Hear what charity CEOs have to say about partnership with VPF.

Andrea Coleman, CEO, Riders for Health:

“VPF have assembled an extraordinarily strong team around an innovative proposition: using mature business and organisational skills to leverage both funding and expertise. For Riders for Health this has proved to be a particularly powerful form of cooperation. We have benefited from carefully-considered guidance on strategy and business planning, as well as from coaching on such critical matters as succession planning.

"The VPF team have already developed a good feel for how this kind of work can be carried out. It is very easy to de-stabilise even a well-established humanitarian organisation by setting unrealistically high or unrealistically low expectations, not least in relation to funding. VPF know how to avoid these and other dangers. Thus we feel encouraged and supported and have never had any sensation of being criticised or corrected.

We are extremely grateful for VPF’s attention to our work and we would be measurably the worse off without it. We have found that because of the background of the VPF team, we benefit from a keen appreciation of the nature and potential of social enterprise. This gives the whole relationship a very positive and lively feel. This in itself is new to the field of international development”.

Chris Underhill MBE, CEO, Basic Needs:

"Thanks for the opportunity to write to you about the work of VPF and its on going relationship with BasicNeeds.  Apart from anything else it gives me a chance to express gratitude to those who make the Foundation a success and who shape and characterize its unique blend of generosity of heart and business acumen.

"Chief amongst your values is a very full understanding that the charity brings its own knowledge and skill set and that you respect this and want to listen and learn and only then contribute. Your interest in funding core costs is hugely refreshing and so very helpful. We have just been awarded £500,000 for a three year programme that will help thousands of Kenyans with a proper community mental health programme.  Yet of that money we are only allowed to use £18,000 over the three years for our core costs. No company would be expected to operate high quality programmes on that cost recovery basis. So your support allows us to go for the large grants which in effect mean that we leverage your great giving and can reach so many more people with the help of our own partners.  

"We are working on the idea of franchising our Model for Mental Health and Development.  VPF have been instrumental in finding the right pro-bono and low cost high quality advice and support we need at this very testing but exciting time. The involvement of considerable expertise has given us great confidence to get on with this new approach."

Emma-Jane Cross, CEO, Beatbullying:

“VPF’s due diligence process “badges” us with a stamp of approval and a level of credibility that can help us leverage other donors.  VPF’s pro bono assistance allows us to draw upon specialised talent from the private sector which we would otherwise not be able to afford to tackle specific organisational challenges.” 

Camila Batmanghelidjh, CEO, Kids Company:

"Kids Company being one of the first charities to be part of VPF's holistic and sustainable approach to supporting the voluntary sector and has been given significant help in a number of ways. Besides several and substantial cash donations directly from or through VPF there has been continuous access to hands-on advice and expertise from experienced senior business people.

"Leading up to securing substantial and ongoing government funding it was most instrumental that Kids Company was introduced through VPF to a leading Westminster lobbying firm which helped Kids Company to focus on the right message and people. VPF's extremely constructive and therefore visionary approach to charitable giving has proven to be a big success within a short period of time.

"Kids Company is keen to work with VPF and all its supporters for many more years to come to jointly and structurally improve the childhood of as many people as possible. 

"Kids Company may also serve as a trusted alumni within the VPF Network to mentor/work with other social entrepreneurs in the VPF portfolio."

Larry English, CEO, Homeless International 

“VPF has provided for Homeless International the vital role of critical friend - respecting our history, values, and ideas, but concerned enough to rigorously question our plans and strategies, of change agent - helping us straddle the gap between aid and enterprise, and of catalyst - linking us to new people, new ideas and new possibilities.”

Gordon D’Silva, CEO, Training for Life:

“Philanthropists can help make a difference in many ways other than just giving to good causes.  VPF have not simply given us money for good causes, they have given us money to free senior management to grow and expand the charity so that we can reach the many, not just the few.  They have also given themselves as individuals, as thought leaders, their expertise and their experience to help grow the business of managing a charity.  This is the difference between VPF and other donors – they have helped us to achieve social enterprise objectives that are not normally easy to fund.”