To Mark, With All Our Love

Imogen Ward

29th April 2024

Mark has been a close friend, colleague and mentor to me for over 20 years. From our time when we first met as part of the DEC to when 7 years ago, he left his beloved Red Cross to join Tobin Aldrich and myself in the newly formed consultancy practice Astarita Aldrich Ward.  

Tobin always laughed that only Mark and I could actually ignore the rule of the alphabet and put his name first. Technically of course Aldrich should come before Astarita. Mark and I just thought Astarita Aldrich Ward sounded better. And it did. We were right. We often were. 

The search side of our business had been Mark’s idea all along. Fundraising leaders finding other fundraising leaders had been something that came naturally to Mark. For many, many years every charity recruitment agency in the UK bent his ear for recommendations on roles and his instinct for talent meant that he was generally pretty astute to landing the right people for the right role. So he kind of knew this would fly. 

I am not saying that the actual translating of this idea to a proper company was easy. It wasn’t. We had to learn loads and we were lucky to get some of the best search people in the business to help us. But the core of it - the authenticity of what we knew was right - was our North Star. And it worked. AAW’s Search and Interim service will continue to be one of Mark’s many, many brilliant contributions to our sector. 

Professionally, Mark was inspired and energised by three things. Firstly, the Red Cross movement and all that entailed. Whether that’s a humanitarian response thousands of miles away or a crisis closer to home. 

When I worked with him as part of the DEC someone said to me (when Mark was being particularly truculent) “when Mark bleeds it ain’t red. It’s Red Cross”. And it was true. Mark was always fixated on doing what was best for humanity and delivering aid as his axle, and he was always convinced that the role of the Red Cross in an emergency was key. So of course they deserved all the money!  He loved the Red Cross Movement  - he lived and breathed its values and history, and was entranced by all its many incarnations. Even when he left, he was still part of it. The blood running through him was Red Cross. 

The loss of Mark's late wife, Gill, hit him hard and when some years later he found love and laughter again with Angie everyone was so happy for him. When Gill was coming to the end of her life she was treated by the St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney. It triggered for Mark a deep connection to the cause, serving on the board of St Joseph’s and then later St Clare’s in Harlow. He did so much for the movement and I know it’s stronger thanks to his love and determination. 

Finally Fundraising. Or rather Fundraisers. When Mark moved from being a Trade Unionist to the Charity Sector he really did bring something very different. Mark was a working class young man who had left school at 15 with very few qualifications. Smart, cocky and determined to have his voice heard in a sector which, like the rest of British society, really wanted the Marks of the world to conform and be quiet. But Mark couldn't be quiet. And as he got more confident he got louder. And it was Fundraisers that became his cause. Fundraisers who he loved and roared for and would always, always champion. Fundraisers were Mark’s life’s work. 

Mark raised loads and loads of money for the causes he worked for in his career - billions of dollars in fact. He won countless awards, was the Chair of many, many committees and institutions and even received an OBE in recognition of his work. But I think the thing he was proudest of was the teams of Fundraisers he led and inspired to not only deliver the greatest for the charity they were working for, but to achieve greatness for themselves. 

It’s impossible to quantify how many lives Mark touched in this way. How many individuals he inspired, encouraged and propelled  - many are now CEOs of some of the biggest charities in the world. All of the people he touched will be remembering him now. Mark was one of those unique people who changed your life from simply being in his presence. 

Mark - all of us at AAW loved you very much and will miss you deeply.  We are having to deal with the unimaginable and navigating the next few days and weeks will be hard. But we were all blessed to be close to you personally and have you as part of our small company trying in your words “to do good stuff for good people fighting the good fight”.

And do you know what? Even if your surname had started with a Z -  your name would have always been first. 

The Art of Asking for What You Want.

Mark Astarita

26th March 2024

Last week I received an email out of the blue that made me smile. I have permission to share it with you and I wanted to do so, to as it’s a great reminder to all fundraisers especially, as well as candidates looking for new roles, to be brave – and that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. And if you ask beautifully, you are unlikely to be ignored and will stand out from the crowd.

