25th June 2025
Choosing to invest in charities and their people has brought this Donor Advised Fund client immense satisfaction. Here he shares what he has learnt and what matters.
A few years ago, Ian McVeigh read research about giving trends in London and the South East which shocked him.
“It came up with an astounding figure: that businesses give on average £450 a year to charity. It was so low that I actually texted Anna [Josse]. I said, “This can’t be true, can it?” “And she said, “We’ve read it, and actually, we think it probably is.”
Ian McVeigh retired from a career in financial services and now spends time with his wife making a difference to several good causes – many of them smaller charities with a local or specific focus.
He describes how good fortune has left him in a financial position where supporting ‘good causes seems entirely appropriate.’
“If you try and buy a house in London, an astronomical amount of money gets you a shed. If you go to Waitrose for your weekly shop, an enormous amount of money goes nowhere. But, if you give to a charity, it could help employ one incredibly bright, hard-working, enthusiastic recruit for a whole year.
The focus on funding individual projects can be a real challenge for smaller charities as they struggle to cover the core costs and find sustainable ways to keep their services operating. Donors like Ian, who understand this predicament, can offer unrestricted funding to support core functions, allowing them the chance to focus on strategy, sustainability and growing their support.
A diverse portfolio
Ian funds a diverse range of causes both in the UK and abroad, reflecting his family’s broad social interests and passions. These include providing disadvantaged children with full bursaries to attend private schools via Royal Spring Board. The family also help to build safe habitats for bears and animals via Asia Animal foundation. Closer to home, Ian funds various sporting programmes, including a youth cricket group and a project making tennis more accessible through Access Sport.
Importance of multi-year funding
In 2017 when local charity The Access to Sport wanted to develop a tennis programme in his area, Ian was instrumental in helping them connect with the local authority and gave them a donation which he has continued in recent years. At first, his donation accounted for half of their funding. Now their work attracts other funders, including the Lawn Tennis Association, and the project is having an even bigger impact. Ian is proud of what they have achieved,
“Last year, 1,100 people played tennis for the first time – kids, adults and disabled adults. Covid taught us that physical activity is incredibly important. We hope in 10 years’ time it will be vastly bigger. This one brings us great, great pleasure.”
Invest in people and expertise
Ian has built strong relationships with charity leaders, which he sees as key to creating sustainability. He’s quick to point out that he has worked with lots of incredible people over the years, who are working hard to make a difference for not very much money. Investing in leadership, teams and administration are key to creating sustainable charities.
“One year, I donated to a charity so they could pay their CEO more. Without skilled and experienced leadership the charity will fail. We need to make sure we are paying people properly so they can afford to live in London.”
Listen to what charities need
In order to see more clearly what charities have achieved, and what’s driving them, Ian encourages philanthropists to build relationships with those charities and the people running them, This helps build confidence that donations and funds are going to the causes that really matter to the donor.
“The people are the key. You meet people who are passionate and believe in what they do. When those people say they want to do something and you say, ‘I’ll back you,’ then you know they’ll bloody well do it.”
This year, Prism celebrates 20 years of shaping the future of giving. We have raised over $1 billion for charitable causes around the world, working with donors like Ian. If you would like to read more about the other inspiring people and projects we’ve supported, take a look at our spotlight section.
