About us

Joe is a fundraising specialist with over 10 years of experience working with various development organisations in Kenya and in the UK. He has vast experience in developing fundraising strategies, identifying new funding opportunities, building effective and mutually beneficial relationships with donors, training and public speaking at events on fundraising management. He has previously worked on behalf of various International development organisations in the UK as well as national and local NGOs in Africa. Joe is keen to support local and national not-for-profit organisations, particularly in Africa, to maximise their funding opportunities through diversification of their funding sources in order to build a sustainable fundraising programme.

Joe holds an MA in International Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK, Post Graduate Diploma in Armed Conflict, BSc in Food Science and a Professional Certification in Fundraising Management from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF) Academy, UK. He is a fully Certified member of the CIoF UK.

Carol is a social entrepreneur, consultant, trainer and inspirational speaker with a passion for Stewardship and tackling inequality; helping individuals and organisations to unlock their potential in those areas. Her expertise includes creating bespoke strategies, programmes and tools for capacity building and resource mobilisation, as well as developing high level partnerships with major donors, community groups and business leaders on four continents.

She has an MA in Economics and Finance from the University of Leeds having started out her career as an investment banker. In 2012, she set up RAA Solutions, an ethical, creative business development consultancy and training agency. Carol is the founding Chair of Black Fundraisers UK, as well as a Fellow, Trustee and Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF). She is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals USA. She has been the Chair of the CIoF’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee since 2019.

Carol is the founder and CEO of Money4YOU, an organisation delivering financial education, entrepreneurship and capacity building training across the world. She hosts the weekly podcast: Four minutes in Fundraising and her work prioritises young people, girls, women and disadvantaged communities. Money4YOU runs the AVOCADO+ Accelerator Programme for black, Asian, multi-ethnic and refuge led UK non profits. This programme is designed to improve their Sustainability, Fundraising Capabilities and Leadership. In developing nations, the AVOCADO programme is run as an Incubator programme, designed to kickstart and bootstrap entrepreneurial initiatives and small businesses.

I am a development consultant with experience working in developing countries. I have over 15 years of practice with organisations in East Africa particularly countries of Tanzania and Uganda specialising in the field of fund development. I have written appealing grant proposals for several non-profit and faith-based organisations in sectors of WASH, climate change, health, education, gender mainstreaming, disability rehabilitation and Good governance.

My wide interactions within the civil society, research skills, analytical expertise of legal and policy frameworks contributes to formulation of highly practical projects. I have worked on projects for church organisations including the Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran church in Tanzania, Disability support organisations, NGOS working on agriculture improvement, Secondary schools, healthy workers’ groups and micro-finance promotion institutions. The successful grant applications have been funded by organisations like SIDA, DANIDA, Church of Sweden, USAID, Lillian Foundation in Netherlands and several charity organisations in Europe. My work with the corporate enterprises involves market research, business plan designing and emerging markets financing.

I offer expertise on entrepreneurship and services to start-ups requirements on marketing and financial capital, business advisory services on commercial farming, agro-processing, micro-financing and other SMEs operating in developing economies. I have wide experience with financing systems for small rural enterprises and successfully supported establishment of several micro-finance institutions and a coordination unit for a Lutheran church diocese in Tanzania.

My consultancy skills for organisational development focus on baseline surveys, projects evaluations, strategic planning, fundraising planning and organisational policy development. I provide consultancy on projects designing, implementation, and monitoring levels of the project cycle through an in-depth evaluation of community based poverty reduction initiatives. I am part of local organisation networks including Secretary to Tanzania disability Inclusive network (TDIC), Previous membership on a board of Tanzania Christian Refugee services (TCRS-Kagera) and served as a University establishment task force member for Karagwe University College (KARUCO). I have international experience through working with an international organisation called Amizade Global Service and Learning (AGSL) as Site Director for Tanzania. This is an independent consultancy involving designing service and learning volunteer programmes and speaking at university events. I am also founder of a non-profit organisation- Kagera Development Facilitation (KADEF) operating as a Consultancy and community organisation in Tanzania.

I hold a Bachelor in Social work and social administration, Masters in Public administration and management from Makerere University Uganda. I have attended several refresher courses, workshops and training in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and USA in various fields of organisational management, projects management and community development work.

Bob Penner comes to IFCo Canada as an industry leader with experience in large-scale donor-based fundraising (digital, mobile, phone) and in developing innovative strategies for donor and membership base growth, campaign and advocacy campaigning, polling and focus groups, and engagement.

Bob has worked with organisations in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

In addition to managing Strategic Communications, Bob’s expertise includes fundraising, engagement, opinion research and messaging.

Bob has worked as a fundraising consultant and advisor to organisations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace East Asia, the British Labour Party, the Humane Society of the U.S., the Canadian Red Cross, and many other Canadian and international organisations. Bob has been a pollster, strategist and advisor for numerous national, provincial and mayoral elections, as well as for ballot measures, party leadership, public interest advocacy campaigns and governments.