The email started with a reminder of our shared past and this person’s expertise as a highly successful fundraiser…

I hope you are well, and don’t mind me reaching out in this manner. I’m taking a wild stab in the dark here, in the hope that you might remember me. A few years ago, we spent an afternoon together whilst you observed my work as a door-to-door fundraiser, representing the British Red Cross. At the time, I was one of the highest performing fundraisers in the country, on the verge of setting up my own direct marketing company. My business proved a roaring success, sustaining an unparalleled retention rate, generating millions in revenue for numerous charitable organisations… most favourably the British Red Cross of course!

That afternoon we spent pacing the streets of East London left a huge impression on me. It was just over 10 years ago now, but I distinctly recall bonding over our love of motorbikes and the phenomenal work the Red Cross do. I left our encounter feeling deeply inspired by your story and have since been committed to working in sectors that make a positive and powerful difference. 

…before going to on to ask directly for what she wants now:

My reason for reaching out now, (and I must stress that I sincerely hope it is not too cheeky to do so), is that I am looking for a new career opportunity and the chance to use my skills to make an incredible difference in the charity sector again. Recently, I've become a member of a fundraising board, on a volunteer basis, further securing my desire to apply myself fully in this field again; which explains why you are reading this email right now.

It would mean such a lot to me if I were able to steal a little bit of your time to pick your brains on what might be my best way to move forward. Perhaps you may know of an organisation that needs an ambitious, tenacious, self-starter like me? Or alternatively, I'd value any words of wisdom that could help me identify possible gaps I may need to fill, in order to get to where I want to be. 

And then closing with a very personal thank you:

I appreciate how busy you must be however, so if nothing else, please consider this a long overdue thank you for the invite I received to the BRC garden party at Buckingham Palace. I believe you were responsible for that invite and let me just say, the whole day was wonderful...the cucumber sandwiches were sublime!

It was an email that made me recall getting a similarly lovely letter along with a CV in my first few weeks as Director of Fundraising at the British Red Cross, asking for opportunities. It was from the one and only Tanya Steele – within a few days she was volunteering at the charity and today she is the CEO of WWF. She asked, I noticed, and the rest is history.

It’s a direct approach that has proved successful in my career before. Some years before I met Tanya, our wonderful Patron where I was working as Director of Fundraising and Communications at the National Deaf Children’s Society signed six very speculative letters to potential major donors for a capital build. Five out of the six responded and donated – the largest had never had a previous connection with the charity and won naming rights because of the size of the gift.

The key lesson here is that approaches were very personal, appealing and direct – above all you need to ask specifically for what you want; heck what have you got to lose by not trying and then trying again?

Oh and yes the email sender is having coffee with me next week.  I look forward to hearing all her news 10 years on.

The Way of Work - Insights From 2023 So Far…

As the go-to specialist recruitment agency working solely with the charity sector for executive and senior manager recruitment, as well as interim placements, the AAW Group’s People team has a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the industry at any given time.

Ali Kurn, Managing Consultant of our Executive Search Agency, reflects on some recent research that AAW led that opens our eyes to some of the key motivators for candidates seeking a new role in 2023. 

As a specialist consultancy and executive search agency working with the charity sector, we’ve known for a while that the market for job-hunters has transformed. A rise in flexible working, changing practices around recruitment, and new technologies have altered the way we work, and the process of landing that dream job. 

We wanted to find out more, and to further help those navigating the process of finding a new role, so with the help of our friends at SOFII we extended an invitation offering career coaching calls to the first 50 people to contact us. We were blown away by the immediate response - we heard from 67 of you seeking a coaching call with one of our experts.

This incredible response has afforded us at AAW a unique opportunity to delve into the world of charity recruitment from the perspective of those looking for their next role. We asked respondents to fill in a questionnaire to find out more about their main motivators for finding a new job, and just what’s important to them. Getting the chance to talk to so many candidates has revealed some fascinating insights about just how much has changed in the job hunters’ landscape, so read on for our findings. 

96% of those we spoke to work in Fundraising, the remaining few were either in senior leadership roles, or studying. 85% had been in their current role for more than 12 months. Most were a Manager level or above and 58% of those surveyed were applying for a Head of Function or Director level role for their next career move. 

A Hybrid Approach to Work 

We asked respondents about their preference for hybrid/office/home-based work and found that hybrid working was most likely to be a main or strong motivator when looking for a new role. There were, of course, those for whom home-based work was the main motivator (16%) and those for whom having access to an office or hub was their main motivator (10%), but most people wanted the flexibility of both.

