John Grain

Background

About John Grain

I have over 30 years experience in the voluntary sector, and am currently Head of Fundraising & Communications at SpecialEffect, a wonderful and unique charity that has been close to my heart since its earliest days, almost 20 years ago. Prior to this I held senior leadership positions with Oxfam, Practical Action and Habitat for Humanity International, prior to founding JGA, a specialist fundraising and management consultancy working with hundreds of causes large and small including Diabetes UK, WWF, Christian Aid, Compassion UK, Alzheimer's Society, London Air Ambulance, Which, the Macular Society, British Hen Welfare Trust and many others. In 2017 JGA launched The Secret Giver, a leading mystery shopping and benchmarking programme for charities. I was Director of Fundraising at Child Bereavement UK from June 2023 to early 2025. From May 2019 to June 2023 I was the Executive Director of the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF), leading the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's educational charity. The CWGF engages young people and the wider community in the story of our common sacrifice and tells the stories of the 1.7 million people the CWGC commemorates. In this time the charity grew substantially funding volunteer programmes that now have over active participants as well as other outreach projects. I have experience in strategic development, governance, and business development and particular fundraising expertise in individual giving and donor retention, legacies, major giving, community, corporate and events. I am keenly interested in creativity and innovation within the sector as well as organisational culture and values. I am committed to supporting the voluntary sector and led the Thanking and Welcoming Project for the Commission on the Donor Experience, following the Etherington Report, and was the Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising's Supporter Experience Group. I am a qualified End Point Assessor for the Fundraising Apprentice Awards and a former Trustee of both Addaction (now We Are With You) and the overseas development charity APT Enterprise. Specialties: Strategy, management, governance, business development, budgeting & forecasting, marketing and brand, donor acquisition, donor development, stewardship, market research, legacies, major giving, events, creativity and innovation, training and mentoring.