EUConsult Information Service
2006 May
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Member Profiles
John Baguley
Name: JOHN BAGULEY
Position: Director
Company: INTERNATIONAL FUNDRAISING CONSULTANCY
e-mail: john.baguley(at)ifc.tc
Web: www.ifc.tc
John Baguley runs IFC jointly with his Co-Director, Jasvir Kaur.
FACT FILE | |
Main business areas: Fundraising and Management Consultancy, serving a large variety of charities | Date business started: 2000 |
Number of consultancy staff: 3 plus 3 associates | Countries of operation: Mostly in the UK and, together with Associates, in Europe. We also carry out a lot of international work, for example in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Cameroon and the USA. |
THE BUSINESS
What range of clients do you serve?
We work with the full gamut of charities and NGOs, ranging from small organisations to huge institutes, and from massive government agencies to tiny churches. A large number of our clients are running international programmes and can benefit from our extensive experience in this area.
How has your business evolved since it was started?
It has developed a lot in the range and scope of operation. When the business was established, we mostly dealt with clients who we had known before we launched the business. Quite quickly, through recommendation and marketing, the scope of clients increased enormously. We gradually started to take on more staff and link with a variety of partner agencies, through whom we are able to supply additional services. A good example of our steady development is the fact that we have just started IFC Direct, our direct marketing service. We decided to create this new service because clients had for some time tapped our practical knowledge of direct marketing to improve their operations.
Where will your consultancy be in a few years time?
We are hoping to grow steadily year by year, both in the number of sub-divisions, such as IFC Communications or Management, and in adding new consultants. We are, of course, also keen to continue expanding the range of clients, while staying largely within the non-profit field.
Which opportunities and threats do you see for your work in the sector and for the development of NPOs?
The opportunities are huge at the present time and there is subsequently a large market for our services. We believe consultancy is becoming a fact of life for an increasing number of organisations, so deepening the market.
The threats that accompany such potential are, for us, the problems of growth. We have had to be very careful in respect of cash flow and, in taking on a lot of new clients, the development of the structure of the consultancy need to be handled very carefully..
EUCONSULT MEMBERSHIP
Why did you join EUConsult?
We have found membership of EUConsult to be very useful, particularly because one of our areas of growth has been to link with partners in other countries. By joining EUConsult we have been able to set up partner agencies in Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain, complementing our other partner agency in India.
Have you found the opportunity to cooperate on projects with other EUConsult members?
The establishment of partnerships, as mentioned above, has been very useful. We also value the networking opportunities very highly. Being able to talk to other professionals who have an international slant to their activities is extremely valuable.
We believe that the international market will continue to expand and EUConsult will enable us to offer a larger scale of operations than we could on our own. Having said that our international work has actually declined in relation to our UK based operations, apart from our assistance to international workshops in countries like Ukraine, Kazakstan and Italy. Naturally, we hope to be working in many more countries over the years.
BACKGROUND INFO
Where and what did you study?
I have a Degree in Art History and an MBA with the Open University. I then went on to do a PhD with the Open University, researching the Globalisation of NGOs. This has led to an accidental academic career speaking in several countries.
How did you first get involved in NPO consultancy?
I first started working for Oxfam and went on to become Director of Fundraising at Friends of the Earth and also at Amnesty International. The position of Director of International Fundraising at Amnesty was my first consultancy assignment, during which I spent two years working all over the world.
What interests you most about staying in the field?
I am fascinated by the psychology of fundraising. For example, there is a key change between the retired generation and the baby boomers. The new generations, Gen X and Gen Y, will be even more interesting when they start to acquire enough wealth to become serious donors.
What do you do to relax and forget your consultancy work? I like to relax with the family and in the garden. I also really enjoy travelling and visiting art galleries.
