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What other people have said about me.
An Afterword by Ken Burnett.
Giles Pegram: dreaming the impossible dream.
Everyone knows Giles is a giant of fundraising with a glittering career record.
But what has he actually done, for fundraising?
I know, because I’ve worked with him for more than 40 years first as a client of my agency Burnett Associates, then as a colleague, friend, collaborator on Relationship Fundraising and co-founder of the Commission on the Donor Experience.
While building one of the UK’s most successful fundraising teams and creating a veritable university of fundraising at the NSPCC to deliver the UK’s two most ambitious transformational fundraising appeals, Giles was also instrumental in the founding of the UK’s Institute of Fundraising, serving as chair of trustees in its early years.
Few come even close to Giles in the impact he’s had on the shaping of our profession and the fundraiser’s role.
Giles was my guide and mentor when I was preparing my book Relationship Fundraising. As together we evolved and defined that book’s theories he showed me how they would work in a large national fundraising organisation.
When a crisis hit UK fundraising in 2015 Giles and I together founded and launched the Commission on the Donor Experience. Over the following two years he shaped its projects and outputs, defining how fundraising should be viewed and structured to restore public confidence and build a new era of responsible, inspirational fundraising built upon delivering a consistently exemplary donor experience.
Giles never stops looking for a better way of doing things. His blogs and articles over the past two decades should be required reading for every career fundraiser. He’s visionary, fair, ambitious, a great delegator, he listens, values enthusiasm, fosters talent and allows room and resources for bold innovation. I can’t think anyone could possibly have better credentials than Giles, to be a consummate fundraising consultant.
Selected projects.
Revolutionise
Revolutionise organise expert workshops at “The Inch” by Loch Ness. I led on five two-day sessions on Major Appeals, with Alan Clayton and Ken Burnett giving me both support and bringing their unique added value.
I covered every aspect of organising a major appeal, from creating and articulating the case for support and setting the appeal target, then recruiting the Chair and Appeal Board, executing the Appeal and finally consolidating it into ongoing core income.
In doing so I focussed on the challenges, particularly with the recruitment and support of both the Chair and committee members. And I used real world examples, from my own experience, of how it is possible to meet and overcome them.
If you approach them in the right way, that is.
Børns Vilkår
Travelling between London and Copenhagen I worked with Alan Clayton at Revolutionise and advised the charity on the planning of their Major Appeal. Not only was it a joy to help this wonderful organisation, but I also had the chance to learn about the completely different approach to giving, and to donors, in Denmark.
Gesher School
Gesher is an Ofsted Outstanding all-through school that has recently expanded into secondary provision. This wonderful project now caters to children aged 4-16 with a range of special educational needs including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Downs syndrome.
It was founded by two quite extraordinary women who had raised the money to build and create the school, mainly from networks of five, six and seven figure donors. They are intuitive fundraisers and brilliant relationship managers, but as they had done everything from scratch themselves, they lacked the advice and support that comes from working within a professional fundraising practice. They engaged me to provide this and help them consolidate and grow an already hugely successful fundraising operation.
It is an atypical relationship in that we work closely across all areas of fundraising and I often serve as a sounding board on specific donors and prospects, day-to-day issues and practicalities – where my experience can be helpful – as well as on fundraising strategy.
It is a very fulfilling assignment and I have their permission to describe myself here as an honorary third person in the team.
Re-engage
Re-engage is a young charity that provides vital, life-enhancing social connections for older people. I helped them create a plan for Individual Giving, an activity that they had never attempted despite having massive potential.
Although there was pressure for short-term returns, I clearly demonstrated how they would have to work for the medium to long term if they were to succeed. And, despite their initial reservations, I convinced them to look first at their existing supporters of all types, including service volunteers.
The plan was simple: first, test messaging with different segments of existing supporters and roll out to the most successful. Then use the insight gained to test with new audiences of similar people. And then roll out again. This continuing process is designed to achieve significant growth, over time.
I helped create a detailed three-year plan for the charity, well thought-through and bullet-proofed to withstand the close scrutiny of the trustees.
Science Museum
The Science Museum had a large base of major donors and a good recognition programme for them. My role was to explore the creation of three new tiers of membership to attract and engage supporters at even higher levels.
To begin with, I organised a half-day workshop with the fundraising staff to identify the main drivers of engagement and the tangible and intangible benefits for members. Importantly, we discovered existing benefits that had yet to be leveraged and new ideas that could be easily and cost-effectively implemented.
Based on the workshop findings, I grouped the ideas thematically and developed ten new territories. We produced creative stimulus for each and then tested them through a series of in-depth one-to-one interviews with individual major donors. Their input helped us eliminate some routes, merge others and only then refine the very best. And, of course, they had amazing ideas of their own.
In this way we were able to develop three compelling new tiers that had been essentially ‘co-created’ with the target audience itself. This ensured that the ‘offers’ were not only closely aligned with members’ tangible needs and wants, but, also promoted the self-expressive benefits of membership.
Commission on the Donor Experience
Ken Burnett and I had been concerned for many years that fundraising was increasingly becoming more about techniques and less about donors, and that this was adversely affecting fundraising.
Jointly, in 2015, we set up ‘The Commission on the Donor Experience’, with the intention of putting the donor’s experience at the heart of fundraising. I was vice-chair. Sir Martyn Lewis was chair. We set up 28 projects, each with a project manager and members, and a robust process of quality control and assessment. The 28 projects covered all types of fundraising, as well as topics such as ‘leadership’, ‘the use of emotion’ and ‘evidence of impact and effectiveness’.
