The Mark Astarita Fellowship

Mark was a fearless fundraiser who was passionate about the sector and furthering our profession. The Mark Astarita Fellowship, in his memory, exists to support Mark's career-long mission to diversify fundraising talent across the UK charity sector.

  • “Everyone loved Mark and there is no doubt that the success we enjoyed would never have been achieved without his fundraising prowess and capacity for inspiring leadership. He was a diamond geyser in every way, and will be mourned and missed by all of us who had the privilege of calling him colleague and friend.”

    Sir Nick Young | Former CEO | British Red Cross

  • "Mark was a giant of the sector, a passionate campaigner for social justice and great fun. And, of course, he made an incredible contribution to the Red Cross movement, not only with the funds he raised, but inspiring generations of fundraisers not only in the UK but all over the world. The world is so much poorer without him. "

    Michael Adamson CBE | Former CEO | British Red Cross

  • "The greatest and most influential fundraiser in the charity sector over the last 30 years."

    Richard Hawkes | CEO | The British Asian Trust

  • "Mark brought energy, flair, and a good dose of cheek to all that he did, with an infectious smile and a glint in his eye."

    Marcus Missen | Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications | Leonard Cheshire

  • "I can’t think of anyone who shone a bigger or brighter light in our sector, who championed fundraising and fundraisers more, or who left a greater legacy in terms of funds raised and lives changed."

    Jo Dunsford | Global Director of Fundraising and Communications | Animals Asia

  • "Mark was a driven force of nature who championed fundraising and fundraisers."

    Alan Gosschalk | Fundraising Leader

  • "I’ll never forget the long evenings with other colleagues literally laughing till we cried. And the sector knowledge and expertise, and the sheer bravery and chutzpah."

    Amanda Bringans OBE MSc | Executive, Leadership and Life Coach | Amanda Bringans Coaching

  • "Mark has legendary status, both in what he achieved and the way he was so determined to change and enhance causes for the better."

    Andy Taylor-Whyte | Founder | The Inspiration Bureau

  • "Mark played such an important role in my career and I learnt so much from him, both in my time at the Red Cross and at AAW."

    Chloe Gallagher | Head of Global Partnership Management | World Food Programme

  • "Mark was a great colleague at the British Red Cross, an amazing fundraiser, and turned out to be a fantastic headhunter too and an exceptional, thoughtful friend. He always spoke from the heart, always challenging, always thinking ahead, always full of ideas. He was a human dynamo. He did so much for the Red Cross Movement globally and the fundraising sector in the UK."

    Rohan Hewavisenti | Chief Financial Officer | Amnesty International

  • "It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot, but Mark really was a legend within the fundraising community in every sense of the word. His presence, views and approach has shaped our sector in myriad ways. Mark didn’t leave behind things as he found them. He was a champion of change and a loyal servant to the causes he cared about. He was a servant to us all in the professional fundraising community. "

    Simon Beresford | Director of Fundraising & Marketing | Disasters Emergency Committee

  • "We grew up together in the sector. I’ll miss his smarts, his banter, his depth of knowledge and his cockiness built on a huge heart and endless passion."

    Tracy Griffin | CEO | Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

  • "Mark has had such a positive impact on the sector. He was always supportive and a tireless champion of fundraising and fundraisers, sticking his neck out for what he believed was right and for his team."

    Catherine Cottrell | Director of Marketing & Income Generation | Cats Protection

  • "I cannot quite imagine life without someone like Mark. He has always been there for so many of us - his magic spread far, far wider than anyone I know. A true legend and absolutely the ‘fundraisers fundraiser’, he really was the guiding light we all needed."

    Emma Whitcombe | Deputy CEO and Executive Director of Fundraising and Marketing | Alzheimer's Research

  • "You just always felt he genuinely cared about his Fundraisers."

    Amanda (Crozier) Resendes | Head of Philanthropy | World Vision New Zealand

  • "Mark truly was one of a kind and I hugely valued his kindness as well as his unparalleled fundraising expertise. The sector has lost a giant."

    Amanda McLean | CEO | Thames Valley Air Ambulance

  • "One thing I know with certainty is that Mark lived every day fully and fiercely and his legacy will be felt by everyone whose life he touched, as well as the sector as a whole and his laugh will never be forgotten."

    Cathy Gilman | CEO | Starlight Children's Foundation – UK

  • "While every one of us will leave an indelible imprint on those who knew us, some people make an outsized impact on the wider world. Mark was one of those people."

