Rapeli, who leads Lastenklinikoiden Kummit (Association of Friends of the University Children’s Hospitals), had been VaLa’s vice chair for the past two years.

She succeeds 2025 chair Petri Äikiä, a fundraising leader at disability charity Invalidiliitto, who steps down from the board.

One new member was elected to the seven-person board at the meeting – Erika Mäntylä of Pieni ele, also a disability charity.

The elections took place at a member in late October, at which VaLa’s 2026 action plan was also approved.

This action plan sets out that the main focus of VaLa’s operations next year will be developing the operating environment for fundraising, and related advocacy work.

Picture above shows (left to right): Äikiä; VaLa secretary general Pia Tornikoski; and Rapeli

The new board was voted in by members at a meeting in May, following the sudden resignation in October of former president Andrea Romboli, followed by three other board members.

Michela Gaffo, who had been made interim president in November, has now been confirmed in the role. Giulia Barbieri has been elected vice president.

The board, whose members will serve for three years, is completed by Pietro Addis, Alberto Almagioni, Claudia Costa, Anna Fabbricotti, Federico Petruio, Alessandro Silipigni and Eleonora Spalloni.

The new board has outlined its aims and strategy through the ASSIF Futura programme, which consists of six pillars:

1. Growing its member base, and improving how it listens to and involves members, including through regional and local activities
2. Producing research and data which will support the organization and the profession as a whole
3. Launching an Advocacy Board and strengthening the organization’s external relations work
4. Offering a range of networking and training opportunities
5. Strengthening governance, with member participation and transparency as key tenets
6. Building a plan for the long-term sustainability of the organization

Speaking to Italian third sector magazine Vita in November, Gaffo said that “active and democratic participation of members is fundamental” to ASSIF, and that the organization had perhaps become disconnected from its membership during recent times.

Gaffo currently leads fundraising for Tender to Nave Italia, a charity supporting people with disabilities through sailing and maritime activities.

She first joined the ASSIF board in 2020, and has previously worked in fundraising and marketing roles for the Associazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla (Italian MS Society); Helpcode, an education and children-focused NGO; and sector-wide organization Italian Non Profit.

Barbieri currently works for COSPE, an international cooperation NGO. She previously sat on the ASSIF board between 2014 and 2019.

Picture by Sergio Agazzi

Carlos Molina, analyst and writer for MultiVersial.es newsletter, will discuss trends and innovation in digital business and how it will impact the NGO sector.

Jimena Tormo, head of gaming and interactive IPs by DeAPlaneta Entertainment, will share innovative examples of how XR and gaming can transform fundraising and take a look at the tools needed to change marketing and communication strategies to attract more donors and partners.

Frederic Bardeu, Simpolon.co co-founder, is going to talk about how to introduce AI into activism and fundraising, and taking advantage of new opportunities whilst at the same time minimising the risks that AI brings.

All news and registrations are available on the Digital Fundraising Hub website.

Commenting on the event, Fernando Morón, director of the AEFr, said: “Digital Fundraising Hub offers a valuable space for Third Sector professionals to learn about the latest trends in economics, marketing and digital fundraising.”

Picture by mikoto.raw Photographer on Pexels

The appointment was confirmed at the organisation’s general meeting at the end of June.

Van Engelshoven was Minister of Education, Culture and Science between October 2017 and January 2022, and was also previously chair of the Democraten 66 (D66) political party. She says:

“In the role of chair of Goede Doelen Nederland, I see an important opportunity to contribute to strengthening the social position of charities in the Netherlands. Because charities are of great value to our society. I look forward to working with the supervisory board and the board to contribute to achieving the mission of Goede Doelen Nederland.”

GDN director Margreet Plug describes van Engelshoven as a “a very experienced chairman with extensive political and administrative experience”. Alongside her new GDN role, van Engelshoven also sits on the boards of arts organisation PLT and the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), and is an advisor to cultural sector consultancy Blueyard.

Her predecessor, van Berkel, had served as chair since 2016 and had been on the board since 2012. He was also one of GDN’s co-founders in 1995.

