Charities Institute Ireland has announced Scott Kelley (pictured right) as its next CEO. Currently COO, Scott also sits on the EFA board as treasurer.  Scott will formally take up the role at the end of July, following a handover with Áine Myler.

Elsewhere, Association Française de Fundraisers, ISOBRO & Fundraising Norge have all appointed new chairs and presidents in recent weeks, while EFA associate member Philea has also chosen its new leadership.

Association Française de Fundraisers

The AFF has a pair of co-presidents for the first time in its history: Damien Cousin from international NGO CCFD-Terre Solidaire, and Véronique Desnoyers of Petits Frères des Pauvres, which supports people isolated in old age.

They succeed Jonathan Hude-Dufossé, who had served four years as president.

Fundraising Norge

Elin Tvedt of children’s charity Right to Play has been chosen as the chair of Fundraising Norge for 2026-27, a year after joining the board.

She takes over from Karl Magnus Rohde-Næss, who had held the role for the past three years.

ISOBRO

EFA’s Danish member ISOBRO said goodbye to its chair of five years Ann Leiskiko, as she was succeeded by vice-chair Ruben Holmgreen Falk of Kirkenes Integrations Tjeneste, a church charity working with refugees and immigrants.

ISOBRO’s board of directors consists of:

• Ruben Holmgreen Falk, chairman, Churches’ Integration Service
• Jane Kofod, Vice President, Danish Cyclists’ Association
• Tina Engberg, Animal Protection
• Merete Gotsæd Falkenstrøm, Save the Children 
• Lisbet Christoffersen, Children’s Terms
• Camilla Nissen Toftdal, The Osteoporosis Association 
• Katrine Lester, Danish Seniors

Philea

Philea members have elected a new board of directors for 2026-28. The board will be led by Liisa Suvikumpu of Säätiöt ja rahastot (the Association of Finnish Foundations) as president (photo: at podium), alongside Megan Challis from UK-headquartered health research funder the Wellcome Trust as vice-president (left of podium).

They succeed Àngel Font and Carola Carazzone respectively.

The new board comprises:

• Tomek Cholast: a crowdfunding practitioner, fintech expert, and entrepreneur with 20 years of experience. Co-founder of Zrzutka.pl and 4fund.com, he is in his element on the Internet and views technology as a tool for change.
• Anna Gryżewska: for whom NGOs are a passion and a major part of her professional life. She enthusiastically participates in the sector’s transition “from sweaters to suit jackets,” doing her best wherever she is needed.
• Aleksandra Marciniak: Press Officer, specialist in personal and organisational branding, a LinkedIn enthusiast, and a fanatic for work that truly matters. She specialises in fundraising communication.
• Miłka Szotek: a strategic optimist, ambassador of listening between the lines, and an enthusiast of discovering human potential. She believes that real fundraising starts with mindfulness, and that the strongest foundations are built on values and relationships.

Robert Kawałko remains at the head of the board. Twenty years ago, he was among 18 visionaries with a single dream: that a lack of money should never stand in the way of doing good. As president, he continues to be the guardian, promoter, and enthusiast of this vision.

The General Meeting of Members took place at the end of Fabryka Fundraisingu — an event that brought together 73 specialists in Allegro to discuss important, inspiring, and thought-provoking issues, and share their knowledge and experience.

Speakers included Maya Olszewska on the ethical certification system for NGOs, which will introduce a new quality mark, and Sylwia Kobayashi, who shared insights on how fundraisers can build relationships using empathy and the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

In expert circles led by Tomasz Chołast, discussions focused on attracting people to organisations, strengthening the brand, transitioning from a founder-led model to team management, and dealing with emotional overload and resource shortages.

The day also saw the presentation of diplomas to the graduates of the Professional Fundraiser Course CFR16 and the welcoming of new members. The icing on the cake was… a birthday cake to celebrate the association’s 20th anniversary.

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

Katie Docherty

She will join the Chartered Institute after having spent the past five years as chief executive of Scouts Scotland – a membership organisation of 40,000 young people and 12,000 adult members. As a former fundraiser for Anthony Nolan, senior manager for Age Scotland, and as a director of the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO), Docherty will bring extensive fundraising knowledge and leadership experience to the role.

Commenting on her appointment, Docherty says:

“Fundraisers need a strong, bold, and inspirational Chartered Institute which champions excellence in fundraising; the highest standards of ethics; and empowers and respects fundraisers to create safe environments for fundraising and fundraisers to flourish and be successful.

“That is why I am excited to take on this role at this critical time and look forward to connecting and listening to members over the coming months so that we can work on this together.”

