breaking into europe

Innovative conservation since 1903

Finding money in Europe FFI’s experiences over the past year

Stuart Sherriff – Trust Manager


Quick overview

Looking at:

• Why FFI looked to Europe

• What we’ve found over the past 12 months

• What I’d consider before embarking on

something similar


Context

• FFI set up as world’s first international conservation

charity in 1903 – global

• Projects in 46 countries across Africa, Americas, Asia,

and Eurasia.

• Tend to operate where we can have biggest impact, i.e.

where conservation is weak.

• 108 staff in Cambridge, 300 around the world

• Turnover £17.3m in 2011


Why Europe?

How much do trusts give away?

• Hard to be sure, but looking at

government figures…

• US $47billion

• Europe €83 billion?

• Other hubs?

– Singapore?

– Australia?

– Russia?

– Middle East?


Maturity of

Philanthropy Difference between established philanthropy

markets and emerging markets:

• Founders v Trustees

• Wealth

• Interest

Emerging markets require Major Donor style fundraising


Country UK Germany Switzerland Netherlands

Number of Foundations 8,800 18,162 20,000 8,000

Assets ? €100 bn €61 bn €60 bn

Expenditure €2.4 bn €22 bn €1.7 bn €215 m

Employees 150,000 128,194 ?

English widely spoken? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Global - former colonies? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Significant giving? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Philanthropic perspective Yes Yes Yes Yes

Count of Yes 4 4 4 4

Country France Italy Spain Portugal

Number of Foundations 2,264 4,720 12,921 800

Assets €14 bn €85 bn €17 bn ?

Expenditure €5 bn €11.5 bn €5.2 bn ?

Employees 59,126 106,000 95,942 ?

English widely spoken? No No No No

Global - former colonies? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Significant giving? Yes Yes No No

Philanthropic perspective No No No No


Country Turkey Sweden Finland Ireland

Number of Foundations 3,000 15,558 2,800 25

Assets €34 bn €49 bn €12 bn €790 m

Expenditure €3.2 bn ? €290 m €70 m

Employees 13,195 ? ? 110

English widely spoken? No Yes Yes Yes

Global - former colonies? No No No No

Significant giving? Yes No No No

Philanthropic perspective No No No No



Where in Europe?


Trust Fundraising

at FFI Since 1980 the database said we’d raised

Region Sum paid % Average

Europe 2,111,985 10.19% 66,000

UK 15,432,641 74.43% 482,270

Rest of World 42,519 0.21% 1,329

USA 3,147,991 15.18% 98,375

Grand Total £20,735,138 100% £647,973


Trust Fundraising

at FFI • In the three years (2008-11) we’d raised


Europe 744,679 10.82% 248,226

UK 5,310,445 77.14% 1,770,148

Rest of World 8,666 0.13% 2,889

USA 820,725 11.92% 273,575

Grand Total £6,884,516 100% £2,294,839


Activities over the

past year • So far in 2012 we have brought in


Europe £350,760 31% £350,760

UK £621,040 55% £621,040

USA £158,387 14% £158,387

Grand Total £1,130,187 100% £1,130,187


How did we get

there? • August 2011 – decision to do Europe

Prospect Researcher secured

• October 2011 – new prospects identified Data merged and purged, low hanging fruit identified

• November 2011 – First contact Data scrutinised and relevant approaches commenced

• November 2012 – Review and refocus


Prospect Research

• Results: 2,421 trusts around the world

Row Labels Count

Africa 234

Americas 825

Asia Pacific 550

Eurasia 89

Europe 711

International 12

Grand Total 2,421


Prospect Research

Former FFI trust fundraiser

• Knew the organisation well

• Knew the CEO well

• Didn’t need the work

(so was cheap!)


Prospect Research

• Not all trusts were relevant

• Not all trusts were new

• After a merge and purge we had:

Region Count of Trust

Europe 519

Ret of the World 1,085

UK 532

USA 80

Grand Total 2,216


Country Trusts Country Trusts

Austria 7 Liechtenstein 4

Belgium 18 Luxembourg 5

Bulgaria 1 Norway 7

Czech Republic 2 Poland 3

Denmark 14 Portugal 8

Ireland 1 Romania 9

Finland 5 Slovakia 1

France 46 Spain 34

Georgia 4 Sweden 32

Germany 91 Switzerland 89

Hungary 2 The Netherlands 70

Ireland 6 Turkey 39

Italy 21 Grand Total 519


Network Mapping

• We looked at the 519 trusts identified in Europe and

circulated the biggest

• We asked SMT, Regional Directors, Council, several

major donors, trusts and individuals

(anyone who would listen)


First approaches

• Concentrated on Germany in the first

instance (Eurasian Director is based there)

• Had two (relevant) documents translated

and we started emailing and posting. – Background doc to FFI

– Overview of some of our work

– Request to meet


The next few months

• We contacted 160 trusts

• We met with 17 trusts


Income in 2012

Relationship Country Gift

Stewardship Belgium 250,000

Stewardship France 125,000

Stewardship Germany 32,380

Stewardship Ireland 47,000

Stewardship Italy 20,000

Stewardship Netherlands 25,000

Stewardship Switzerland 10,000

Stewardship Switzerland 10,000


Key message for FFI

• An introductory meeting with a trust is the first step in

developing a relationship, which may take several years

to develop.

