Member profiles
FOSTER MURPHY
Name: FOSTER MURPHY
Position: Principal
Company: CHARITABLE FUTURES
e-mail: foster.murphy(at)ukgateway.net
Web: www.charitablefutures.co.uk
FACT FILE | |
Main business areas: Strategic thinking, strategic planning, envisaging the future, organisational change, chief executive mentoring | Date business started: 2002 |
Number of consultancy staff: 3 plus 3 associates | Countries of operation: primarily the UK |
THE BUSINESS
What range of clients do you serve?
I support the work of a wide range of charities at local, regional, national and international level.
How has your business evolved since it was started?
It has grown steadily and is still growing. I have worked with more than 40 charities since I started.
Where will your consultancy be in a few years time?
I aim to continue working with the same spectrum of clients. I will also continue operating as a sole trader.
Which opportunities and threats do you see for your work in the sector and for the development of NPOs?
The opportunities for my work are enormous. To make the most of opportunities in the sector, it is vital to keep networking and to keep you’re your name amongst the people you know. As to the threats - there will be more and more chief executives becoming consultants! Looking at the sector itself, an obvious threat for charities in the UK is that too many will take government money and lose independence. Charities need to think very hard about signing up and should ensure that the contract gives them the ability to be both critical and advocates.
Can you recommend any sources of information that you find useful in your business:
There are two sources which I use more than any others: the NCVO Directory, published by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and the Charity Commission's website is useful to check up on the details of charities.
EUCONSULT MEMBERSHIP
Why did you join EUConsult?
Joining the Association was suggested to me by fellow-member Elizabeth Mills. I viewed it as a good opportunity to meet with consultants based outside of the UK.
With which other EUConsult members have you found the opportunity to cooperate on projects?
None have arisen to date, but I would certainly be open to possibilities.
BACKGROUND INFO
Where and what did you study?
I first did a degree in classics (Latin and Greek) at Trinity College Dublin and then went on to do a degree in theology at Cambridge.
How did you first get involved in NPO consultancy?
Through the Charities Effectiveness Review Trust (CERT), which was run by David Hobman. He had been Director General of Age Concern and when he retired he set up CERT. The idea was that charity leaders should take up occasional short-term consultancy assignments, to broaden their experience and therefore benefit the charities they represented. CERT was eventually taken over by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) which now has its own consultancy arm.
What interests you most about staying in the field?
It is the only thing I know about – I have worked for 40 years in the field.
What do you do to relax and forget your consultancy work? I grow raspberries and blueberries. I enjoy opera and manage to go on 3 holidays a year! And of course I like to spend time with my family.
