Philanthropy and Foundations

Inspirational Leaders for Impactful Giving

“Nearly all the best funders have one thing in common: they employ staff with experience working in non-profits”

John Rendel, Director of Grants, The Peter Cundill Foundation

As trends in philanthropy are shifting towards more focussed and impact-driven giving, Trusts and Foundations are increasingly looking to the sectors they support when they recruit new leaders. Non-profit professionals can bring valuable expertise in their specific sectors, as well as a deep understanding of the importance of impact measurement in determining the social return of an investment. Thought leadership and an understanding of what it takes to build and lead a successful non-profit, are critical skills which can transfer to a more informed and impactful giving agenda.

Download our Global Brochure

At Oxford HR we have a team drawn from across the spectrum of non-profit leadership and executive search, and an extensive network of inspirational and impactful leaders. We work hand in hand with our trust and foundation clients to understand the motivation behind their giving strategy and ensure that we tailor our search to maximise the positive change realised by their gifts.

We have worked successfully with a number of trusts and foundations such as the Gatsby Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Porticus to place exceptional candidates, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss your executive search needs.

Knowledge Festival 2021

Our first panel of the 2021 Knowledge Festival was New Frontiers in Funding. Our panel looked at how to foster greater trust between funders and grantees, and considered what grantees can proactively do to move funders towards vital unrestricted giving. The conversation also considered how new funding models such as outcomes funding can empower charities to attract less restricted funding, and whether shifts in the power dynamics to promote greater local leadership of NGOs also lend themselves to less restricted funding. Speakers include John Rendel, Director of Grants at The Peter Cundill Foundation (PCF) and Founder of PEAS, Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, Amel Karboul, CEO of the Education Outcomes Fund, and Katrin McMillan, Founder and CEO of Hello World.

Our Philanthropy Team

Dominic Bond

Dominic Bond

Read our thought piece with John Rendel on why trust is important in funding:

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Explore our candidate stories

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"We have engaged Oxford HR a number of times. They understand our organisational culture, offering us an appropriate range of candidates. We're delighted to have Oxford HR as an international partner."

Brian Doolan, CEO

Fred Hollows Foundation

Oxford HR
2018-09-14T14:59:13+00:00

Brian Doolan, CEO

Fred Hollows Foundation

"We have engaged Oxford HR a number of times. They understand our organisational culture, offering us an appropriate range of candidates. We're delighted to have Oxford HR as an international partner."
"Oxford HR managed the process extremely professionally helping us to source great candidates, whilst taking all the weight off us through the process. Importantly they helped to filter and ensure the fit was right and that candidates were well briefed and genuinely interested and suited to us."

Justin Highstead, Africa Executive

Gatsby Charitable Foundation

Oxford HR
2018-09-14T18:41:55+00:00

Justin Highstead, Africa Executive

Gatsby Charitable Foundation

"Oxford HR managed the process extremely professionally helping us to source great candidates, whilst taking all the weight off us through the process. Importantly they helped to filter and ensure the fit was right and that candidates were well briefed and genuinely interested and suited to us."


I am writing to thank you and the team at Oxford HR for all the work done, and guidance given, on our search for a chief executive for Rwanda Action.

I know that we could not have found such an impressive candidate with such an excellent fit with our organisation, without you and the team at Oxford HR. I also know how much work has gone on behind the scenes to make this appointment possible: the preparation of the initial brief, discussions with candidates, the collating of all the information and the reporting back to the board

Rwanda Action

Deborah Clayton Hatfield

Chair, Board of Trustees, Rwanda Action

Oxford HR
2022-02-01T11:12:36+00:00

Deborah Clayton Hatfield

Chair, Board of Trustees, Rwanda Action

Rwanda Action
I am writing to thank you and the team at Oxford HR for all the work done, and guidance given, on our search for a chief executive for Rwanda Action. I know that we could not have found such an impressive candidate with such an excellent fit with our organisation, without you and the team at Oxford HR. I also know how much work has gone on behind the scenes to make this appointment possible: the preparation of the initial brief, discussions with candidates, the collating of all the information and the reporting back to the board
"International Alert partnered with Oxford HR for a critical interim appointment to our Executive Team. The timeline was very compressed and over the Christmas/New Year period too! Throughout the process, I found the Oxford HR team to be dedicated, hard working and professional - and they delivered an excellent longlist of candidates that resulted in Alert having a choice of two eminently appointable professionals after interviews. Their recruitment materials and web portal were also top notch - I will certainly be planning to work with Oxford HR again for both interim and substantive key senior positions."

Michael Young

CEO, International Alert

Oxford HR
2021-01-14T15:32:22+00:00

Michael Young

CEO, International Alert

"International Alert partnered with Oxford HR for a critical interim appointment to our Executive Team. The timeline was very compressed and over the Christmas/New Year period too! Throughout the process, I found the Oxford HR team to be dedicated, hard working and professional - and they delivered an excellent longlist of candidates that resulted in Alert having a choice of two eminently appointable professionals after interviews. Their recruitment materials and web portal were also top notch - I will certainly be planning to work with Oxford HR again for both interim and substantive key senior positions."
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