Ruth Ruderham is to leave Christian Aid and become the first head of fundraising at British Waterways.
Starting on 1 August, she will spearhead the organisation's attempts to develop a voluntary income base, building on a strategy devised by Think Consulting.
By that time Ruderham will have spent nearly three years at Christian Aid, having previously held roles at Friends of the Earth and Crisis.
It was while at Crisis that she won Fundraising’s Fundraiser of the Year Award for 2005.
“Too good to miss”
Speaking to civilsociety.co.uk, Ruderham said she would go as far as to say it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“There’s not many chances you have as a fundraiser to go in and start something from scratch, with absolutely zero supporters and absolutely zero voluntary income.
“To grow that in an organisation that’s really well established and has a huge amount of support and energy and enthusiasm to commit into fundraising, to define the proposition and engage their supporters, it just feels like a unique opportunity that I didn’t want to miss.”
Ruderham said that individual giving would be key to her plans, as “it’s the only way really to grow a very strong, sustainable, flexible voluntary income base.”
She added: “We’ll be looking to attract individuals who have already been on canal holidays or used the canals or enjoyed British Waterways in one way or another.
“I think there’s a whole range of really exciting ways we’d be looking to do that including events, and obviously in memoriam and legacies, which are part of a traditional strong individual giving programme.”
Voluntary income up 10 per cent
Of her time at Christian Aid, she said she wouldn’t have moved on if it hadn’t been an excellent opportunity.
On what she is most proud of during her tenure, she said: “Growing voluntary income by 10 per cent whilst I’ve been in post during recession, I think that’s quite a massive achievement.
"Also, building a very strong team, as when I joined there was no fundraising division. I was the first ever head of fundraising, and looking at fundraising in an integrated, holistic way for the first time.”
