" Giving through the foundation is a way of easily identifying what your business cares about , and then handing the fiddly bits over to us to take care of ."
network we ’ re bigger than Children In Need but we don ’ t get the celebrity endorsements ,” smiles Michelle : “ It ’ s amazing how low our profile is , compared to the work that we do .” There are reasons for that . By the nature of their ambition to fund charitable organisations and community organisations at grassroots levels , each grant , while a lifeline , tends to be modest – averaging just under £ 5,000 .
They ’ re also a ‘ third-party provider ’ – they distribute funds rather than spend the money themselves .
“ We don ’ t have a particular cause ,” Michelle explains : “ We ’ re not focused only on cancer , or children , or hospice work , so we don ’ t have a specific ‘ ask ’ in that respect , which makes it harder for the public to identify with or understand what we do . “ It ’ s hard for us to be headline-grabbers . “ But we do have our fingers on the pulse of the North-East community and we specifically help areas of deprivation and inequality – like poverty , mental health , debt problems – where organisations might not receive the same level of financial help from the public for the desperately-needed work they do locally .”
As a ceaseless distributor of funds , the foundation is very much a contrast with Michelle ’ s previous career in business where holding on to the money and looking to grow it was the focus .
Michelle , who says “ Ninety per cent of my job is about raising money ,” adds : " Charities have an interesting business model – after the core costs are accounted for , we look to give our money away and start each new year in deficit .
“ It ’ s the reverse approach of business but I find it refreshing .”
Michelle ’ s route to the North-East was a circuitous one .
Norfolk-born , she studied for a BSC in Canterbury , a PhD in biochemistry at Edinburgh University , (" I ’ m a scientific doctor , not a medical one "), before a spell working in industry in Geneva and in product development for Mars in West Yorkshire . Eventually she moved to the North-East when she became an investment manager for Northstar Ventures in 2005 .
She got a taste for charitable work in 2010 at Northstar when she was involved in supporting the Northern Rock Foundation .
“ I used my business experience to try to help North-East charities look beyond the next grant ,” she recalls .
That was to lead on to her seeking a different gear to her working life and applying for the chance to lead the foundation .
“ I was an unknown quantity , given my background ,” she reflects .
“ And I was grateful that they took a chance on someone with such a commercial background . “ They took a punt !” That gamble has been rewarded in the way the foundation continues to make a difference in hundreds of small , but crucial , ways .
But across the region , the situation is worrying for charities big and small amid the ongoing carnage caused by Covid-19 . Michelle believes North-East businesses can become part of the solution for the region .
“ I know just how challenging a time it is for the business community with the stop-start nature of the economy this year and further tests ahead but a pivot towards local charities would certainly be a big help .
“ As charities , we have to constantly look to compete and to continue upping our game .
“ We know that because keeping our revenue streams up is the biggest challenge facing us .
“ Donations are on the decrease across the board and one of the reasons for that is simple – people don ’ t carry around money anymore .
“ It makes spontaneous cash donations more difficult .
“ There are other reasons , too – building up charitable contributions has always been based on relationships but the era of people staying with a company for 30 or 40 years is rare these days .
“ It means that you might have a solid donator from an organisation or business but then that key person moves on and the company changes direction .
“ At the foundation , one of our challenges is that we are a third party and some people don ’ t like that . For us it ’ s a strength , because we can add value for our donors , create more impact and look at what the area needs as a whole .
“ Each charity faces its own obstacles to come .”
One of the ways forward , Michelle suggests , is for companies to examine and re-examine their approach to charity support and put it front and centre of their organisation .
“ Many already do ,” she said , “ And have found ways to give through the foundation that work for them and their needs . “ To give just a few examples , independent financial advisors , Sandringham Financial Partners
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