After a worldwide call for applications, The SOFII Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of five new trustees to its board. SOFII’s new trustees are joining at an important time for the charity. Despite the pandemic we have worked hard to grow our I Wish I’d Thought of That (IWITOT) events and seen an increase in the number of fundraisers benefitting from the resources and inspiration available on our website. 

The new trustees will help SOFII further expand our global reach and continue to be there for fundraisers who want to learn from the latest examples of quality fundraising, but are limited by training budgets, geographical location or a lack of networking opportunities.

The group brings a wealth of experience from across a wide range of fundraising disciplines and we are excited to learn from each of them as SOFII continues to grow and support the fundraising community. 

Our five new trustees are:

Charmaine Shah

Global individual giving and child sponsorship advisor, ActionAid International

Charmaine started her career working in international development and has been associated with fundraising for the last 14 years. She is originally from Pakistan but relocated to the United Kingdom to work in ActionAid’s London office.

Charmaine has vast fundraising, innovation, programme, and knowledge-sharing experience in the Global South. But she also brings fundraising insight and networks established with income generating countries in the Global North. 

Volunteering brings purpose to her life. Charmaine co-founded ‘Razakarz’, a youth volunteering organisation in Pakistan. She strongly believes in gender, child and youth rights and has been actively associated with several gender rights movements. As a woman leader, Charmaine has driven the process of creating space to promote the professional growth of women and enabled a safe working environment for them. She lives with her husband and two daughters.

Angélique Masse Nguyen

Head of fundraising and communications, Saigon Children's Charity CIO 

Over the last 15 years, Angélique has gained expertise in mobilising cross-sector partners for social impact in Asia. She is a strategic planner and partnerships architect with experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, raising several millions of dollars to support education in South East Asia.

Angélique leads grassroots organisations to launch innovative fundraising campaigns, maximising their impact even with the smallest budget. 

She is currently the head of fundraising and communications for Saigon Children's Charity and the Vietnam chapter head at She Loves Data. Angélique lives in Ho Chi Minh City.

Heather Little 

Senior development manager, Monash University

With over ten years’ experience in the fundraising sector, Heather began her career at The Vegetarian Society. Since then she has deepened her expertise through roles at The Woodland Trust, the RNLI, and Blue Cross.  At the RNLI she managed the single largest legacy gift ever to be received by the charity and, as head of philanthropy at Blue Cross, she was instrumental in developing a long-term fundraising strategy and led a £2m capital campaign. 

After relocating to Australia in 2018, Heather is now a senior fundraiser at Monash University. A highly successful fundraising leader and strategist, Heather’s focus is on major, principal and mega-gifts, and she has delivered transformational philanthropic income to support the university’s inaugural fundraising campaign.

Deeply committed to the sector, Heather was previously a trustee of the Royal Air Forces Association and is currently undertaking an MA in Philanthropic Studies through the UK Centre for Philanthropy.

Rachael Moore

Public fundraising manager, PDSA

Rachael began fundraising in 2008, first as a street fundraiser before working her way up the ranks to become a team leader and later a national field ops manager – coaching fundraising teams all over the UK.

Rachael then took a three-year break from fundraising to work in the events sector, specialising in pharmaceuticals and working with brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. 

She returned to fundraising in 2015, working charity side managing both in-house and third party face-to-face fundraising campaigns.

Rachael is currently public fundraising manager at PDSA. She also dedicates time to F2F Hub, a collaborative resource aimed at sharing best practice in face-to-face fundraising – Rachael serves as a member of the steering committee and compliance hub champion.

Andrew Watt

Senior principal, Accordant and director, Third Sector Strategy

Andrew has served the fundraising and social sectors for nearly 30 years, representing them in Brussels, Westminster, Edinburgh, Washington, Ottawa and around the globe. Andrew is a collaborative driver of change. He’s worked to develop a greater understanding of what drives our sector and ensures impact in an increasingly volatile and fluid environment; an advocate for a just society, enabling equal opportunity and choice for all.

Andrew’s served at a senior level at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, AFP Global and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. He’s served as a member of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT); a board member of National Philanthropic Trust – UK; currently a council member of Rogare, vice chair of Venture South (funded by the Arts Council on the Isle of Wight) and chair of the Health Sector Group of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

Andrew is currently director of Third Sector Strategy and senior principal of Accordant. He’s married, with two adult daughters.

Ken Burnett, SOFII’s founder and trustee has said: 

‘SOFII was thrilled to receive a large number of applications from candidates wanting to use their passion for fundraising to help fundraisers around the world. The five trustees we’ve appointed will bring invaluable experience and diversity to the SOFII board. I’m excited to be working alongside them, to help make sure SOFII continues to inspire fundraisers and champions best practice everywhere.’

Joanna Culling, SOFII’s project manager has said: 

‘I can’t wait to begin working with this dynamic group of new trustees. As a lone fundraiser at a small charity, our existing board members give me much-needed advice and support. So, I am eager for our new trustees to join and help ensure SOFII continues to grow and evolve. The fundraising community needs SOFII, now more than ever, and our bigger more globally-minded board is an important step in helping us meet the needs of all fundraisers.’