The Institute of Fundraising is forming a task group to see whether there is a lack of talent at the most senior level in fundraising, nearly a year after former NSPCC director of appeals Giles Pegram was initially called in to investigate the issue.

Paul Marvell, director of learning at the Institute of Fundraising (pictured), said that Giles’ work, which was first discussed in May last year under previous chief executive Lindsay Boswell, “has certainly not been stalled” but that the Institute has instead concentrated on continuous professional development opportunities for less senior fundraising practitioners and managers, which make up the majority of the professional community.

“It’s not a conscious de-prioritisation of senior management development,” Marvell told Civil Society “It’s just a fact that we had the Academy to launch, our online learning, and something has to give. We want to deliver everything to the highest possible quality, so it’s best to get something right rather than hurry it through.”

Marvell said that the Institute is hoping to set up a task force to look at whether there is a dearth of sector talent going for the top fundraising jobs by the end of April. He admitted the focus would be less top-level than the work originally mooted by Boswell and Pegram.

“The sub-committee will be looking at leadership development, which will include, to be honest, all areas of senior management development, not necessarily just preparing people for the next director post that comes up. It’s taking a much broader approach to leadership development,” he said.

The Institute now hopes to have a CPD stream for senior fundraisers, including mentoring, tailored training and action-learning sets up and running by the end of this year, said Marvell.

Marvell said that the Institute will be keen to use Pegram’s expertise when it does launch its high-end CPD programme.