The Chartered Institute is also in the process of recruiting a new permanent leader of its trustee board. At the organisation’s recent AGM, Nadine Campbell was appointed as interim chair along with three new trustees – Rebecca Mansell of Sense International, Kerys Sheppard of Shelter Cymru and Matt Parkes at the Diocese of Westminster. Campbell says:

“I’m thrilled that Katie will join us and, on behalf of the Board, offer her a very warm welcome to the Chartered Institute. As we embark on a new chapter, we’re confident that she will lead us to become a membership body that fundraisers from all over the UK can be proud of and be a leading agent of change at such an important time for us.”

Pivotal period of transformation

Docherty will be charged with steering the Chartered Institute and its membership through a pivotal period of transformation as the organisation seeks to rebuild confidence after concerns were raised about its handling of historic allegations of sexual harassment within its membership.

In recent months, the Institute has underlined its commitment to prioritise safeguarding of the fundraising profession, launching an action plan to tackle harassment, discrimination and abuse in the sector. This includes setting up a Culture Board, a Safeguarding Task Group and a Professional Standards Panel.

Having a diverse and strong leadership at its helm, with leaders who are thoroughly committed to safeguarding, is a key part of the Chartered Institute’s drive for change.

Appointed at EFA’s board meeting in Berlin on 13 January 2020, Marček and Edwards hold their respective roles on the board for the next two years.

Eduard Marček, Slovak Fundraising Centre & EFA

Thanking former president Gosse Bosma of Goede Doelen Nederland for his leadership and commitment to EFA, Marček said:

“We are hugely grateful to Gosse for his leadership in recent years and for his continued presence on our Board. His work for EFA and particularly his lobbying expertise has laid the foundations for EFA to play an even stronger and more representative role for the sector.

“We’re already working hard to accelerate our public affairs work and to open up EFA’s doors as a membership body to more actors in the fundraising industry.”

Speaking about the ability to share and learn at a European level, Edwards adds:

“What I love about EFA is the passion with which our members are prepared to share experiences and learning. Coming from one of the biggest fundraising associations, it’s always an honour to share our members’ experiences with associations across Europe and in turn take back the insights that partners across the continent share with us.

“We know what makes us our best is the strength of our community, and being part of a European community dedicated to giving people the best experience of fundraising is a real honour.”

Bosma remains on EFA’s board, also serving as an independent public affairs advisor and associated partner at Schinkelshoek & Verhoog (The Hague). In this new role, he devotes part of his time to supporting the lobbying programme for the Dutch associations, Goede Doelen Nederland and SBF (Samenwerkende Brancheorganisaties Filantropie).

Related feature: Uniting European fundraising for a stronger future

The committee has responsibility for assessing applications for accredited national fundraising qualifications and developing the certification syllabus and core competency framework.

Formerly a fundraiser and charity manager, Breeze co-founded the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, where she now leads a team conducting research and teaching philanthropy and fundraising courses, including the first MA Philanthropic Studies outside of North America. She is also an award-winning author. Her latest book ‘The New Fundraiser: why who asks is more important than who gives co-authored with Professor Valerio Melandri, has been published today.

Breeze says:

“Having worked as a fundraiser before moving into academia, and continuing to be involved in large and small fundraising efforts for a range of organisations, I am completely committed to improving the knowledge base of individual fundraisers and the professionalism of the wider sector.

“Joining the EFA certification committee is a great opportunity for me to share the learning from my practice, research and teaching and I know that I will learn a lot from equally committed colleagues across the continent.”

Led by Charlotte Rydh of the Swedish Fundraising Council, the committee is currently reviewing the certification framework to ensure that it reflects the developments and competencies required of fundraisers, reflecting the increased importance of digital channels and other innovations in the field.

Probst succeeds Arne Peper, who has returned to active fundraising after five years with the association’s management.

From 2009 to 2015, Probst volunteered as a member of the executive board of Amnesty International Deutschland, and most recently was a full-time director of the international youth foundation, Schü-ler Helfen Leben Foundation, leading teams in Berlin, Sarajevo and Kosovo. On the organisation’s annual Social Day, more than 80,000 young people took part, raising more than 1.2 million euros. The campaign has since spread to other European nations, including Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Denmark.

She said:

“As managing director of DFRV, I want to stand up for a strong culture of giving. My goal is to create better conditions for fundraising in Germany together with my team and all members of the association and to further strengthen the image of fundraisers in the public and in politics.”

