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Winners announced of PF Awards 2007

Fundraising | Gemma Ware | 1 Jul 2007

A fundraising giant and a small theatre in Newbury are celebrating this week after scooping gold trophies at the PF Awards 2007.

While the NSPCC won gold in the Fundraising Charity of the Year category, the Watermill Theatre won Fundraising Campaign of the Year for its Save the Watermill campaign.

In the two categories rewarding individual fundraising success, Ken Burnett, founder of agency Burnett Associates and author of Relationship Fundraising, was given the award for Outstanding Contribution in Fundraising, while Rowena Lewis, grants manager at London-based community charity Toynbee Hall, was presented with the inaugural award for Rising Star.

The Watermill Theatre has raised £2.35m in just under two years as part of a £3m campaign to purchase the building housing the theatre. The Watermill also picked up the bronze award in the charity of the year category, after managing to increase its fundraised income by over 70 per cent in the last five years.

The NSPCC was recognised for its donor strategy, which is built around long-term donor relationships that have helped it increase its expenditure on helping children by 70 per cent since 1999. The charity also picked up the silver award in the campaign category for its £250m Full Stop campaign.

Giles Pegram, director of fundraising at the NSPCC, said: "We're completely over the moon, delighted and very surprised. Obviously the most fulfilling part of being successful is actually knowing that we're helping more children, but the second thing is the recognition of our peers. This was the first time for many, many years that we've had the recognition of our peers in this way and we're absolutely delighted."

The British Red Cross got silver in the charity of the year category, while Marie Curie Cancer Care and Yellow Pages received the bronze in the campaign of the year category for their Mini Pots of Care campaign.

Rowena Lewis, grants manager at Toynbee Hall, was recognised as fundraising's Rising Star after securing £2m in less than two and half years against an annual target of £300,000. Before coming to collect her award, Lewis had just received a personal phone call from a trust and secured £40,000 towards a project working to promote citizenship among young and excluded people in Tower Hamlets. "I'm absolutely delighted, but I also think it reflects the commitment of the talented staff at Toynbee Hall," she said on winning the award.

Becky Slack, editor of Professional Fundraising, said: "Without the valuable work of fundraisers, charities would be unable to deliver the many services they do - services that improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. These awards are a celebration of fundraisers' innovation, hard work and dedication to the causes and organisations they represent. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees alike."

The results of the PF Most Influential Poll were also announced at the awards ceremony, which took place on Wednesday 23 May at the Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square. Joe Saxton, driver of ideas at nfpSynergy and chair of the Institute of Fundraising, topped the poll of the 50 most influential people in fundraising for the third year running. Second place went to Alan Gosschalk, director of fundraising at Shelter, while Alan Clayton, managing director of fundraising agency Cascaid, came third.

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Directory: British Red Cross | Marie Curie Cancer Care | National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
Who's Who: Giles Pegram | Rowena Lewis | Alan Gosschalk | Alan Clayton | Ken Burnett