Who We Are
Until her retirement in 2016, Marion Allford was the founder and Principal of Marion Allford Associates, a network of highly experienced management, marketing and fundraising consultants serving the charity and not-for-profit sectors.
Marion is best known for her role as Director of the Wishing Well Appeal for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, for which she devised the strategy and successfully ran the £84 million capital appeal. In 1990, she was appointed Managing Director of a new charity advisory service, set up by Business in the Community. During 1990 and 1991 she also spent time advising HRH The Prince of Wales' office on fundraising for his special interest charities and writing her “how to do it” book – Charity Appeals: The Complete Guide to Success.
Before this, Marion ran several capital appeals, including a £5 million campaign for the Charing Cross Medical Research Centre and a £1 million appeal for a Guinness Trust housing scheme in the East End of London, both of which exceeded their targets.
Marion has lectured extensively and has held various honorary posts and trusteeships. She is a fellow and founder member of the Institute of Fundraising, a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce and a retired member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
She was privileged to be awarded The Lifetime Contribution Award by the Institute of Fundraising National Awards in 2014.