Laura Elson

Laura is an independent consultant specialising in strategic volunteer involvement and fundraising. She has worked with and volunteered for over 200 organisations, spanning a wide range of sizes and causes — often operating at the intersection of volunteer engagement and fundraising. Her clients have included Citizens Advice, Historic England, the Vision for Volunteering and the Centre for European Volunteering.

Over her career, Laura has managed a busy Volunteer Centre, supported hundreds of grassroots volunteer-led organisations to strengthen their community fundraising and volunteer recruitment, and held senior leadership roles in volunteer engagement at Parkinson’s UK and England Netball.

Laura is also a specialist in Trusts and Foundations fundraising. She has helped organisations secure over £10 million to fund volunteer engagement roles and programmes.

Laura holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Charity Marketing and Fundraising from the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School, University of London. She teaches the annual Volunteer Strategy Masterclass for the Association of Volunteer Managers and is an Associate Consultant with NCVO, the Association of Chairs, the Association of Fundraising Consultants and Freelancers, and the Association of Chairs.