The Power of Flexibility

Flexibility was a key criteria for those we spoke to, with 40% of people saying it was their main motivator when looking for a new role, and a further 40% telling us that it was a strong motivator. Most people we spoke to weren’t looking for a job share, but were more interested in flexible working and/or compressed hours. 

It’s Not Just About the Money… But Remuneration matters more in 2023 than previous years

Whilst salary is not the main motivator for the majority of respondents, it did have a strong impact on decision-making for candidates. 

When we match this piece of research with our anecdotal experience with candidates, clearly remuneration has become more important in the last 12 months as the cost of living crisis impacts on us all. 

But it’s not THE most important. 

The cause, the potential for career progression, opportunities for hybrid working, and flexible hours were all more likely to be ranked as a main motivator than the salary of a potential role. 

The potential for career progression was clearly important, with 82% of those we spoke to telling us that this was either a main motivator or strong motivator when looking for their next role. Food for thought for organisations when recruiting…

Main Motivators for Candidates: 

Values Over Brands 

Those we spoke to were highly motivated by the cause of the organisation, with 90% telling us that the cause was either the main motivator or a strong motivator for their move. However, when we asked which causes most appealed, almost every single potential cause was listed! Health and disease, culture and education, environment, and children and young people came out top, but it was clear from our responses that potential candidates would consider a range of causes so long as it aligned with their values. 

At the other end of the scale, brand recognition of the not-for-profit was not a strong motivator for potential employees - those we spoke to were more interested in the ways of working and the values and cause of the organisation than its public profile.  

We also asked respondents whether it was important to them that the organisation had a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in place, and 68% of those we spoke to said that it was a strong or main motivator. 

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

At AAW, we embarked on a journey to better understand the motivations and aspirations of job seekers within the charity sector. What we discovered shows an evolving landscape where job hunters are driven by more than just a paycheck, but that paycheck is still important. 

Those we spoke to value flexibility and opportunities for growth - they’re more likely to be motivated by the ways of working in an organisation than by its external profile. 

The cause is as important as ever and those working in the sector are still highly motivated by mission.  As we move forward, these findings offer valuable food for thought for our clients seeking to engage, attract, and retain top talent in an ever-evolving job market.

All of us at AAW are always happy to have a chat about your talent search and selection needs. 

Please find out more and get in touch here.

The Search Is On

30 May 2022 by Jo Hastie

The last few months have been incredibly busy for the AAW Group Search team with many senior roles live on our website, several in the shortlisting process and more in the pipeline over the next few weeks.  As an agency we are not alone. After a few years of uncertainty, the job market is now booming, although recruitment, particularly in fundraising, remains difficult for charities. We talk to AAW Partner Mark Astarita for his perspective on the current interim and permanent recruitment market based on his conversation with candidates, directors and chief execs on a daily basis, as well as advice if you are hiring right now.

Can you give us some context for the impact on recruitment from the pandemic?

The first reaction of trustees and executive teams to the pandemic was understandably to furlough significant staff numbers, freeze recruitment and rapidly reduce costs, leading to an inevitable huge downturn in external recruitment. This was combined with senior staff choosing not to move on from secure jobs and sitting tight to ride out the storm, meaning that organisations had very strong levels of employee retention.

While many headlines and sector bodies predicted a doomsday scenario for charities, Covid’s arrival brought an outpouring of generosity and, for many of our clients, record-breaking fundraising years. The vast majority of fundraisers had never been so busy, pivoting the workforce to virtual, pivoting fundraising activities to accommodate the new environment, and trailing activities that had never been done before to maximise energy and effort.

We saw much resilience and passion from leaders to ensure their organisations survived and thrived, and beneficiaries continued to be supported.

Prior to Covid there was always an issue with turnover with fundraising roles (often because charities don’t offer enough internal development or progression to their staff), but the impacts of the pandemic and increase in workload meant that people didn’t have time or energy to reflect on their next career move.

What has happened in the interim market?

