Joanna Roberts

People have always been my love and my interest. This was reflected in the first part of my career in journalism, with a specialism in feature-length interviews.

I found added purpose through volunteering roles with local and internationally focused charities and ultimately transitioned into working in the charity sector – first in operational roles and then in major gifts fundraising and philanthropy. Here I found the sense of homecoming for my skills, experience, values and highly relational nature!

My career progressed significantly at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF UK), where I advanced from Relationship Manager to leading the Philanthropy & Partnerships Team of six. In my years at MAF, I was privileged to walk alongside incredible philanthropists including two donors who each made the extraordinary gifts of aircraft to serve isolated communities in Papua New Guinea.

Following that, as Philanthropy Lead at the RSPCA, I was fascinated to learn for the first time in any real depth about Donor Advised Funds as an increasingly popular tax-efficient vehicle for charitable giving.

Today, I serve as a Relationship Manager with Stewardship, a Christian charity and Donor Advised Fund founded nearly 120 years ago. Stewardship oversees around £110m in annual grants to over 12,000 causes, which it also supports through a range of professional services. Working within the Philanthropy Fund, I support donors to align their values-driven generosity with strategy and impact.