Danny Kruger MP** (Reform)
 * **Polly Mackenzie**, former Director of Policy (Liberal Democrats)
 * **Penny Mordaunt**, former Leader of the House of Commons (Conservative)
 * **Emma Roddick MSP** (SNP)
 * **Kwajo Tweneboa**, social housing campaigner

Lewis has made the donation in a personal capacity. The initiative has no formal
connection to MoneySavingExpert or to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute,
the charity he founded in 2016.

## What can be submitted

**Ideas should be straightforward, low-cost and non-controversial**. They should
be:

 * **Practical** – a solution, not just a complaint
 * **Do-able** – it must be something that could realistically change
 * **Relatively inexpensive** – if it costs too much, government, regulators, or
   councils won’t do it
 * **Decent impact** – whether it could help millions of people a little, or thousands
   of people a lot
 * And crucially… **hard to disagree with** – the kind of thing that 80% of people,
   whatever their politics, would say “yeah, that makes sense”

Ideas that won’t be eligible include those that are:

 * **Too local** – a drinking water fountain in your local park won’t cut it (a 
   water fountain in every park may do)
 * **Overly political** – no party lines, and no dog whistles
 * **Illegal** – breaks the law, criminal or otherwise
 * **Harmful** – nothing that harms people or animals

Topics range across money, shopping, housing, health, schools, transport, business,
policing, justice and technology. The [deadline for submissions](https://small-ideas.org)
is **12 November 2026**, and the project is described as a year-long experiment.

Lewis said he was partly inspired by his campaigning on the council tax reduction
scheme for people with conditions such as dementia. That showed him how a small 
change could have real impact.

**Polly Mackenzie**, formerly director of policy to Nick Clegg during his time as
deputy prime minister, worked with Lewis on the idea. She told the Guardian it is
about rebuilding confidence that government can sort things out, not about any one
party having the right ideas.

## Why it matters for fundraisers

The project puts charities in the role of delivery partners for public participation,
rather than as campaigners or beneficiaries. It also shows how Lewis uses his personal
giving. He previously set up the [Coronavirus Poverty Fund](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/19/covid-19-martin-lewis-offers-1m-fund-for-small-and-local-charities/),
which distributed £3.4 million in grants to 415 small charities. Fundraisers working
with high-profile philanthropists may find it a useful example of a donor funding
charities to run an experimental, time-limited programme.

[Lewis said in his launch post](https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2026/10/martin-lewis-the-small-ideas-initiative/):“
It’s time politics stopped ignoring the small stuff that can make lives better.”

## WATCH: Introducing The Small Ideas Initiative

 * **[Local citizens advice services receives £625,000 from Martin Lewis’ fund](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/20/local-citizens-advice-services-receive-625000-martin-lewis-fund/)(
   20 March 2017)**
 * **[Citizens Advice to receive £1 million from sale of MoneySavingExpert](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/06/01/citizens-advice-receive-1-million-sale-moneysavingexpertcom/)(
   1 June 2012)**
 * **[Vote for MoneySavingExpert.com’s new charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/07/16/vote-moneysavingexpertcom039s-new-charities/)(
   16 July 2008)**

## Charity leaders warn financial pressure hits culture

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/08/charity-leaders-warn-financial-pressure-hits-culture/
- Published: 2026-10-08T11:41:15+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Charities risk damaging their long-term impact if financial decisions come at 
the expense of people, culture and mission, according to new research from education
charity Services For Education.**

The report, _Leading Through Uncertainty: How Charity Leaders Balance Impact, Financial
Sustainability and Culture_, is based on a national survey of 72 charities. It finds
that financial sustainability is the dominant pressure facing leaders, but that 
the human and organisational cost may be underestimated.

## Finance takes most leadership attention

Respondents said financial sustainability was attracting most of their leadership
attention, scoring **4.58 out of five**. Impact and mission delivery followed at
4.04, with organisational culture at 3.7. When asked which area was under the greatest
pressure, 40 respondents, more than half, named financial sustainability.

The pressures cited include funding gaps, contract losses, inflation, National Insurance
increases, low reserves, salary pressures, changes at local authority or government
level, and the need to diversify income. For many charities these have led to restructuring,
changes to pension arrangements, delayed pay decisions, reduced delivery, new fundraising
approaches, or a re-examination of business models.

## Culture as the hidden casualty

The narrative responses suggest that culture is often where financial pressure is
felt most acutely, through workload, morale, wellbeing and the difficult human consequences
of sustainability decisions. The report argues that leaders need to maintain a balance
between financial sustainability, impact and culture rather than choose between 
them.

**Sharon Bell**, Chief Executive of Birmingham-based Services For Education, who
instigated the research after conversations with charity leaders at recent Charity
Finance Group and ICAEW Charity Community conferences, said:

> “The danger is that culture can become the hidden casualty of financial pressure.
> It may not appear to be the biggest problem on ‘the dashboard’, but if people 
> are exhausted, morale is falling and organisational confidence is being eroded,
> the consequences will eventually affect impact.”