    Joe Jenkins | Executive Director - Social Impact | The Children's Society

  • "So sad to hear of Mark's passing. A giant of the charity sector whose work did so much to help so many, with a legacy of kindness and impact. Mark will be sadly missed."

    Jon Sparkes OBE | CEO | MENCAP

  • "Without Mark in our lives I can't help thinking that we wouldn't have been half the people we are today. I know I wouldn’t... we are all blessed to have known Mark."

    Julian Holmes-Taylor MCIOF(Dip) | Director of Income Generation | Battersea Dogs & Cats

  • "I will miss so much about Mark. The way he made you feel you could do anything, his wonderful sense of fun, the fancy dress, Facebook updates, funny one-line emails and G&T’s ‘at the club’. "

    Laura Jane Hicks | Senior Communications Project Manager | Cancer Research UK

  • "Mark redefined our sector in so many ways and led where others would not. His legacy will live on in the millions he fundraised and in the millions of lives who were changed by his approach to changing the world."

    Martin Houghton-Brown | Secretary General | The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation

  • "A true modern Robin Hood driven by the sole desire to shift resources from those who have plenty to those whose needs are greatest. What a loss! May this humanitarian giant Rest in Peace!"

    Matthias Schmale | Senior Advisor | United Nations Development Coordination Regional Office Africa

  • "Mark, changed and shaped the careers of so many. He dedicated his life to helping others see their potential and was an incredible friend to so many of us."

    Ruth Davison | CEO | The Conduit Foundation

  • "Mark was a fearless leader and a visionary who taught us all how to dream big and deliver for the causes we care about. He was deeply proud of the careers that his British Red Cross team forged and was deeply kind to us all."

    Liz Tait | Director of Fundraising | Great Ormand Street Hospital

About The Mark Astarita Fellowship

We are proud to be launching the Mark Astarita Fellowship to recognise Mark’s life and his unswerving dedication to diversity and fundraising and we have selected Charityworks, the UK’s talent programme for the non-profit sector to partner with us over the next two years.

  • The Fellowship will target candidates who have faced a range of barriers to entering the charity sector, including those from working class backgrounds (a particular passion of Mark’s), and support them into fundraising roles across the charity sector. The programme will also provide ILM certified Leadership training and support to Fellows.

    We are planning to support 20 Fellows in our first year and a further 20 in the second year and need to raise a total of £100,000 to do this.

    A Gift Aided donation of £2,000 (£2,500 with GA) will support one Fellow for a year.

    £500 plus Gift Aid will support one Fellow for a quarter.

    But whatever you feel able to donate will make a difference and will help us remember Mark in a way that we know he would be proud of.

Mark Astarita OBE

Mark Astarita OBE was a dear colleague to all of us at AAW. He died suddenly on 26th April 2024. He was only 64 years old.

Mark was passionate about ensuring that charities had access to the very best fundraising talent.

  • Mark's route into Fundraising and subsequent leadership was not traditional. He was the adopted son of a British-Italian working class family. On leaving school at 15, he worked his way through the Union Movement and then into the charity sector at a time when it was perhaps even more difficult for people of his background to get a solid footing in this field.

    As Mark's career developed, he continued to always champion diversity in all its forms and was particularly interested in helping individuals from non traditional backgrounds get into fundraising.

Growing the future leaders of not-for-profit organisations in the UK

Formed in 2009, Charityworks is a registered charity that provides development programmes designed to find and grow the future leaders of not-for-profit organisations in the UK.

  • Formed in 2009, Charityworks is a registered charity that provides development programmes designed to find and grow the future leaders of not-for-profit organisations in the UK.

    Alongside its core graduate placement programme, in 2017 it launched a programme called ‘2027’ that aims to increase representation of working class communities in the philanthropy sector. Clients include Comic Relief, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, BBC Children in Need. 'Change 100' is a programme founded by Charityworks' implementing partners, Koreo, in 2012 that ensures more individuals with disabilities and long-term health conditions are represented and provided with inclusive workplaces across the sector.

    These programmes are actively focused on non graduates and those who are developing their career from a non-traditional route – just as Mark did. 

    2027 and Change 100 will be the programmes that will inspire the Mark Astarita Fellowship with funds raised supporting the placement of individuals in fundraising roles with the aim of diversifying the UK fundraising profession.

Our Funding Partners

We are incredibly grateful to our partners, supporters and donors who have made this possible.

To join them and contribute to the Mark Astarita Fellowship please visit our Justgiving page

Founding Partners:

Partners:

Supporters and Donors:

James Cochrane