João Silva

A relationship fundraiser with more than 15 years’ experience of working in the third sector and for Higher Education institutions (HEIs), I am a natural relationship-builder. Used to writing complex and multifaceted funding bids, I pride myself in my ability to establish a good connection with large donors and develop a real understanding of their reasons of giving, not just in the immediate future, but also over the long-term. This applies whether I am dealing with big foundations, family trusts, high-net worth individuals, executors of wills or corporates partners.

In my current role at Barnardo’s, I am responsible for stewarding and regularly reporting to some very large strategic donors to the charity, including some who have made grants of millions of pounds and one who has set up a permanent endowment following a transformational gift (£18 million) which I was for the first person to identify and draw up the initial approach and solicitation plan for, as part of a process that took nearly three years, from planning to gift closure.

Over the past 10 years, I have also volunteered for different community organisations, local charities and grassroots initiatives in a range of different ways. From acting as an external facing representative to filling out trusts fundraising applications, from advising on strategy and data protection to coaching and more. Those smaller, grassroots organisations that I have helped out have variously been in my local area or linked to the Portuguese speaking migrant community in the UK.