Introducing our six new trustees

We are delighted to be welcoming six new trustees onto our board over the coming months. This Trustees’ Week 2020, we hear from our new trustees on why they are excited to be joining 360Giving. We will be launching separate interviews with each new trustee throughout the week to get to know them better, so keep your eyes peeled.

Since being founded by philanthropist Fran Perrin five years ago, at 360Giving we have been lucky to have a very engaged and committed board of trustees. Several of our founding trustees are coming to the end of their terms of office in the coming months. Alice Casey left us in June this year (you can read Alice’s reflections on the journey of 360Giving in this post for Nesta). And in December this year, Will Perrin will step down from the 360Giving board, followed by Anna de Pulford who will step down in July 2021. We owe our founding trustees a great deal of gratitude for their support and work to progress our mission, and we are excited to be joined by our new board members to help carry on their wonderful work.

Fran Perrin, our Founder and Chair, says:

“I am delighted to welcome such brilliant people to our board of trustees. We have achieved a lot in our 5 years, and we still have a lot to do. I’m sure that these new trustees – with their diverse range of experience and backgrounds – will offer invaluable insight and support as we move into our next phase. I am so excited to have Danil, Farah, Jon, Thrisha, Bonnie and Jo on board.

“Trustees’ Week is an annual event to showcase the great work that trustees do and highlight opportunities for people from all walks of life to get involved and make a difference. As a small team, the role of 360Giving’s trustees is vital in helping us to achieve our mission. They are a key part of our team.”

Joining in December 2020: Dr Danil Mikhailov, Farah Ahmed and Jon Cracknell.

Dr Danil Mikhailov

Danil is Founder and Head of Wellcome Data Labs at Wellcome Trust.

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“The strategy. The focus of Goal 1 – getting access to the data – is important. But of course, that is not enough. You need to make sure decisions are actually made in a way that is informed by that data. I think the focus of the strategy on that next phase – on how you encourage charities and philanthropies to make decisions with that data, and make them data informed – that’s the bit that excites me.

“Anyone who works in this world knows that, while it can be difficult, it’s much easier to get data well governed, created and shared than it is to change human behaviour and make sure that data is used for decisions. I think anything we can do to help grantmakers and charities do that will be hugely welcome.”

Jon Cracknell

Jon Director is Trust Secretary of the Ecology Trust.

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“360Giving has got a long way in its first five years in establishing credibility and the principle of open data. I was on a call the other day with Chief Execs of some of the largest foundations in the UK, and three or four people mentioned 360Giving’s work, which was great to hear.

“With the push for government data to be more included in the 360Giving Data Standard, it feels like that open data transition is really happening now, off the back of 360Giving’s hard work so far. The question now is how we use that data to improve the targeting of grants going forwards, and advance the ‘movement ecology’ of the things being funded. It feels like we’re in the foothills of what could be done there. So my excitement is to be part of exploring how we can use open data to transform philanthropy over the next five to ten years.”

Farah Ahmed

Farah is Head of Market Development, Digital Identity at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“For me this is a personal development opportunity. It’s my first time being a trustee, and I’m glad to be able to bring a new perspective in. I’ve been in the civil service throughout my career and have spent most of my time working on data. I’ve built up a lot of knowledge on the policy side – understanding the pros and cons regarding data. It’s not all easy – some things are surprisingly straightforward and some things are really difficult. I’ve got a good understanding of the practicalities involved, as well as a huge passion for data in general.

 “Being from an ethnic minority, I think it’s fair to say there’s a heck of a lot to be done in the charitable giving sector when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion. I think by allowing the data to be more open and available, 360Giving is enabling greater analysis and intelligence amongst funders on how they target certain areas and groups. It’s like shining a light so they can ask, ‘Are we funding the right things, or are we missing out on a great opportunity to help others in an alternative area?’ This is why I’m especially excited to see how 360Giving’s equalities data project progresses.”

Joining in July 2021: Thrisha Haldar, Bonnie Chiu and Jo Kerr.

Thrisha Haldar

Thrisha is Lead Executive at The Alan and Babette Sainsbury Fund.

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“In my first job in grantmaking, my boss said that grantmaking is both a science and an art. And I think 360Giving has definitely improved the science bit – the evidence bit. But it hasn’t forgotten the ‘art’ bit. It does need strong leadership and interpretation, and I think that is demonstrated by everyone in the team who is driving forward from a values place, from wanting to improve grantmaking and make it more accessible. That is what is exciting to me, that it is driven by values. Also, the fact it was set up by Fran, a philanthropist herself, helps to change the culture of the sector.

“Ultimately this kind of data-driven grantmaking is about improving outcomes for people, which aligns with my personal values, coming from civil society.”

Bonnie Chiu

Bonnie is Managing Director at The Social Investment Consultancy.

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“Ultimately, it is the mission of 360Giving and the traction it has already gained. I think 360Giving is such a neat solution to address a lot of the root causes of the inequalities we find within philanthropy and funding.

“I’m also excited to be on a board with women leaders, such as Fran who is really inspiring in having been the founder of 360Giving. And Tania as a really inspiring CEO. Looking back on the boards I have been on, none have had both a woman chair and a woman CEO.”

360Giving is currently working with Bonnie Chiu on an exciting project about equalities data which will finish before Bonnie becomes a trustee, in July 2021. 

Jo Kerr

Jo is Director of Innovation and Impact at Turn2us.

I’m excited to join 360Giving because…

“One is the increasing role of data in the sector, the potential for that to support charities in a lot of different ways, and the role that 360Giving plays in the whole ecosystem.

“The second is around the need for more transparency in the grant giving sector and the fact that that has been quite opaque until relatively recently. If we can get more understanding of what is being funded, and when and how – and set that against the picture of need across the country and look at where the gaps are – I think that is going to be incredibly powerful and potentially quite transformational.

“I think the approach of 360Giving is brilliant. It’s taking grantmakers on a journey with data and insight, helping them to see the potential and understand where their gaps are. But also asking, ‘What are we learning from that data and what actions can we take?’ Making it actionable and creating change is what it’s really about.”

We can’t wait to have our new trustees join us over the coming months!