The Team
Gill Wootton MInstF
Gill Wootton has worked in the not-for-profit sector since 1984, working for large national organisations including Help the Aged and the Muscular Dystrophy Group and as Director of Development and Fundraising for the Albrighton Moat Project.
She is a longstanding Member of the Institute of Fundraising and served as a national Trustee of the Institute from 2000 to 2006. She helped establish the Institute's Midlands regional group, which she chaired from 1999 to 2002. Gill is also a past Chair of the West Midlands Charity Trustees' Forum and today serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Association of Fundraising Consultants.
Gill has worked with a wide range of charities and her fundraising experience includes trusts, companies, events, and capital appeals. She is also an experienced trainer. She enjoys carrying out fundraising audits and developing strategies and has a special interest in working with hospices and disability organisations.
Simon George BSc (hons), MInstF
Simon has worked in the voluntary sector since 1987, in charity management and fundraising.
After an honours degree in languages and politics, he first went into commercial marketing and then entered the voluntary sector, as UK Director of CSI UK, a human rights charity. During his time with the charity, organisational income rose eightfold. Following this, he joined the Good Shepherd Trust as Director of Development, establishing its successful marketing and fundraising operation.
Simon's special interests are strategic planning and risk management and, as a result, he conducts many diagnostic and strategic assignments for clients. His main fundraising interests are charitable trusts and legacies, while as well as charities he has a particular interest in university fundraising.
He is an active member of the Institute of Fundraising, where he established and chaired the Charitable Trusts and Statutory Special Interest Group and helped to draft the IoF Code of Practice on trust fundraising. He is currently Vice Chair of the Institute's Midlands region. Simon has written numerous articles on fundraising in the charity press and is a regular conference speaker.
In his spare time, he is a member of Rising Brook Baptist Church and a charity trustee. He is a keen gardener and walker.
Maxine Barlow BA (hons) MInstF
Maxine has worked in the voluntary sector since 1989, originally with Apex Trust and then Rathbone Community Industry, specialising in Trust and Corporate fundraising. She then worked for Imperial Cancer Research Fund for 6 years, developing national campaigns and events at a strategic level. She is a long-standing member of the Institute of Fundraising and has a special interest in community based causes, including hospices, counselling organisations and medical charities.
Claire Greenhalgh MA (hons) MInstF (Cert)
A former Director of Fundraising in an international development charity, Claire Greenhalgh has been in fundraising since 1998, working with a range of voluntary sector organisations, developing fundraising strategies and business plans and devising and implementing major projects and programmes of work. She specialises in developing strategies and in funding from trusts, government funders, the National Lottery and the EU and also has experience of managing direct marketing programmes. Claire has worked in the arts, children's welfare, international development and work with older people. She is a PRINCE2 Practitioner and has also completed the NEBS Management Course.
Michael Wootton F.C.A.
Michael is a Chartered Accountant with considerable experience of business planning and financial management in both the business and the not-for-profit sectors. He regularly presents courses and seminars on financial management, concentrating on the needs of charities. Courses include Business Planning, The Duties and Responsibilities of Trustees and Monitoring and Evaluation. Michael enjoys conducting feasibility studies and helping clients to develop business plans. He is himself a trustee and treasurer of a well known Midlands grant making trust.
Jeremy Sparkes BSc (hons) MInstF (Cert)
Jeremy is a Management Science graduate from one of Europe's leading business schools. He worked in marketing and business management for 15 years, before joining the not-for-profit sector in 1997. Prior to this, he was a volunteer for seven years with the Princes Youth Business Trust. His expertise lies in working with major donors and charitable trusts, as well as in health funding, specialising particularly in Section 64 applications. In recent years, he has advised organisations in the fields of youth, medical and social welfare causes. He currently serves as Secretary of the Institute of Fundraising in Wales.
Andrew Devon MInstF
Andrew has been a fundraiser since 1993 and was a Director of Fundraising in his last employed role. He has worked as a consultant since 2002 and is regional chair of the Institute of Fundraising in the South East. He has assisted charities in the fields of housing and homelessness, addiction, HIV/AIDS, mental health and learning disability, regeneration and end of life care. His areas of expertise include charitable trusts, statutory funding and corporate support.
Monica Hartwell BA (hons) MInstF
After a first career with the Bank of England, Monica took a degree in Social Policy at York University before joining the voluntary sector in 1987. She has worked for Age Concern, the Muscular Dystrophy Group (now Muscular Dystrophy Campaign), Winged Fellowship Trust (now Vitalise). Most recently, she was Director of Contact the Elderly. Monica's strengths are the development, growth and management of not-for-profit organisations, including 'hands-on' fundraising experience in the fields of charitable trusts, lottery applications and statutory bids.
Ian Catley MInstF
Ian has been a full time fundraiser since 1992 and is our corporate specialist. Before this, he spent a long career in public relations, sales, marketing and events management. Although Ian has recently led a regional Capital fundraising appeal, his long-term fundraising role was with Macmillan Cancer Relief (now Macmillan Cancer Support) heading a consistently successful corporate fundraising team working with many of Britain's biggest companies. Ian's other area of expertise is in public relations, where he has regularly achieved success in raising business and voluntary sector clients' media profiles.
Helen Dart
Helen is a voluntary sector specialist of 25 year's standing, including 15 year's experience as a charity Chief Executive. She has been a non-Exec Director of a Health Authority and still advises the NHS Appointments Board. She has chaired a Local Strategic Partnership and is a trustee of three charities. Helen's considerable skills and experience are at a strategic level. She has a special interest in governance issues, as well as trouble-shooting and helping organisations to negotiate change. She is especially well placed to mentor new Chief Executives and also undertakes fundraising assignments.
Ros Taylor BA (hons) MInstF
Ros began fundraising in 1990 with Help the Aged and subsequently held positions at the RNIB, Brain and Spine Foundation, the Foundation of Nursing Studies and Reading Single Homeless Project. Since 2002, she has worked as a consultant, primarily in the fields of social welfare and disability. She has particular experience of fundraising from charitable trusts, the National Lottery, EU funding and corporate support, as well as many years' experience of fundraising start-up, managing teams and supporting strategic change within organisations.
Veronica Martin
Veronica spent fifteen years in advertising before joining the voluntary sector in 1999. Since then she has developed expertise in three aspects of fundraising, covering trusts and foundations, major gifts and special events, (the latter ranging from the London Marathon to charity balls and reception dinners). She has worked for charities in a wide range of fields, including Clubs for Young People, Brain and Spine Foundation, Drake Music, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Prolific Foundation, Art of Community and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. Veronica is a Certificated Member of the Institute of Fundraising, and is currently studying for an MSc in Charity Fundraising and Marketing. In her spare time, she is also Chair of the BME children’s charity, Generating Genius.
David G. Poppitt MSc MinstF
Following a career in Medical Research, David was appointed Appeals Director at Manchester’s Christie Hospital in 1989. He took a one-man operation to a team of 15 in six years and to an annual £3million income. In 1995 he became Director of Development at his old School, Bolton School where, concentrating on alumni relations and the development of local business partnerships, he set up a bursary scheme. He is the author of “The School Fundraiser” and now concentrates on income generation consultancy to the health and education sectors.