Research and engagement clients have included Canadian Labour Congress, the Peoples Vote in UK, Pew Research Centre, the American Civil Liberties Union, the governments of Alberta and British Columbia, and Mayors of Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and other Canadian cities. He is a Leadership Fellow of the Broadbent Institute, a long standing member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Bob was previously a peace and environmental activist. Originally from Toronto, Bob now lives in Vancouver, with his partner, fiction writer Shaena Lambert, and has two children.

Karina Sandoval-Boonstra has over 15 years of experience working for international organizations and the corporate sector in Latin America, the United States of America and Europe. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Administration, an MBA from the University of Dallas and a second Master’s Degree in International Development from the University of Amsterdam. Parallel to that, she has taken several courses and training in fundraising from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising in the UK.

Her areas of expertise include: Fundraising strategy development, market assessments, international strategic partnerships, development of new and improved streams of income, including impact investment opportunities, design and implementation of cause-related marketing campaigns, and high-end fundraising events, among others.

Some of the organizations she had the privilege to work with include: United Nations, Peace Child International, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Fairfood International (NL), Sense International, Stars Foundation, Government of Peru in NL, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture to name some.

Karina speaks Spanish, English and Dutch. She is the Director of Funds4impact, which aims to unleash the huge potential that organizations and individuals in the region have at creating positive impact through the way they think and do fundraising, strategic alliances and impact investments.

Funds4impact services includes:

• Development of a Diversified Fundraising Strategy
• Market Assessments (100% Fundraising oriented)
• Development of new and improved streams of income including funding through impact investment
• Design and implementation of cause-related marketing campaigns
• Proposal writing
• Development of a (100% funding-friendly) communication strategy and materials. Targeting those audiences previously identified in your fundraising strategy!
• Development of international strategic partnerships
• Training, mentoring and coaching for fundraising success

As career fundraiser, Laurence has a very unique and specific vision. For over thirty years his executive leadership has been dedicated to fundraising planning. His focus is on the critical intersection between strategic planning and fundraising planning, to enable the agencies with which he works to reach the next level in their fundraising capabilities. Once their new revenue has been secured, each non-profit has been able to meaningfully improve the quality of their constituents’ lives and more fully achieve the mission they’ve dedicated themselves to serving.

He has supported hundreds of non-profits by developing strong revenue engines for them that work in sync with their organizational cultures. He has trained staff and boards of directors, and used non-profit programs’ outcome evaluation data to convincingly make the case for funding support. He has recruited and hired three chief executives, twenty development officers, two controllers and twenty-two program or division directors.

Over the course of ten years He has served as executive director of three different non-profits. As aconsultant, the agencies with whom he has worked had budgets as large as $216 million dollars and staffs as large as 400 individuals. Their varied missions have included healthcare, homelessness andinternational outreach. In 1995 he became president and executive fundraiser of a leading national fundraising consulting firm. As its clientele has grown over the years, so too have its repeat customers.

He has spearheaded new creative collaborations, often between improbable partners whose mutual successes continue to this day.

He is a dynamic and seasoned public speaker who excels at explaining intricate ideas and helping his audiences understand the bigger plan.

His new book, The Nonprofit Fundraising Solution, published by the American Management Association in 2013, was the editor’s choice for best book of the year. It was featured in the Nov. 7th, 2013 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

His written articles and essays cover a vast array of fundraising subjects and are widely circulated on the Web. His blog INFO draws 3,800 active readers.

Himadri “Jim” De has more than 20 years of experience in management of programmes and coordinating social services in Asia. Jim is a post graduate (MBA) in Management from Chifley Business School, Australia, and La Trobe University, Australia. He also has been trained at the Management Development Foundation in the Netherlands, for Project Management. He is currently enrolled for his certification in Fundraising from the Institute of Fundraising UK.

Jim is a member of the Institute of Fundraising, UK.

He has worked extensively on more than 35 programmes in India, and another 15 programmes in Indonesia covering a wide range of services. He has also served with the Government of Delhi as part of a team to ensure quality care for children in institutions.

Jim has travelled extensively through the length and breadth of India, visiting and training organizational leaders on programme management and leadership, programme implementation, as well as understanding the need for sustainability. He has worked to assist such managements to understand CSR policies, as well as with the corporate world, to assist them with their CSR strategy.

Maya is a senior executive with strategic and business development expertise. Educated and experienced in the area of financial management and organisational experience. She has worked for successful companies in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan as well as on donor funded programmes within UN system, USAID, FCO/DFID, DCA, Open society, INGOs and NGOs managing all aspects of finance and operations. She has a proven track record of effectively working  in dynamic and challenging environments. A successful history of integrating the financial, commercial, regulatory and technical aspects of large companies as well as donor funded programmes, operations projects and grants. She has the experience to work with  diverse teams across multiple international locations.

