In 2020 Stefan Lipa Consultancy celebrated 25 varied and rewarding years in business. I can’t help feeling that our career spent supporting organisations in the voluntary, or third, sector proves the old saying “Time flies when you’re having fun,” because those 25 years have shot by and we love our work as much today as when we started.

How Stefan Lipa Consultancy began

Starting out as a volunteer on a fundraising campaign, I became intrigued by the dynamics of the process. I respected what the organization was trying to do, but I also saw how challenging it was to raise the money they needed on their own, especially in hard economic times. So, I decided that I wanted to help more organisations to achieve their fundraising goals.

Over the years I’ve calculated that we’ve helped voluntary sector bodies to raise around £100 million to improve society in many different ways.

The past 25 years have also been enlightening for me and my wife and business partner, Anna, by giving us a privileged glimpse behind the scenes at cathedrals, theatres and many other kinds of organisations. Being a part of a team and supporting them to achieve their fundraising goals has been a joy and we’ve maintained close links with many former clients over the years.

In fact, when we were celebrating our 25^th anniversary last year we were thrilled to receive such warm messages of support from our clients through the coverage we got in Hampshire newspapers, which reflected on what we’d achieved over the past quarter-century.

Why we keep doing what we do

You can’t do something for 25 years unless you love it and it gives you a sense of purpose. Working with fantastic clients keeps us motivated but there are so many other reasons we love what we do:

• The feeling that we’re participating in a sector that makes a positive difference in people’s lives
• We usually become as passionate about a cause as the volunteers we’re helping
• We face new challenges every time and it’s gratifying to overcome them
• It’s inspiring to assist trustees and volunteers who give up their time freely to support what they believe in
• The many friends we’ve made through our work
• The reward we feel when we return to a project a few years later and see how it’s grown

What does the future hold for Stefan Lipa Consultancy?

It has been a privilege to work with such a variety of charities in Hampshire and further afield in the UK. Although the past 12 months have been particularly challenging for everyone, I’m always optimistic about what lies ahead because that’s the mindset of the sort of people who choose to work or give their time in the voluntary sector.

Already, we’ve seen an increase in enquiries, which I believe has happened much more quickly than in the bounce-back we saw after the 2008 financial crash. Charities were more hesitant then to commit to large scale fundraising campaigns or capital projects but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. There’s a greater sense this time that charities want to move forward as quickly as possible.

It’s also going to be exciting to return and see projects we were able to help before the lockdown started and the impact they’re having on the wider community. We are particularly looking forward to visiting the Arden Theatre in Faversham when they reopen their doors; it will be our first time back since we first met them in August 2020.

Our post-pandemic world is going to be an interesting and challenging environment for the voluntary sector but we’re looking forward to rolling our sleeves up and supporting new clients to achieve their fundraising goals. And we will feel lucky that we can continue doing so.

20.04.2021

For more information, call us on 01256 698 090 or send an email.