Community Fundraising special interest group

The Community Fundraising special interest group offers UK fundraisers working in local and community-based charities a dedicated space to network, share experience, attend events and develop their practice in a supportive, professional context.

Meet the committee

Hannah Awesome

Biography to come
Kelly Walton

Kelly has been working in Fundraising for over 13 years, delivering income and leading teams in Events, Corporate, Community and Regional fundraising for both local and national organisations including; Breast Cancer Now, The Christie, Great Ormond Street and Alzheimers Society. She is a passionate peple manager and leader, with a strong focus on personal development as well as strategy and continuous programme improvement. Kelly has been afiliated to the Chartered Institute for over 4 years and has spoken at conferences and events on a range of subjects.
Claire McMinn

Claire started her fundraising career, after getting ‘the fundraising bug’ at university. After joining a breast cancer fundraising society, where she later became President and lead the second Uni Boob Team for CoppFeel! in Wales. Since then she hasn’t looked back and continues to be passionate about helping others see fundraising as a career option.

Claire joined the Community SIG Committee in October 2024 and is currently Co-Chair with Hannah; she also writes the newsletters, so if you're signed up to the mailing list, it’s probably Claire who's writing to you!

In her day job, she’s a Regional Fundraiser at Fire Fighters Charity.
Caitlin Ashdown

Caitlin has worked in fundraising for nearly 16 years, starting off in Supporter Care then moving into Community Fundraising, with a short stint in Corporate. She has a passion for showcasing the benefits and value of community fundraising as well as building relationships with supporters, growing loyalty and commitment to the organisation. She now leads the community fundraising team at Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Mark Haymes

Biography to come

Upcoming events

London Marathon: Don't Panic! 101 Ways to make the most out of 2027.

Join the CIOF Event Fundraising Special Interest Group for a virtual panel discussion on all things London Marathon 2027. Register now for a virtual panel discussion with the committee, and get an inside look into how different charities are preparing for and managing this unique opportunity.

Volunteer with us

We are looking for new volunteers to join our committee. If you'd like to support our activities across the region, and gain some valuable experience in the process, please visit the group volunteering page, or get in touch with any questions.

We are currently recruiting for the following roles:

EDI Lead
Secretary
Social and Communications Lead

Get in touch

If you'd like to be added to our mailing list to hear about upcoming events, or if you'd like to join our committee, please email us.

You can also join our Facebook group for community fundraising professionals to discuss day to day issues with their colleagues.

Want to hear from us?

To sign up to receive our newsletter, head over to your account and select Community Fundraising from the groups section.

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