A unique bequest society for a unique college

The St Beryl Society launched by Burgmann College this year takes it origins from the stuff of legend, when founding residents may or may not have “kidnapped” comedic duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore from the Canberra Airport on 13 September 1971.
While the kidnapping part is most certainly mythic, the enterprising group of ardent fans did gatecrash the press conference for the pair’s famous 'Behind The Fridge' tour, and did successfully persuade them to come to a celebratory dinner in the College Dining Hall. Read on to discover more about how we worked with the College to develop its bequest communications and provide advice for the launch of the St Beryl Society.

Working with IFAW to help fund pioneering and innovative ways to help all species flourish.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is a global non-profit organisation helping animals and people thrive together. Working across oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world, IFAW rescues, rehabilitates and releases animals, restoring and protecting their natural habitats. Conservation problems today are urgent and complicated; to help solve them, IFAW matches fresh thinking with bold action.

#Global20 – Interview with Mark Ruffo, Chief Development Officer, Landesa

Around the world nearly 2.5 billion people rely on land for their livelihoods yet many do not have the tenure to their land necessary to thrive. Securing land rights for the world’s poorest people is the work of Landesa, who in 2022, received a $20 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

In this interview we hear from Mark Ruffo, who explains why they don’t accept government funding, their capacity building in the Global South and how they are uniquely positioned to help 400 million rural women realise the benefits of strength and land rights by 2027.

Why Hope Street in Hampshire is trailblazing a pioneering residential community for justice involved women

We were greatly inspired by our recent visit to Hope Street in Hampshire, a trailblazing new service that will prevent women from receiving short prison sentences for non-violent crimes that can result in separation from children.

#Global20 – Interview with John Pepin, Chief Executive, Philanthropy Impact

Recent times have seen a massive jump in the amount of data and insights available. Quality research data is providing powerful and indisputable evidence, none more so in the philanthropic sector than that from Philanthropy Impact.

In this interview John delves in to the sometimes-confusing terminology used in philanthropy, HMRC's research on giving trends and what philanthropists really expect from their advisors.

London Southbank University in a more confident place

London Southbank University (LSBU) have been transforming lives, communities, and businesses for over 120 years. As they adapt to a new Group structure and take full advantage of the digital age embracing innovation and sustainability, they approached us to support their ambitions to be fit for the future. LSBU are now in a more confident place after we supported them to think through fundraising strategies and begin to develop fundraising approaches for both student support and academic research.

#Global20 – Interview with Dame Stephanie Shirley CH, Businesswoman and Philanthropist

Over the course of the last 30 years, Dame Stephanie has given away almost £70 million to good causes.

In this interview, Dame Shirley talks about important role of women in philanthropy, Venture Philanthropy, and how she approaches and focuses her giving, investing strategically in projects that will benefit from her time or insight, as well as her money, to maximise positive outcomes.

5 Ways To Make Your Giving Transformational

If you want your philanthropy to help change the world, you might need to change how your funding is structured. In addition to disrupting longstanding power dynamics between grantor and grantee, the way you structure your funding should align with the type of impact you wish to see. Here are five different approaches to funding that will help you—-and your partners—-increase your impact velocity.

Andrew Carnegie

Your philanthropic journey – what we can learn from the father of modern philanthropy.

Andrew Carnegie was one of the most successful businessmen and most recognised philanthropists in history. How can he guide our philanthropic journey?

Photo of an Oxford university building

It’s never too late—or too early—to start your endowment fund

An effective but underutilised vehicle to channel this wealth is an endowment. Endowments are donations made to non-profit organisations with the intention of investing to earn income. This allows the donations to keep giving long into the future.