## Governance and innovation

The research also found a sector responding proactively rather than simply cutting
costs. Respondents described strengthening governance and financial reporting, improving
reserves management, redesigning services, investing in impact measurement and embracing
digital transformation. In several cases, financial pressure had acted as a catalyst
for innovation.

Strong governance emerged as a particularly important factor, including effective
trustee oversight, diverse board skills, constructive challenge, succession planning
and leadership development. The report concludes that resilience depends on the 
quality of leadership and governance conversations, making trade-offs visible and
keeping beneficiary outcomes at the centre of decisions.

Services For Education has an annual income of around £7 million and is supported
by Arts Council England, charitable donations and its commercial operations. The
report is available free from the [Services For Education website](https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Sector-leadership-Survey-2026.pdf)(
in PDF).

 * **[Fundraising tops charity challenges, Cranfield finds](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/07/12/fundraising-tops-charity-challenges-cranfield-finds/)(
   12 July 2026)
 * **[Public donations dropped by nearly 10% between 2024 and 2025, says CAF research](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/16/public-donations-down-nearly-10-percent-2024-25/)(
   16 March 2026)
 * **[Third Sector Trends in England and Wales tracks charities’ financial health](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/01/21/third-sector-trends-england-wales-financial-health/)(
   21 January 2026)**

## Rogare asks if English-speaking fundraising ideas crowd out local fundraising

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/10/08/rogare-asks-if-english-speaking-fundraising-ideas-crowd-out-local-fundraising/
- Published: 2026-10-08T00:01:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Rogare, the international fundraising think tank, has launched a project and working
paper asking whether fundraising ideas developed in English-speaking countries are
crowding out practices better suited to local cultures of philanthropy.**

The paper, _Does one size fit all? Cultural differences in the evolution and development
of global fundraising professions_, argues that much thinking about best practice,
ethics and regulation originates in the “anglosphere” and is then exported to fundraising
professions around the world. It asks whether those ideas always suit other cultures
and, even where they do, whether they displace local approaches that might work 
better.

## A roadmap, not a prescription

Rogare emphasises that it is not telling fundraisers in any country how to professionalise,
which it calls inappropriate anglophone behaviour. Instead it offers a template 
that fundraisers can adopt or adapt. It recommends four stages:

 * identify the characteristics of the local social culture;
 * describe the local culture of philanthropy;
 * compare anglophone best practice, ethics and standards with local values to see
   which fit and which are problematic;
 * and consider the most appropriate forms of professionalisation.

The working paper draws on [Geert Hofstede’s six-dimension model of national culture](https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/),
and acknowledges criticisms of it. Rogare defines professionalisation as a group
of fundraisers collectively moving their practice towards greater effectiveness,
efficiency and accountability within their local culture of philanthropy. It says
this “categorically does not mean” adopting the norms of any one culture.

## Commission and ‘because of you’

The paper gives two examples. **Paying fundraisers by commission** is almost universally
prohibited in the English-speaking world, but might be acceptable elsewhere, or 
might not: Rogare says it does not know.

**Donor-centred fundraising**‘s habit of singling out the donor for praise, the “
because of you…” direct mail letter, reflects individualist anglophone culture and
might not play well in more collectivist ones, such as those found in Asia.

Alice Ferris of US agency GoalBusters, a Rogare Associate Member and Council member,
said:

> “Calling something best practice doesn’t make it universally best, and the fundraising
> profession keeps mistaking its own reflection for a universal law.”

## No universal ethics, and next steps

The key implication, Rogare argues, concerns ethics. Its Rights-Balancing Fundraising
Ethics framework balances fundraisers’ duties to donors and to beneficiaries, and
those duties may vary between cultures. A practice that is unethical in one culture,
such as paying commission, could therefore be ethical in another, meaning “there
can be no universal global standard of fundraising ethics”.

Rogare hopes to set up working groups in some countries and cultures, starting with
Hopi Nation nonprofits in the USA in collaboration with GoalBusters. It has also
held initial discussions with members of the Māori community in New Zealand/Aotearoa.
Fundraisers who want to collaborate can contact Ian MacQuillin at cu******@****re.
net. Rogare’s work is supported by its Associate Members, among them ST (Stephen
Thomas Ltd), Ask Direct, GoalBusters, Giving Architects, Chell Perkins and Fundraiser
in the Room, and by a strategic partnership with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

 * **[Rogare issues warning as commission-based pay for fundraisers is deregulated](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/04/rogare-issues-warning-as-commission-based-pay-for-fundraisers-is-deregulated/)(
   4 February 2026)
 * **[Ian MacQuillin awarded outstanding contribution award at CIOF awards](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/06/08/ian-macquillin-awarded-outstanding-contribution-award-at-ciof-awards/)(
   8 June 2026)
 * **[Values alignment not necessarily best basis for ethical decisions on refusing donations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/11/06/values-alignment-not-necessarily-best-basis-for-ethical-decisions-on-refusing-donations/)(
   6 November 2024)**