EFA welcomes Charlotte Rydh as its new president

Secretary general of Sweden’s Giva Sverige Charlotte Rydh has been appointed as European Fundraising Association president, following our 2021 Annual General Assembly in Dublin yesterday.

Previously chair of EFA’s Certification Committee, Rydh takes over the role from Eduard Marček who has completed six years on the board, the last two of which have been as president. EFA board members are elected for three years and are then re-electable for a second term.

Congratulating Rydh on her appointment, Marček said:

“I have no doubt that EFA will be in very good hands during Charlotte’s Presidency. Charlotte is an experienced leader, enthusiastic about fundraising development and international cooperation. She will build on her successful role as a Certification Committee Chair and will continue to grow EFA as a more representative, relevant and sustainable European network.”

Rydh takes up the role with more than 25 years’ experience of major gift fundraising, alumni and donor relations, volunteer management and marketing as well as change management working for academic institutions and nonprofits in Sweden and internationally. Since September 2016, she has headed up Give Sweden (Giva Sverige) as secretary general. She joined EFA’s Certification Committee in 2017, which she now chairs and in 2018, she was appointed to the Board of EFA.

She commented: ”After three years on the Board, I’m greatly looking forward to taking on the role of President and continuing the development of EFA to become a stronger voice for fundraising in Europe.

”Eduard has done an excellent job in guiding us to become a more inclusive organisation, opening up our membership and developing a broader ranges of alliances which gives EFA the potential to have even greater impact. I am also thankful for the support of our members and of the opportunity to work more broadly with all those going forward.”

The Annual General Assembly, which took place in Dublin, Ireland on 25 November, also saw three new board members voted in. Jan Gregor, director at Coalition for Easy Giving; Scott Kelley, COO of Charities Institute Ireland; and Larissa Probst, managing director of Deutscher Fundraising Verband – the German Fundraising Association. They replace former president, Eduard Marček, Pia Tornikoski and Astrid von Soosten, who have all reached the end of their term.

In the days that followed, von Soosten was appointed to the board of directors at CFRE International.

Photo credit: Christin Philipsson