A statement on the organisation’s website says:

“Charity Netherlands is extremely grateful to Jan van Berkel for everything he has meant to the organization and the sector and the way in which he has fulfilled his role as chairman of the supervisory board.”

In addition, Julie Verhaar was also appointed to GDN’s six-person board at the general meeting. Verhaar is currently director of children’s aid organisation Terres des Hommes Nederland, and has also worked for Greenpeace, UNHCR and UNICEF.

Daniëls has been head of marketing at wildlife and nature conservation nonprofit Natuurpunt since 2011. Before that he worked for other environmental organisations including the youth-focused Jeugdbond voor Natuur en Milieu.

Van Roosbroeck is head of fundraising and communications at Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen (Flemish Refugee Action). He began his career as a face-to-face fundraiser for Greenpeace, where he spent 10 years in a variety of positions.

Since 2022, Willems has been fundraising manager at cancer charity Stichting Tegen Kanker. She has also worked for Oxfam, and for more than five years sat on the board of social impact investor Oikocredit Belgium.

The new trio join the board as Amnesty International fundraising coordinator Jeroen Janssens steps down after seven years of service.

The nine-person board is chaired by Isabel Penne, who co-founded Fundraisers Belgium in 2011.

Penne told Fundraising Europe that a milestone for the organisation in the second half of 2024 will be the launch of a country’s first Postgraduate Certificate in Fundraising. Starting in September, this course will initially be offered in Dutch (Flemish).

The successful candidate will work with the Board, the EFA Certification and Public Affairs Committees, and other volunteer member groups to ensure that EFA is a collective voice for Europe’s fundraising community. The role will also provide the unique opportunity to work across EFA’s membership, developing and managing partnerships with a range of organisations across Europe and globally.

Full details on the job description and application process here

 Criteria for the role

• A senior and experienced individual with a significant and demonstrated track record in an NGO, civil society organisation or public body,
• Strong financial acumen with proven experience and solid fundraising skills.
• Sound strategic planning abilities with a proven track record of achieving targets.
• Demonstrated experience and success in global partnership building, convening stakeholders with diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Experience in effective advocacy with both internal and external audiences.
• Fluent in English; good knowledge of other languages is an asset.

Timeline

The closing date for applications is 30/06/2024 and the first stage online interviews will take place in July. Further interviews will take place from August with the final decision made in September/ October.

Help EFA find the right candidate

EFA is asking members to help with the search by promoting the opportunity within their own network through their newsletters and social channels.

Questions

Questions can be directed to Charlotte Rydh, President of EFA and CEO of the Swedish Fundraising Association, at info@efa-net.eu.

Bigler is the head of communications and marketing at Christian aid organisation HEKS/EPER. He initially joined the Swissfundraising committee in 2021, and succeeds Sibylle Spengler who had served on the committee for 12 years, including six as president.

Sibylle Spengler, who steps down after 6 years as president

Bigler will work alongside newly-elected vice-president Fabienne Schmidli, who by day works at the university ZHAW in Zurich. Schmidli first joined the committee in 2020.

Silvia Beyeler of children’s charity SOS-Kinderdorf; Ruth Wagner from the agency one marketing; and Christine Bill from the agency asm Agentur für Sozialmarketing; have also joined the nine-person committee.

Presenting her final annual report to the 50 members in attendance, Spengler noted that Swissfundraising now had 1,065 members, that the organisation again ended the year with a turnover of more than 1m CHF (€1m), and a small profit (7,500 CHF). She added that demand for seminars and meetings was high, and that SwissFundraisingDay in June had attracted more than 400 attendees.

Swissfundraising director Roger Tinner also thanked Spengler for her service and hard work, noting that the membership had more than doubled during her time on the committee.

Iiro Jusilla & Pia Tornikoski

VaLa was established in 2004 and has been a member of the European Fundraising Association since that year. Over the past 20 years, VaLa has organized fundraising training since 2005, awarded Fundraising Campaign of the Year since 2011, coordinated the Good Testament campaign since 2014 and GivingTuesday since 2018, created guidelines for responsible fundraising and good governance since 2010, and contributed to the creation of a new fundraising law in Finland in 2020.

