Orchard Fundraising, a fundraising consultancy based in Cheltenham, has been nominated, shortlisted, and awarded the UK fundraising consultancy firm of the year award by CEO Today magazine.
The award-winning consultancy was started by Samantha Watson in 2016 after a successful 25-year career in fundraising. Sam’s aim was to provide high-quality strategic advice and practical hands-on, cost-effective fundraising support for small and medium-sized charities.
The charity fundraising company has gone from strength to strength and over the past five years has grown rapidly.
CEO Today magazine, who organises the awards, shortlisted 500 individuals for the award. There was one winner in each category, and a total of 200 winners from across the globe from industries including technology, healthcare, and finance. The full list of winners is published in the 2022 edition of the CEO Today Global Awards, which can be found here.
Commenting, Samantha Watson says:
“Me and my colleagues at Orchard Fundraising are delighted to have won this award. We know from our clients’ feedback that our work is appreciated, and this award shows that fundraising consultancy can be an effective way to help charities to raise funds to enable them to continue their vital work.”
The excellent service that Orchard Fundraising provides to its clients is one of the reasons why most of its growth has been through recommendations from existing clients. Orchard Fundraising carries out in-depth research to understand each client’s sector and their fundraising needs and develops a tailored approach to grow their income and deliver a positive return on investment.
"Orchard Fundraising are friendly and approachable, they offer regular practical fundraising support as well as fundraising strategic advice. We have worked with them for over two years now and have raised over £200,000." allowing us to provide much-needed services for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable community in Newent."
Lyndon Biddle CEO, Newent Association for the Disabled.
Samantha and the consultants at Orchard Fundraising have more than 100 years of combined experience across a range of fundraising disciplines including trusts and foundations, alumni, capital appeals, corporate, legacy, and major gifts. It is this, together with the bespoke approach, that has enabled Orchard Fundraising to raise significant funds for a wide variety of organisations including educational institutions, faith, healthcare, social welfare, arts, and heritage organisations.
Dr. John Bradford, CEO of Digilocal, an award-winning charity giving under-represented young people the opportunity to discover and develop their digital talents, says:
“Since the end of 2021 our fundraising has gone from strength to strength. Orchard Fundraising offers us strategic advice and practical support. With the help of their consultants, we have raised £60,500 and developed strategic plans to work with more companies. This funding allows us to expand our physical club provision, grow volunteer numbers and engage with new communities, and allows us to host more in-person clubs. Our communities are key to giving more young people the opportunity to discover their digital talents and develop the problem-solving skills that will be vital in their future career choices.”
Orchard Fundraising’s experience of fundraising for grassroots organisations was invaluable to Bristol Horn Youth Concern, a volunteer-led not-for-profit that provides essential services to the East African community in Bristol. Orchard Fundraising raised funds doubling Bristol Horn Youth Concern’s income in a year, enabling them to continue delivering food parcels and youth support work during the pandemic.
Orchard Fundraising aims to see its clients succeed and developing tailored fundraising strategies is key to this. The consultants are skilled at developing propositions, building relationships with funders, and developing all the materials required to secure funding.
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