Commenting on her appointment, Martin Dodenhoeft, Chairman of DFRV said:

“With Ms. Probst, we have a dedicated NPO expert with strong entrepreneurial qualities in senior management – a perfect mix for leading Europe’s second largest association for fundraising.”

See Fundraising Europe‘s in-depth interview with Probst.

Picture credit: German Fundraising Association e. V.

At EFA’s board meeting on 22nd November 2018 in Paris, Rydh was also appointed chair for EFA’s certification committee. EFA certification is a framework that supports and encourages the development of robust fundraising qualifications across Europe.

Since taking the helm at FRII, Rydh has developed the strategic work programme to enhance the services offered to members and worked towards building greater profile for fundraising and giving in Sweden. That includes more direct dialogue with members, a greater focus on statistics and research, a brand review and proposing a new compliance system for the sector.

Speaking about her appointment at EFA, Rydh says:

“I am delighted to join the board. As the world becomes more interconnected, it has never been so important that we work together, nurturing civil society and learning from one another to create the most beneficial environment for fundraising. Through closer collaboration, we can strengthen fundraising and giving in Europe.

“The development of professional and knowledge-based fundraising is critical for growing philanthropy across Europe and EFA’s certification scheme is an essential component in that. I’m looking forward to working with the committee to modernise the current certification programme so that fundraising qualifications become an even greater badge of honour for fundraising professionals across Europe and beyond.”

Rydh joins EFA’s board in place of Andrea Caracciolo of ASSIF (Italy), who stepped down at the end of a six-year term on the Board. Andrea remains a valued contributor to EFA’s certification committee.

Eduard Marček of the Slovak Fundraising Centre was re-elected vice-president, working alongside president Gosse Bosma of Goede Doelen.

Fellow board members at EFA also include Pia Tornikoski of VaLa (Finland), Ceri Edwards of the Institute of Fundraising (UK) and Astrid von Soosten of Deutscher Fundraising Verband(Germany).

Marketing director at Greenpeace Switzerland, Spengler was previously Swissfundraising’s vice president, and takes over the helm from Noti, who held the position for the last eleven years and is head of communication and fundraising at Caritas Switzerland.

Commenting on her appointment, Spengler said:

“Donations play a huge role in enabling civil society to carry out its vital work. I’m both delighted and grateful therefore to be appointed as Swissfundraising’s new president and very much look forward to supporting Switzerland’s fundraisers in my new role.”

The election took place at the Annual General Meeting at the Biovision Foundation in Zurich, attended by 40 members of the association. In addition, Swissfundraising elected Felizitas Dunekamp, managing director of Dunekamp GmbH to take over from Spengler as vice-president, while Alexandra Burgdorf (Fondation Barry) and Andrea Müller (ETH Zurich Foundation) were also elected to the board. They join existing board members Ruth Wagner (one marketing), Susanne Rudolf and Christoph Bitter (Salvation Army) and Vincent Maunoury (Swiss Cancer League).

In her inaugural speech as president, Spengler thanked her predecessor and paid tribute to Odilo Noti’s time as president, which saw the Association introduce and implement numerous projects and services, including the Swiss Fundraising Donation and Image Barometer, the annual Donation Supplement and the Direct Mail Panel. Membership of Swissfundraising has also reached 700 as of the end of 2017.

Picking up the mantle from the former president Günther Lutschinger, Bosma now leads EFA’s Board in its mission of strengthening and developing the fundraising sector and profession across Europe.

Lutschinger, CEO at Fundraising Verband Austria, stepped down from EFA’s Board on completion of a 6-year term, with four years as the organisation’s leader. Welcoming Bosma to the role, he said:

“I am delighted to hand the reins on to such a great colleague. EFA is in excellent hands and is well placed to grow and adapt to the changing fundraising landscape across Europe.”

Commenting on his appointment, EFA’s new president, Gosse Bosma, said:

“Europe is not made by politicians alone. We as civil society leaders have a key role to play and I feel passionately about helping fundraising organisations achieve that and share their knowledge and expertise across national borders.

“Most importantly, I want to thank Günther for all that he has achieved in recent years. EFA has become increasingly important to the international fundraising environment and I am honoured to take on the presidency.”

One of the core priorities identified for EFA’s work programme in 2017 is to further develop EFA’s Certification programme, which facilitates the development of internationally-recognised fundraising qualifications. The scheme was first launched in 2007. Since then, over 4,400 fundraisers across Europe have achieved an EFA Certified qualification, including the Italian Master in Fund Raising per il Nonprofit e gli Enti pubblici and the Certificate in Fundraising Management in the UK.