Phelanthropic thoughts

10 Mar 2015 Voices

Like so many others in civil society, Ian Allsop has a great deal to thank Daniel Phelan for.

Like so many others in civil society, Ian Allsop has a great deal to thank Daniel Phelan for.

We all want the best for our children. We worry about everything – especially the career they might end up pursuing.

My eldest starts secondary school in September and has gone through a range of dream possible jobs ranging from astronaut to scientist, explorer to warden on a game reserve. All perfectly worthy, if at differing levels of likely accomplishment.

But there is still plenty of time for him to not work out what he would like to do – and stumble into something like most of us. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. In fact I often joke that I am still trying to figure it out.

Lacking direction

At five I had a strong conviction that I wanted to be in the Navy, like my grandparents had been. By six I had canned that as a bad idea when I realised it might involve going to war and getting hurt. I got a ‘cop-out’ general economics degree and ended up at an accountancy firm processing graduate applications in the HR department. A PA role in the firm’s charity unit came up and it went from there.

I suppose I had a vague notion that being a journalist would be good, though never a strong enough one to actually bother to do any training. Luckily an individual who was a friend of my then-boss was both brave and stupid enough to take a chance on me as a cub reporter on the magazine which was then known as NGO Finance.

That person, as I am sure you have already worked out, was Dan Phelan. And I am extremely grateful to him for it. Even more so for him having enough faith in me three years later to appoint me as editor, and then providing the flexibility for me to work four days a week as part of the childcare arrangements we had for the progeny mentioned above. During my five years at the helm Dan always offered the right balance of space and support – never unnecessarily interfering, but being available for advice when required.

There are many things people remember about Dan that have been extensively covered elsewhere – his fierce intellectual ability, his humour, his combination of business acumen and a desire for a better society – especially through the provision of information to enable those working more directly with the disadvantaged to perform their roles more efficiently.

He would often muse about whether Civil Society Media should be able to register as a charity due to the public benefit it provided, and I think he was only half joking.

I will also remember his love of good food, wine and art. I am off for a few days in Cornwall not long after I finish writing this, which will be especially poignant. It was a county Dan spent a lot of time in, and we have a cliffscape painting by his wife Cathy that will be a constant reminder.

In many ways Cornwall, with its mix of proud independence and rugged charm, seemed right for him.

Sign of respect

As a boss he demanded a lot, but was generous with his praise and hospitality if you deserved it. And it was a sign of respect that whenever I was out and about at sector events and meetings, even after I stopped working for him full-time, people always asked after him, in more concerned tones once it was known he was ill.

This very magazine is but one of his achievements, defined by its striking covers almost as much as its high-quality editorial content. The covers are further testament to his appreciation of art.

Working with our designer every month to come up with an original image for the coming month’s issue, and then seeing Dan’s reaction (which wasn’t always positive – art and design is a personal thing) will always be a fondly remembered part of the production process.

He also leaves behind The Charity Awards, the Charity 100 Index, numerous other publications, a thriving training and conference programme – all the result of his drive and innovative thinking. But I believe his ultimate legacy is much bigger.

It is this column. It was his idea. He was always extremely kind and supportive of my writing style, and encouraged the use of humour to make serious points.

For more reasons than one, if it wasn’t for Dan you wouldn’t be reading this. He is going to be hugely missed.

Ian Allsop is a freelance editor and journalist, and regular contributor to Charity Finance.

  • Readers can donate in Dan's memory to Bowel Cancer UK at this page