As a consultant

Amanah Awqaf Charitable Trust – helping to set up new charitable company, preparing memorandum and articles and acting as agent in registration processes

Association of Charitable Foundations – work on policy issues, for example analysing and preparing briefings on the Government's proposals for reforming charities’ legal framework, looking at the long-term development of philanthropy, producing members' salary survey report from confidential data

Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust – devising procedures and chairing assessment panels for this new philanthropy award scheme, launched in Spring 2003

Brixton Town Centre Area Forum Board - facilitating their 'awayday' strategy review

Burdett Trust for Nursing - assessing grant applications in successive annual rounds, and evaluating outcomes of approved grants

CANS Trust - Citizens Advice Notes Service – strategic review and successfully finding partner for merger

Capacity Builders - Leading a team analysing local and regional infrastructure investment plans in 2006 further reviews in 2008; grant assessment for the Improving Reach programme in 2008

Charities Aid Foundation – review of 50 local and regional 'maps' of the voluntary sector; scoping for CAF's survey of local authority funding; research and writing on family foundations.

City Bridge Trust – writing report of collaboration between CBT and other funders on the theme Fear and Fashion, grants to projects combatting knife crime in London; writing report of conference in 2010 on the 'Grants-plus-support' approach to grant-making

City University Cass Business School - preparing syllabus for diploma/MSc in charitable grant-making and teaching on this programme  

Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust - Assessing awards for major buildings and revenue grants to benefit young people in Kent, with ongoing contact with grant holders

Community Action Southwark - courses for trustees on topics including 'Planning an AGM' and 'Renewing your Board'

Community Development Finance Association - governance review

Community Foundation Network - Grant assessment and procedure design for Funder Coalitions programme

Community Fund and Big Lottery Fund – drafting conditions for grants with political content enquiring into a complaint about a disputed grant

Derbyshire Community Foundation – a review of governance and the potential for a membership scheme

Directory of Social Change - reviews and articles for Funding for Change magazine

Guidestar UK – comparing US and UK classification systems for organisations and grants

Hillingdon Community Trust – survey and report on funders active in their catchment area

Home Office - re-drafting consultation paper on Civil Renewal; designing forms and assessing grant applications for the Volunteer Recruitment Fund, reading business plans for another programme

Institute of Fundraising - pro tem manager of Tax-effective Giving project in start-up phase

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation - governance advice for this pioneering industry-wide corporate foundtion

Interchange Trust and other organisations - training sessions for trustees and boards of charities

International Network on Strategic Philanthropy – paper on the principles of accountability of foundations

Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) and East-West Management Institute (New York) - UK 'Discovery Associate' on Philanthropication thru Privatization  project, looking at examples of new philanthropic organisations created by change in public utilities and mutual banks

Khodorkovsky Foundation - a governance review of a private boarding school (sometimes referred to as an 'orphanage' in the outskirts of Moscow, sponsored by the jailed (and now freed) Russian oil millionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky.  The 'Lyceum' provides a caring environment for 'children of sorrow' from across Russia.  I was part of a team including a doctor and senior staff from NCH Action for Children. The Khodorkovsky Foundation is a charity established in England.

National Family and Parenting Institute - assisting NFPI in preparing major tender for Government contract

Princess Royal Trust for Carers - presentation on governance at Chairs' and Trustees' conference

Sir Walter St John's Educational Charity - locum manager for six months

Vodafone Foundations - working with David Carrington in devising a procedures manual

 

As a staff member

Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF)
Director and Chief Executive (1990-2002)
ACF is the UK’s key support organisation for independent grant-making trusts and foundations. It promotes good practice, influences public policy and the legal/regulatory framework, provides
public information about foundations and helps new ones into being.  I was its first chief officer,
and built its membership to 300 organisations with aggregate annual giving of £1.3bn.  I wrote many of its guides and briefings, edited its magazine (Trust & Foundation News), was the main
lobbyist for the Trustee Act 2000, and made ACF a key source of advice for grant-makers.

National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Co-ordinator of Local Development Agencies Fund (1986-1990)
I headed an experimental national grant fund that channelled £3 million of Government funds to 70 voluntary sector development agencies across England.

Lambeth Umbrella Group
Co-ordinator (1978-85)
I was the key staff member of a pioneering federation of 50 local advice centres in the London Borough of Lambeth - membership including Citizens Advice Bureaux, law and neighbourhood
centres, and specialist centres serving minority ethnic and other disadvantaged groups.

London Voluntary Service Council
Development Officer (1975-8)
Working with Councils for Voluntary Service (CVSs) in the London boroughs

National Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty)
Administrative Assistant (1974-5)
Office admin, bookkeeping, advice, and campaign work

 

As a trustee 

McDougall Trust
(Trustee from 2003-date , Chair of Board 2005-8 and 2011-14)

Fair Trials International
(Trustee 2003-2012)

Federation of Independent Advice Centres - now called Advice UK (Founding member, Treasurer, London Unit Chair, 1981-5)

Lambeth Inner City Consultative Group
(Chair, 1984-5)

LASA Computer Development Unit
(Board member, 1984-5)

Advice Services Alliance
(Chair, 1985)

Lambeth Citizens Advice Bureaux Management Committee
(Vice-Chair, 1986-1989)

Campaign for Inter-Country Adoption
(Board member, 1990-7)

Family International
(Board Member, 1993-7)

Conference of National Resource and Umbrella Organisations (Planning Chair, 1997-2000)

National Council for Voluntary Organisations
(Trustee, 1996-2001)

In summary

I've worked in the voluntary and charitable sector for 35 years including 19 as a chief officer, 4 running a grants programme, and 12 as head of the UK's premier good practice organisation in independent grant-making, the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF).

I’ve built up several organisations from their early days.  Apart from ACF, I built the pioneering group of advice centres in Lambeth, and was one of the founder group of the Federation of Independent Advice Centres (now Advice UK).

I've worked with most of the third sector's key strategic organisations, including the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Charities Aid Foundation, Directory of Social Change,
Institute of Fundraising, and the 'builders': Futurebuilders and Capacity Builders.

I’ve worked on issues at the government-voluntary-corporate sector interfaces.

As well as offering consultancy advice, I’ve been both a lead staff member and a trustee - still am - so I've had plenty of time to practise what I preach.

I know charity and trustee law very well, and was one of the key lobbyists for the Trustee Act 2000 -  with work that was acknowledged by the Law Commission and the School of Law (which trains lawyers) .  I belong to the Charity Law Association.

I’ve drafted standards and codes of conduct.

I have good international links, especially with foundations and their networks.

I’m experienced at public speaking, writing and editing.