Geoff Howard and Mark Jefferies to retire from Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants

Craigmyle’s two longest serving consultants Geoff Howard and Mark Jefferies have announced their retirement. As per early September and after a combined service of almost 80 years, the time has come for us to say goodbye to two true giants of the fundraising world. Although sad to see them go, we are immensely proud and privileged to have called them our colleagues and our friends.

Geoff Howard: Having been an English and Drama teacher in a London boys’ comprehensive school, Geoff cut his teeth in theatre project management and fundraising in Winchester Theatre Royal and The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. In 1989 he joined Craigmyle, became a Director of the Company and for a period was responsible for general management. He has worked successfully with a range of charities from the worlds of theatre, education, health, and faith. In his own words, “What I value most from my work over the years is working with the pleasanter aspects of human nature, with people who genuinely and selflessly want to help others. It has also been a privilege to become an honorary albeit temporary member of the extended families of a wide variety of organisations and to witness the generosity and dedication of leaders, donors, staff and volunteers and the differences made to the lives of beneficiaries. The requirements for effective fundraising pleasingly bring a productive pressure to project and service management who have to shape up to satisfy the reasonable, but detailed demands of donors and funders – fundraising does not take place in a vacuum.”

Geoff has been a generous educator and mentor to new Craigmyle colleagues joining the team whom he welcomed with his typical wit, warmth and patience. He was always prepared to share his vast experience of all things fundraising with colleagues, and made time for anyone who called upon him for advice.

Mark Jefferies: During his association with Craigmyle, which began as far back as 1980, during which period he was successively Consultant, Senior Consultant, Director and Managing Director, Mark has been engaged by around 170 different clients and has been involved in more than 200 assignments, ranging from campaign directorships to strategic consultancy, feasibility studies and fundraising audits.

Notable heritage capital campaigns have included the historic Fountains Abbey North Yorkshire, Keddlestone Hall, Derby, Erno Goldfinger House, Hampstead, Kings College Chapel Cambridge and Chester Cathedral.

Marks’s major campaigns for school fundraising have included, Stowe School, The National Campaign for the Girls Public Day School Trust involving all 23 schools and a Craigmyle team of 7 consultants, which raised £6m and the £10m bursaries endowment campaign for Manchester Grammar School, the first, and at the time, the largest sum raised for a school from a single campaign.

Mark implemented the strategy for the National heritage centre for horseracing in Newmarket and was responsible for its successful delivery with the strong support of Forest Heath District Council and a number of influential volunteers, raising £15m along the way.

Never short of an anecdote, Mark has been a wonderful friend and colleague whose quirky and entertaining interventions at team meetings will be long remembered.

Whilst stepping down as Craigmyle consultants, both Geoff and Mark continue to offer consultancy services to a small number of existing and local clients.