• Our plan was always to look at soliciting gifts over a

three to five year timescale.

• We have successfully managed to raise our profile with

those whom had previously never heard of FFI.


Tracking activities

on the database

Unsuitable Not appropriate for FFI, archive details

Identification Marked out as a potential future funder

Engagement Contacted; the funder knows of FFI

Cultivation Meeting is planned / has taken place

Solicitation FFI is/has submitted a request for support

Stewardship Grant received, future reporting/asks scheduled


Results to date

Stewardship

Solicitation

Cultivation

Engagement

Unsuitable Prospects

Identification


Projections

Foundation 2012 2013 2014 2015

Trust 1 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000

Trust 2 40,000 32,000 24,000 0

Trust 3 32,380 50,000 50,000 100,000

Trust 4 16,000 16,000 16,000 16,000

Trust 5 20,000 20,000 30,000 30,000

Trust 6 22,000 22,000 22,000 24,000

Trust 7 10,000 0 0 0

Trust 8 10,000 10,000 20,000 30,000

Trust 9 0 50,000 50,000 100,000

Trust 10 0 50,000 100,000 200,000

Trust 11 0 0 50,000 50,000

Trust 12 0 0 25,000 25,000

Trust 13 0 0 50,000 50,000

Trust 14 0 0 25,000 75,000

Trust 15 0 0 38,000 50,000

TOTAL 400,380 500,000 750,000 1,000,000


Networking

European Foundation Centre

Established in 1989, the European Foundation Centre is an

international membership association of foundations and

corporate funders. In 23 years our membership has grown

steadily from an initial group of 7 founding members to 231


EFC Membership

Adessium Foundation Oxfam GB

Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds

European Climate Foundation Rabobank Foundation

Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer Robert Bosch Stiftung

Fondation Mava The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation

Mama Cash Foundation The Sigrid Rausing Trust

Oak Foundation VolkswagenStiftung


If I were to do

it all again? I wouldn’t change a thing…

But I would make sure I had the following:

• Work going on in countries of interest

• Support from the highest levels

• Time to devote to this


Work going on in

countries of interest

If you’re looking to engage trusts in France:

1 Democratic Republic of the Congo Africa 67,827,000 16 Burundi Africa 8,519,005

2 France Europe 65,447,000 17 Benin Africa 9,212,000

3 Canada North America 34,207,000 18 Switzerland Europe 7,782,520

4 Madagascar Africa 21,146,551 19 Togo Africa 6,780,000

5 Cameroon Africa 19,958,692 20 Central African Republic Africa 4,410,873

6 Ivory Coast Africa 21,571,060 21 Republic of the Congo Africa 4,043,318

7 Burkina Faso Africa 16,287,000 22 Gabon Africa 1,501,000

8 Niger Africa 15,891,000 23 Comoros Africa 734,750

9 Senegal Africa 12,861,259 24 Equatorial Guinea Africa 700,401

10 Mali Africa 14,517,029 25 Djibouti Africa 888,716

11 Rwanda Africa 10,277,282 26 Luxembourg Europe 506,953

12 Belgium Europe 10,827,951 27 Vanuatu Oceania 239,651

13 Guinea Africa 10,324,437 28 Seychelles Africa 86,525

14 Chad Africa 11,274,337 29 Monaco Europe 35,407

15 Haiti Caribbean 10,188,000


Support from the

highest levels

• Director of Fundraising, CEO, Chair

• Project staff

• Putting the word out around the

organisation to capitalise on serendipity, or

‘creating your own luck’.


Time to devote to this

• Simply put, this endeavour has cost me about half a trust

fundraiser in time, hard when we have been charged

with growing income from trusts in this financial year.

(we’ve already more than doubled income in 2 years)

• Make sure you don’t commit to this if you can’t keep up

the day job too!

• Returns need to be seen over 3-5 years

• Whilst we were up 60% in the same financial year we

didn’t expect it.


Thank you

• Questions?

breaking into europe

Documents

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context ffi

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yesyesyes yessignificant