Spread a Smile

The brief:
Spread a Smile had grown rapidly in recent years, with annual income surpassing £2m. As the charity expanded, fundraising had largely been led by the CEO, but this was no longer sustainable. The charity recognised the need to build a more sustainable fundraising function that would support its long-term ambitions, enabling Spread a Smile to continue bringing joy to seriously ill children and young people while delivering its strategy for future growth.

Our approach:
Paul was initially engaged to carry out a comprehensive review of the charity's fundraising function, producing a clear set of recommendations to strengthen systems, processes and future income generation. These recommendations were presented to and welcomed by the board before Paul was asked to provide interim leadership to help implement them and support the charity through a period of transition.

Over several months, Paul developed a new investment-focused case for support and designed the framework for a campaign board. He supported the recruitment of key fundraising roles, including helping to appoint a permanent Director of Fundraising, advising on the skills and experience required and participating in the interview process.

Paul also developed a recognition and engagement framework to help prioritise supporter relationships, strengthened the charity's prospect research capability, and introduced a dedicated fundraising operations function to improve database management and back-office support. Throughout his time with the charity, he provided guidance and mentoring to the fundraising team while helping to establish stronger processes and systems.

Paul left Spread a Smile with a strengthened fundraising infrastructure and an expanded team, providing a solid platform for the charity's next phase of growth.

What they said:
"Paul was asked to support Spread a Smile during an important period of transition, helping us review our fundraising function and ensure it was well placed for the future. His audit gave our board valuable insight and a clear set of recommendations, and during his time as Interim Director of Fundraising he brought experienced leadership, supported the development of our fundraising infrastructure and helped us recruit an excellent permanent Director of Fundraising. We are grateful for the contribution he made during his time with the charity and the work he did to help strengthen our fundraising team and systems."