She has worked on several start-up activities related to launching  new projects and opening the representative offices in Bishkek. Launched the SFCG/DFID funded project on “Strengthening Capacity to Prevent Violent Extremism” and JSI/SPRING/USAID/Save the Children Central Asia funded project on nutrition SPRING/Kyrgyzstan. Managed all operations and logistics and supervised the entire operations team.

Together with the working group she has implemented United Nations Development Group (UNDG) reform in Kyrgyzstan on UN Common premises and Common Services. She has managing administrative and financial issues of The UN Refugee Agency  Liaison office in Kyrgyzstan. Performed role of Internal Auditor at The UN Refugee Agency offices worldwide, developed recommendations and conducted training for finance staff and implementing partners.

She was involved in fundraising activities in the gold mining sector in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Using her analytical and project management skills defined the business needs and implemented the projects from discovery through deployment. Implemented a change management system, business process re-engineering of IT and associated services in order to achieve Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 compliance for the gold mining company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange( NYSE) including continuous business process improvement of services to ensure ongoing international law compliance and ISO requirements.

Coordinated investor relation issues and provided guidance on accounting and financial reporting in accordance with IFRS standards in accordance with the stakeholders’ requirements where some of the issues had a confidential character. Experienced in IFRS, asset management, planning, project management control and implementation, risk management, auditing and fraud examination, reviewing and assessing financial management systems and business processes with the ability to provide recommendations for improvement, knowledge of HR procedures, policies and rules for international donors.

Ralph has had extensive cross-functional experience during his 30 years in Asia. He has carried out charitable fundraising for a number of global and local non-profit organisations helping to raise more than $250 million dollars since 1986.

As the founding Director, Development for Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute, he prepared a capital fundraising campaign, budget and plans for a new SERI Building whose projected cost was some $100 million.

During his time as a fundraising management consultant he worked with:

• Nanyang Technological University – drafted Case for Support and fundraising strategy (their planned new campaign goal is several times their 21st Century Campaign which raised $150 million), provided senior management/board training and guidance;
• International Rice Research Institute – provided guidance/strategising to help them secure US$52.3 million from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with plans being finalized for a further US$100 million, created their first Case for Support and fundraising strategy, mentored new development director;
• Prospect donor research – extensive and on-going prospect research on leading East and Southeast Asian families, foundations and corporations, including private interviews with ultra high net-worth individuals around the region.

He has volunteered or volunteers for the following non-profit organisations:

• Association of Fundraising Professionals Hong Kong and Singapore Vice President and Education Programme Chair since 2004, this included organising/delivering eight to ten seminars annually for professional and volunteer charity fundraisers;
• Fundraising trainer and mentor for The IRRI Fund Singapore;
• Provided fundraising advice and mentoring to *SCAPE, Lotus Culture, Dover Park Hospice, and World Toilet Association;
• Clinton Global Initiative Hong Kong Conference 2008 volunteer networker and co-ordinator.
• During his sixteen years with World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong, he:
• recruited some $38 million in individual, foundation, government and corporate donations;
• grew the organisation from five staff in one office to over 175 staff in five offices (that he also helped design, fundraise for and oversaw construction of).

He holds a joint Executive MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is proficient in English, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese (read at Harvard and Fudan Universities).

Ralph lives in Hong Kong and works with the Chapel and York HK Foundation.

Arnaud brings more than twenty years of experience to International Fundraising Consultancy. His international career has led him to advise major institutions in France and around the world for their philanthropic actions, their fundraising and their communication.

He has worked with organisations as prestigious as the National Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (Geneva), the Fondation Napoléon, the Pierre et Marie Curie University, Ecole Centrale Paris, EDHEC, University Panthéon Assas, Institut Pasteur, University of Namur in Belgium. Arnaud was Vice President of the French subsidiary of Ketchum Fundraising (1st firm fundraising consultancy in Canada).

Previously, Arnaud pursued a career in communications, direct marketing and fundraising in Canada. He first joined World Vision Canada as collection manager via long spots (infomercials) on several Canadian television channels, then the communication agency Leo Burnett, where he has managed large budgets such as Air France, BMW and Weider Nutrition.

Arnaud is also a regular speaker at fundraising conferences such as IFCo, CASE and the Association Française des Fundraisers Teaching and Research Conference.

Having lived and worked in six countries, Sarah has a wealth of international experience and understanding of fundraising strategies employed across varied cultural landscapes and how best to adapt and pivot in a changing environment. She has led teams and campaigns across a variety of causes including paediatric medical research; adult medical research and care at 3 NHS Trusts; palliative care; higher education; arts and social science, cultural and human rights.

