IFCo news from around the world

June 21, 2024
Christina Cullen

Here's what's been going on in IFCo's world recently, with a particular spotlight on our Latin America office.

Funds4impact Summit

IFCo CEO, Bill King was fortunate enough to be in Lima at the end of May to be part of the inaugural Funds4impact Summit. The two-day conference drew together well over 200 fundraisers and funders from 12 countries in the region to learn about the latest trends and build bridges of cooperation.  Speakers included the Forest Stewardship Council, One Drop Foundation, Coca-Cola, Buckner International, the Ford Foundation, and our very own Bill!

Attendees were very generous in forgiving Bill's lack of Spanish as he spoke about the ways we can encourage people to become supporters and shared some inspirational examples of fundraising from around the world. Bill said that he had some great conversations with amazing people working with indigenous communities on environmental projects and many other exciting projects. It was a privilege to be with them and see how fundraisers from across the world are working to change the world.

Women Changing the World Awards 2024

Fundraisers may well be the unsung heroes within an organisation. Their contribution to enabling organisational goals to change and improve lives can go relatively unnoticed, particularly when it's all in a day's work. However, we had the fortune of celebrating one of our very own recently at the Women Changing The World Awards.

At a glittering ceremony at The Fairmont, Windsor, presented by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Oprah Winfrey's all-time favourite guest, Dr. Tererai Trent, women from across the globe were celebrated and recognised. Not least, our very own LATAM Director and founder of Funds4impact, Karina Sandoval-Boonstra, was awarded the coveted title of Small Business of the Year for her work enabling organisations to access funds that bring their vision and projects to life.

Speaking at the awards, Karina said: "It's an amazing honour to win the award and be amongst so many amazing initiatives and women. For us, it's a very good platform to show representation of our region, Latino women and female leadership and to bring visibility to those women that are changing the world."

The Women Changing the World Awards is a global annual initiative recognising the work of incredible women making a positive difference in the world across a range of industries and areas including business, sustainability, leadership, health, education, product development, innovation and technology.

Dr. Tererai Trent, host at The Women Changing the World Awards: "This is not about me, I stand on the shoulders of giants that came before me. When women awaken their sacred dreams, the world can heal."

And by royal appointment

The recognition of our incredible team continued when IFCo's Founder, John Baguley was invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace hosted by His Majesty the King. John was being honoured and recognised for his outstanding services to the not-for-profit sector, particularly fundraising.

He reflected:“It was a gloriously sunny day. The military band played God Save The King as he came into view and the crowd clapped and cheered. King Charles took off his top hat and waved it enthusiastically. Then we all trooped off into the tea tent, for cake and cucumber sandwiches, whilst he shook hands with selected guests and then disappeared into the royal tea tent.”

To find out more about the work of our international offices, do contact Bill King at bill.king@groupifc.com.