Richard Poole

Start date with DI: September 2020

Where I am based: London, UK

What I do: My role covers the whole spectrum of fundraising to sustain and grow DI’s income. I work across the funding lifecycle, including research on institutional, corporate and philanthropic funders; donor cultivation and stewardship; proposal development; contract negotiations; and donor progress reporting.

Previous experience: Since completing my BSocSci in Politics with International Relations, I have worked in various programme management and funding roles, from undertaking research projects in Burkina Faso, to implementing DFID’s ICS programme in Ghana. My role before starting at DI was with Able Child Africa, where I worked with a portfolio of partners in East Africa to seek funding, manage grants and advocate for change. I also drove the organisation’s fundraising strategy, diversifying the charity’s portfolio of work and increasing its annual income from £0.5m to £1m