VaLa, in collaboration with its partners, has also developed a special vocational qualification in fundraising, with the 10th course currently in progress. Currently, VaLa has over 80 members.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice

The celebratory seminar featured speeches on various topics, including “Organizational Leadership and Fundraising in the Era of New Ecosystems,” “Opportunities and Challenges of European Collaboration,” and “Philanthropy and Crises: Roles and Functioning of Philanthropy in Times of Societal Upheavals.”

Additionally, there was a speech by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, who is currently leading the ministry’s preparation of the Civil Society Strategy, which has identified the development of fundraising as one of its main objectives.

Pierre Siquier says:

“I’ve been extremely proud to be the president of France générosités for all these years. We’ve been through many storms, tax problems and health crises, but we’ve always faced them together and acted to raise awareness and recognition of the undeniable role of generosity in our society. Philippe Pailliart has the ideal experience to enable France générosités to carry out its mission and ensure its development. As a man of values and convictions, Philippe will be able to face the many challenges that are coming up.”

New president Philippe Pailliart comments:

“Honoured by the confidence of France générosités’ Board, I am proud to succeed Pierre Siquier, whose efficient presidency will be a great source of inspiration for me. My roadmap is clear: to deploy our 2023-2028 strategic plan, which includes institutionalizing a more regular dialogue with public authorities, promoting generosity in all its forms, and raising public awareness and educating children about generosity. These are collective challenges that we will take up with our partners of the Coalition Générosité. We will also need to take our full place within ESS France and the European Fundraising Association, in order to influence French and European debates.”

Pailliart is now president of the Union Council of France générosités, which is made up of 15 organizations and led by a Board composed of:

– Vice-presidents: Fondation de France (represented by Axelle Davezac, CEO) and French Red Cross (represented by Laurent Amiand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs)

– Treasurers: Aides (represented by Marc Dixneuf, CEO) and Le Fonds Social Juif Unifié (represented by Richard Odier, CEO)

– Secretaries: La Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale-FRM (represented by Benjamin Pruvost, President) and La Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires (represented by Laurence Champier, Federal Director)

As Pierre Siquier before him, Philippe Pailliart comes from the communication sector. He was the president of major corporate communications agency Burson-Marsteller for almost 20 years, leading its transformation into Burson-Marsteller I&E in 2012 following the acquisition of the I&E agency, and then, in 2018, into BCW following the merger with Cohn&Wolfe. Prior to this, he was director of communications in the private sector, and spent the first 15 years of his professional life in public service and in politics.

The 2024 Fundraising Convention theme is Learning and Thriving Together. The event will provide a space to imagine what could be possible, a place to be inspired, a place to discover the latest trends, to learn best practices and to network with others who understand the challenges and opportunities that a job in fundraising brings.

In-person delegates will benefit from:

• Hearing from 150+ speakers and over 70 sessions including plenaries, real case studies, informative seminars, panel debates, masterclasses and more
• Receiving advice and guidance to progress your career in 1-2-1 coaching sessions
• Meeting 25+ exhibitors and sponsors in the Expo arena
• Discovering the latest innovations happening across the sector
• Gaining insight and access to the latest research findings
• Networking, interacting and connecting with like-minded fundraisers from across the UK.

This year, Professor Jen Shang, PhD and Fatima Whitbread, MBE, will deliver plenary speeches.

Members of EFA can benefit from a reduced Chartered Institute of Fundraising member rate by emailing: convention@ciof.org.uk.

Those who would like to attend the Fundraising Convention with colleagues, can save 10% when booking five or more tickets in a single group booking. This offer ends on 31 May.

As well as the in-person event, the Chartered Institute of Fundraising is also offering a virtual Fundraising Convention for those who would rather join online. There are three tracks and 30 sessions over the two days to choose from. Book your virtual ticket here.

Ticket sales close 21 June.