She has experience in the private sector, managing international B2B conferences around the world, as well as starting a social enterprise in the UK.

If you need support with strategy, planning, or team management at home or abroad Sarah can help. She managed the Major Gifts strategy in South East Asia for one of the UK’s top universities, focussing on Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Later she headed up the nationwide fundraising and awareness raising strategies for a beloved national institution in Canada.

She has expertise in organising and managing large, as well as intimate, philanthropic and profile raising events in contexts as varied as Kensington Palace and Downing Street, to private homes and corporate offices. Sarah holds degrees in Archaeology, Philosophy and Psychology from the top two universities in Ireland. Her varied experience with diverse cultural groups, differing philanthropic trends, as well as her global personal insights, means she can offer a truly holistic strategy to any team or leader. She will inspire and energise a team to uncover all sorts of entrepreneurial insights within while keeping an eye on the bigger picture to help them get where they need to be.

Founder and Director of IFCo Italy, she has trained in London at the Institute of Fundraising and BBC Training & Development. Specialisms include Corporate fundraising, major donor engagements, PR & media relations, editorial projects.

IFCo Italy has worked with Agenzia per il terzo Settore, CIAI, Fondazione Benedetta d’Intino, Fondazione Marcegaglia, Agenzia per il Terzo Settore.

Before her career in consultancy, she has worked for European Commission (Public Relations Unit, Joint Research Centre) and has 16 years of experience working in nonprofit organizations in health care (Aned – dialysis and transplanted patiens, Aiutiamoli – mental health), international cooperation (Intervita, AiBi – Amici dei Bambini) and culture (Alg – Journalists Association). For these organizations she was responsible for various aspects of strategic communication, including social marketing initiatives, web content management, profit-nonprofit partnerships and awareness campaigns.

Francesca is a member of the Institute of Fundraising and Chair of EU Consult.

Emilie joins IFCo as the organisation’s Director for Switzerland (French speaking). Emilie offers fifteen years of international expertise in fundraising and project management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from La Sorbonne and a Master’s degree in International Solidarity from the Faculty of Social Sciences – Institut Catholique – in Paris.

Previously living in East Africa, she has extensive field experience in international development. She worked with various non-profits, particularly in North America, where she learnt fundraising techniques such as brand association. She also supported the organisation of major fundraising events in partnership with Cirque du Soleil for one of Canada’s most prestigious foundations ($35M raised since 2013).

After founding and managing a company in France, she returned to the non-profit sector to professionalise Swiss NGOs that have seen their annual budget triple in 2 years.

She keeps a foot in Africa by being a Board Member of a Kenyan NGO, Trees for Kenya, implementing environmental conservation projects; and an Ambassador for the South African NNI (No Name Initiative) promoting community dialogue.

Her major asset is that she also worked on the donor side as a Programme Officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French Embassy in Kenya and for Somalia, where she was responsible for the selection of funding applications.

For almost two decades, Sven Fäh has worked in the fundraising arena. Originally a tourism expert, Sven started his fundraising career at a US-based children’s charity in Zurich, before establishing himself in the Swiss-German fundraising market with Save the Children Alliance. He then focused on remodelling and building up administration and fundraising departments in various Swiss charities, before becoming an independent fundraising consultant in 2016. His field of expertise is strategic fundraising consultancy, implementing new fundraising instruments & innovative and traditional approaches in order to raise funds for charities. In addition to this, Sven also has expertise in evaluating & implementing new databases and CRM-solutions for organisations.

Besides running his own consultancy, Sven started-up a social-enterprise Charôtel – Do good while you sleep – a little pop-up second-hand shop in the Altstadt of Berne. Sven has three children and loves to play badminton, run & binge-watch TV series.

For almost 20 years of practical work in the NGOs, Svitlana has a number of research publications on civil society, philanthropy, NGOs organizational capacity building and better governance in the world and Ukraine. Svitlana has initiated a certified course for Ukrainian fundraisers, trained and consulted more than 100 NGOs on capacity building including fundraising from individuals and corporations in Ukraine and internationally.

She is a founder of the Institute of Professional Fundraising in Ukraine, member of the Board of Directors of the European Fundraising Association, Ukrainian Philanthropists Association, Ukrainian SOS Kinderdorf, Head of Organizing Committee of the National Philanthropy Award. Svitlana heads Ukrainian IFCo since 2011.

The consultancy provides services (training, coaching and consulting) on the following aspects of fundraising:

• Donors research
• Applications to Grant Giving Foundations
• Organization preparedness to fundraising
• Developing and implementing fundraising campaigns

IFCo Ukraine clients include smaller and larger NGOs, corporate social responsibility projects, universities and professional organizations, to name but few: National University Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Independent Broadcasters Association, Democratic Initiatives Foundation, and a variety of smaller local NGOs.