Citizens Advice – Interim Fundraising Consultant

The challenge

Citizens Advice approached Charity People at a pivotal point in the development of its fundraising and income generation function. While the organisation had established and successful statutory funding relationships, much of this income was restricted, creating a clear need to diversify revenue streams and build a more sustainable long-term funding model.

The charity was seeking an experienced Interim Fundraising Consultant for a 3-6 month temporary assignment to provide strategic leadership during a period of growth and transformation. The brief required an individual who could quickly assess the existing fundraising function, strengthen income generation approaches, and create a roadmap for significant future growth.

This was far more than a fundraising role. Citizens Advice needed a senior leader with the credibility and expertise to guide organisational thinking around income generation, develop high-value partnerships, support a small fundraising team, and help shape a strategy capable of doubling or even tripling voluntary income over the next five years.

Finding someone with the right combination of strategic fundraising expertise, business development experience, leadership capability, and charity sector knowledge was essential. This is something that charities cannot typically do themselves. Zelda was able to advertise this role quickly, but more importantly use specific searches, and her own network of interim senior fundraisers to approach and negotiate market rates for this assignment to suit both parties.

Our approach

Charity People worked in close partnership with Citizens Advice to fully understand both the immediate needs of the assignment and the organisation’s longer-term ambitions.

We designed a targeted search that:

• Focused on senior fundraising leaders with proven experience in organisational transformation and income growth
• Targeted candidates with expertise across statutory funding, trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships, and high-value fundraising
• Prioritised individuals who had successfully diversified income streams within complex charity environments
• Identified consultants with experience leading and developing small fundraising teams through periods of change
• Utilised our extensive network of senior fundraising professionals and interim leaders across the charity sector

Through a fast, proactive, and highly targeted approach, Zelda engaged experienced fundraising consultants capable of making an immediate impact while delivering longer-term sustainable outcomes.

The outcome

The search resulted in a high-calibre shortlist of experienced fundraising leaders with significant expertise in income generation, partnership development, and organisational growth.

Citizens Advice successfully appointed an excellent Interim Fundraising Consultant with a strong track record of transforming fundraising functions, building strategic partnerships and developing sustainable income growth strategies within large and complex charitable organisations.

The successful candidate was able to quickly establish credibility across the organisation, providing leadership and direction to the fundraising team whilst supporting senior stakeholders in shaping the future of the charity’s income model and is very much enjoying the work.

Impact

With the Fundraising Consultant in post, Citizens Advice was able to:

• Strengthen its approach to business development and sustainable income generation
• Develop a clearer strategy for growing voluntary income alongside statutory funding
• Build more strategic relationships with trusts, foundations, corporate partners and statutory funders
• Move towards a partnership-led approach to trusts and foundations fundraising
• Establish a stronger framework for future corporate fundraising activity
• Provide guidance, structure and development for the fundraising team
• Create momentum behind a long-term income diversification strategy designed to support future organisational growth

This appointment provided Citizens Advice with the senior fundraising expertise needed at a critical stage of development, helping to establish stronger foundations for long-term, sustainable income growth and greater impact for the communities it serves.

Zelda Leader is a Principal Consultant at Charity People specialising in interim and temporary appointments across the charity sector. She works closely with charities of all sizes to connect experienced fundraising, operations, and leadership professionals with organisations at key moments of growth, change, and transformation.

Have you got a similar role? Speak to Zelda about how we can help secure experienced interim fundraising and leadership professionals who can deliver impact from day one.