Leesa Harwood has 30 years’ experience in the third sector. Starting as a fundraiser with The American Cancer Society in the USA, she returned to the UK to Business in the Community and then led charity fundraising teams including Save the Children UK and The Dartington Hall Trust.
In 2009 Leesa joined the RNLI where, for the last four years she was Director of Lifesaving and Fundraising. She became the first woman to head up the RNLI’s lifeboat, lifeguard and flood rescue operation as well leading the fundraising team to generate over £150 million annual income. Here she also led the first, and most successful fundraising ‘Opt-In’ campaign in the sector to date and led the RNLI to become the first charity to accept crypto-currency donations.
Now Leesa runs her own consultancy, advising and coaching third sector leaders on all aspects of running successful charities. She is also fundraising columnist for Third Sector magazine. She is a Trustee at the Big Issue Foundation.
Posts
Shifting our fundraising paradigm from the outside in
It’s time to examine our funding paradigms and transform the way NGOs fund their missions.