Early on, we were concerned about what might happen to the interims working for us. But many of our candidates were in senor fundraising roles that were absolutely critical when the pandemic hit and we are now have around 40 interim staff working for us (up from 25 just before Covid arrived), out of a pool of over 100 candidates available for work at any given time. Because people weren’t leaving their jobs it became even harder to recruit, with search campaigns failing and interim solutions became the next port of call.

Why are we seeing a big boom in recruitment right now?

April 2021 brought a new financial year with new budgets off the back of record-breaking years and it was at this point, over 12 months on from the first lock down, that many organisations felt more confident about regrowing their fundraising activities.

Fast forward a year and we’ve never been so busy as organisations look to implement ambitious strategies and plans.  However, the challenge and crisis of recruiting well and obtaining talent remains a massive issue for voluntary organisations up and down the country and it’s a conversation we are having with all our clients. It’s one of the reason recruitment agencies like AAW exist in this space.

It means that organisations have to put a lot of effort into retention and personal development; it’s much easier and cheaper to retain great talent than to rehire. The main conversation we are having right now with candidates is around flexibility, hybrid working, job shares and consolidated hours.  Organisations that can be flexible and less controlling will be much more attractive to candidates.

Are they any other key issues around recruitment for clients currently?

Another key focus, and rightly so, for our clients is diversity and inclusion. At the AAW Group we work with the brilliant Friday Promotions, whose founders Basit Kahn and Adil Husseini specialise in connecting brands to ethnically diverse markets by building deep meaningful links that form lasting relationships. They support AAW by leveraging their unique connections and networks to ensure that roles are visible and introduced to diverse candidates who may not feel initially that they can apply.  But as a sector overall, we need to put more effort and energy into removing obstacles that make jobs look impossible to apply for, i.e. years of experience or further education and into bringing people into the sector at entry and secondary levels and making a career in the third sector more attractive to those from diverse communities.

To find out more about AAW’s Executive Search and Interim service please visit or email Jane Medley at jane@aawpartnership.com  

It’s Better By Coach

30th May by Richard Bowyer

One of the benefits of applying for a role through the AAW Group is our offer of a full interview coaching service including face to face or remote mock interviews and developing strategies tailored to our candidates, their unique needs and the posts being applied for. We have had very positive feedback from candidates on this service delivered by our personal coach and associate Anton Packheiser. Below, Richard Bowyer, the Chief Executive of the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals charity, outlines the impact it made on him as he celebrates a year in the role.

On the 10th May I celebrated my first anniversary in a job I love, and without the work I did with Anton Packheiser I’m not sure I would be able to say that.

I joined Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity in May 2021 after almost seven years at Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and six months as a fundraising strategy consultant. I was ready for a new challenge – and ready, I felt, to step into my first CEO role – although after a long period with GOSH I was out of practice at the application process.

The earlier days of my search had a few missteps – including two occasions where I was the second choice candidate. This was both positive in the sense it showed I was a credible candidate as an organisational leader, but also frustrating in my inability to get over line and secure an offer. Being qualified is not enough if you’re struggling to tell your story in way that does you justice in an interview.

What impact did Anton’s coaching have on me? Well, I would point to three different areas.

First, he was full of practical advice. For example, in interview run-throughs, he felt I was selling myself short. He would constantly push me to tell ‘complete’ stories, explaining the full and ongoing impact of decisions I took and projects I led.

Second, he gave me perspective. Job applications can feel like a beauty parade and as an applicant you are particularly vulnerable. Anton’s advice was essentially, if it’s not working it’s probably not the right match for you; when you meet the right charity it will feel the easiest thing in the world.

Third, and much less tangibly, he was there for me through the process. Prepping every interview and debriefing afterward. A job search can feel such a lonely experience, but with Anton’s coaching I knew I was never on my own.

It’s been a brilliant and challenging first 12 months with RBH Charity. We’ve launched new appeals, appointed a fantastic new Chair, written our first grants strategy, moved to hybrid working, completed our biggest ever property project and exceeded our fundraising targets.

Career coaching doesn’t make you into a different person. Your strengths are still your strengths, your achievements are still your achievements. But it can help you find the right approach and confidence to tell your story in the most effective way – and that can make a world of difference.

For more information on our coaching services (and our Executive Coaching Programme for non AAW candidates) visit Career Development | Astarita, Aldrich & Ward (aawpartnership.com)