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Tony Elischer, fundraising thinker, practitioner and adviser, has died following a battle with cancer. 

His death on 12 January was announced today via THINK Consulting Solutions, the agency he founded in 2001. The Institute of Fundraising, of which he was a Fellow, paid tribute to him not just for what he had achieved for charities but for his contribution to the development of the fundraising profession.

Peter Lewis, CEO of the Institute said:

“It is hard to imagine the fundraising world without Tony. His enormous warmth and personality filled any room; his endless passion to make the world a better placed flowed into those around him; and he never ceased wanting to innovate and do things better.”

He described him as:

“A friend to many of us, a true friend to the Institute over many many years, and one of the leaders of the fundraising sector around the world”.

He added:

“It is very difficult to put into words how much he will be missed both here and abroad”.

Richard Taylor, Chair of the Institute, and Director of Marketing and Fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support said:

“Tony was a true pioneer of fundraising as we know it today. In his early career as a practitioner he paved the way for the future success of the charities he worked for, including what is now Cancer Research UK. He was a truly inspiring fundraising Director. His extraordinary personality enabled him to inspire fundraisers young and old throughout his career. As a personal friend I will miss him enormously but it’s his impact across the entire sector where he was so admired and loved that he will be so missed.”

 

Tony Elischer at Ireland Fundraising Conference 2011 

Elischer worked for Help the Aged (now Age UK) and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK). He developed a particular interest in the near future of fundraising – what technology, research or business practice could help transform fundraising further?

Supporter and defender of fundraising

Elischer was an active supporter of the fundraising profession and its professional membership body in the UK, the Institute of Fundraising – or the Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers as it was originally named. He was recognised for his service by being elected a Fellow of the Institute. Peter Lewis paid tribute to this support, saying:

“He never ceased to be a true friend to the Institute of Fundraising… over the whole of its history, whether fronting inspiring plenary sessions at Convention, supporting young and up-and-coming fundraisers; or simply acting as a wise counsel and mentor to many that met him, with his unique style of encouragement and enthusiasm.”

He worked with charities around the world, and was a popular speaker at fundraising conferences around the world, from the International Fundraising Congress in Holland to the AFP Conferences in the USA and Canada.

The IFC painting at Noordwijkerhout

Elischer is included among fundraising pioneers on this mural marking the achievements of the Resource Alliance.

 

He channelled some of his agency’s income to help develop the fundraising profession. He established the THINK Foundation to support the understanding and development of fundraising skills in the not for profit sector around the world.

Elischer in action

Here is Tony delivering the plenary at the 2013 National Fundraising Convention in London.

 

 

Tributes to  Tony Elischer

The warmth and respect felt towards Elischer is demonstrated by tweets from fundraisers around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A month or so before his death, the quirky @TheNiceBot tweeted appropriately:

 

 

27 total views, 27 views today



from UK Fundraising http://ift.tt/1J5d5Sw
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