The final report was launched at the AGM of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising in July 2017. It was a watershed moment. Through the Institute, and the 200 active, influential and UK wide participants in the project, it quickly gained traction within the sector.
It brought attention to the importance of personalised engagement, transparency, and effective communication with donors to enhance their overall experience with charitable organisations. It emphasised the significance of building long-term relationships, aligning fundraising practices with supporters' needs, and creating a sustainable fundraising ecosystem.
Now, in 2023, ‘the supporter experience’ is part the lexicon of all fundraisers, and the job titles of many.
SSAFA
I had the privilege of assisting this medium-sized forces charity in reimagining their fundraising approach and crafting a new, long-term strategy, one centred around the needs of their supporters.
To begin with, I conducted a comprehensive analysis of their current fundraising programme. This involved examining their activities and outcomes over the past five years, thoroughly reviewing their fundraising materials, and studying their previous strategies, plans, and reports.
Throughout this process, I worked closely alongside the fundraising director, and held meetings with his direct reports, actively listening to their perspectives and gathering their insights. Importantly I also engaged with key stakeholders such as the CEO and director of communications, to understand their vision.
Following these meticulous steps, I dedicated significant time simply to thinking then testing and refining my ideas in collaboration with the fundraising director. Together, we crafted a strategy that would be presented to the trustees, outlining the path forward for their fundraising operation.
Harpenden Spotlight on Africa
This charity has accomplished remarkable work in Mbale in Uganda. What is even more incredible is that the fundraising efforts have been carried out entirely by their volunteers in the small town of Harpenden. When they reached out to me, they were at a crossroads. They had to decide whether to continue with their existing approach, or push themselves even further. Their excellent Chair decided the latter.
Recognising their strength with existing major donors, I agreed with the Chair that we should capitalise on this by focusing first of all on attracting new ones. I identified a pool of major donor prospects who had both local connections and the capacity to contribute at the desired level. I then took the lead in organising a special event at the House of Commons, which was hosted by the local Member of Parliament.
The event served as a powerful catalyst in the cultivation process, forging connections and inspiring support for their cause.
Cancer Council Victoria
I spearheaded a significant project for this large Australian charity to initiate profound cultural change within the organisation. The primary objective was straightforward: to prioritise donors and place them at the centre of all fundraising activity.
Once we had defined our objectives, methodology and success criteria, we conducted internal consultations and established working groups amongst the fundraising team. These were hugely valuable. First, because they came up with new and innovative ideas. Secondly, it ensured that all fundraising staff felt, and were, an essential part of the project.
Then we developed comprehensive project plans. Our aim was to foster exceptional donor care from the moment of recruitment onward, while embedding processes for continuous learning and improvement.
After sixteen months we were finally ready to introduce the initiative to the fundraisers, and I travelled to Melbourne for a week to launch it, present it to the CEO and his management team and have 1:1 meetings with all fundraising managers.
We went on to develop a "handbook" and a dedicated set of intranet resources. These became the shared ownership of the entire fundraising staff, serving as practical guides for their day-to-day activities and forming the foundation for training new team members entering the fundraising department.
Overall, this project facilitated a fundamental shift on the way the charity perceived its supporters. It was a transformative journey that empowered an already inspired team and laid the groundwork for continued growth and success.
The 4am zoom calls were worth it.
Police Care UK
Police Care UK is a unique charity that provides support to police officers who have experienced physical or psychological harm due to their policing duties, as well as to the families of those who have been killed. Historically, the charity relied solely on a significant endowment for its funding.
Recognising the need for growth, the charity made the decision to hire a Fundraising Manager. He, in turn, appointed me to provide comprehensive support in developing and implementing a fundraising strategy. Together we conducted a thorough assessment of the charity's strengths and identified opportunities. We determined that our initial focus would be on three sources, prioritised in the following order:
First, major donors. Leveraging the charity's influence, we successfully secured New Scotland Yard as the venue for a reception, hosted by the Chief Commissioner. We meticulously curated an invitation list based on careful research. Additionally, we appointed the charity's second fundraiser, who would join shortly before the event and would follow up with all guests.
Secondly, individual giving. I assisted in the selection of an agency and collaborated with both the agency and the client to develop compelling fundraising propositions. The client possessed extensive insight into the charity's work, the agency produced captivating creative work and I brought my experience and expertise to bear.
Thirdly, we decided to establish local committees consisting of high-level fundraising volunteers. Although a very unconventional choice, it was based on the charity's extensive networks with Chief Constables, Lords Lieutenant, and High Sheriffs. At the appropriate time, we hired the third fundraiser to pilot the concept in three counties. We meticulously analysed the results, and used those learnings to refine and roll out the initiative.
Throughout this process, I assumed two key roles:
Providing guidance to the fundraising manager on strategy, practical planning, and execution.
Serving as a mentor to him, offering support on all aspects of his work, fostering relationships both internally and externally, and enhancing his professional profile.
Achievements and accolades.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
The Commission on the Donor Experience
Co-founder and Vice-chair
The Supporter Experience Project
Co-founder
The Institute of Fundraising
Founder member, Fellow, Chair
Fundraisers Convention
Founder, Chair
Journal of not-for-profit Marketing
Editorial Board
Resource Alliance, International Fundraising Congress
Trustee
Concern UK
Trustee
World Fundraising Council
Co-Founder, Treasurer
⟶ Services