IoF’s Major Donor Fundraising Conference: Thoughts By Sarah Gray

IFC’s Senior Consultant, Sarah Gray participated in the Institute of Fundraising’s Major Donor conference earlier this week and had this to report…

Well, that was inspiring! 230 fundraisers, 18 speakers, 1 newborn baby.

I had the privilege of interviewing Chris Letcher at the ‘Meet the Philanthropist’ session at the Institute of Fundraising’s major donor conference on Monday. Chris has raised over £1 million for Plan International in the last decade and enlightened a packed hall on his motivations at the De Vere Grand Connaught rooms in Covent Garden.

Chris has spent his life lighting the blue touch paper to enable people to be the very best that they can. Commercially, this manifests itself in a long list of thriving entrepreneurs that he has partnered with and now, this investment in people is demonstrated in a rock solid partnership with Plan International. Chris explained the high expectations that he has of the relationship with Plan. He is an outcomes-focussed philanthropist and is motivated by the on the ground work of Plan that he and his family have been able to get actively involved in.

The session was inspiring and gave a full conference a very lively insight into the motivations of one of Britain’s 300 active philanthropists. The questions from the floor were probing; I loved the discussion around the idea of an immersive event for donors to bring a project to life. Fresh ideas for the beginning of a new year….

And yes, one of the delegates was a very well-behaved tiny baby accompanying her mother to the conference.