Joe Saxton founded nfpResearch in 2002. He stepped down from his role as Driver of Ideas after selling the company to colleagues Cian and Tim in Autumn 2021. Joe still works on a range of specific projects, especially those that look at strategic advice on fundraising or communications, or wider organisational issues. He has co-authored over 70 reports on charities from branding to trusteeship and organisational strategy.

Joe was chair of the Institute of Fundraising from 2005-2008. He was co-founder and chair of CharityComms from 2006 to 2013, and chair of the student environment and development campaign group People & Planet from 2005 to 2015. For six years he was a trustee of the RSPCA and chair of both the Public Affairs and International committees. He is now chair of the Parentkind which has over 14,000 members and aims to develop parent engagement with schools.

He was in the top ten of the most influential people in UK fundraising for over a decade, including four years in the top spot. In 2007 and 2008, he was named one of the 1000 most influential people in London by the Evening Standard. In 2009, PR Week named him as the 2nd most influential person in voluntary sector PR and communications. He was highly commended in Third Sector’s trustee award in 2013.

Before nfpResearch, Joe was Director of Communications at the RNID, Britain’s largest charity for deaf and hard of hearing people. At RNID he was responsible for PR, disability consultancy, lobbying, campaigning, policy, information and membership. He was also with Brann, the world’s largest direct marketing group, for five years and has worked with numerous charities. He co-founded the Journal of Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Marketing.

Joe lives in Keswick in the Lake District and is married with three children.

To contact Joe, email him at joe.saxton@nfpresearch.com, or call on 07976 329212.