15th May 2025
Human connection, resilience, patience and partnerships are at the heart of successful philanthropy. This was the key message from Prism’s Summer 20th Anniversary Celebration.
“It’s not easy building a brand and persuading clients to sign up. It took time; the first years of ‘maybe’ or ‘no’ helped build my resilience, but many of you here tonight helped Prism grow.”
These were part of CEO and Co-Founder Anna Josse’s opening remarks at the Gala, hosted at Christie’s Auction House in front of an audience consisting of 300+ friends of Prism.
When Prism the Gift Fund was established in 2005, no one had any idea that 20 years later they would have raised over $1 billion+ for charitable causes around the world. Or that they would be the 85th largest charity by revenue in the UK. Anna went on to say:
“You believed in our service. I’d like to thank our donors, the many private client intermediaries here tonight. And of course, the beneficiaries, the charities who run and steer the charitable sector doing such important and astonishing work.”
The innovators, change-makers and donors
Penny Lovell, Prism Trustee of Prism and CEO of Hottinger and Edmond de Rothschild CEO Private Banking UK, reflected on the ripple effect of Prism’s impact on the sector “promoting giving across our industry… not just managing the mechanics of giving, but shaping the very conversation around it. It’s real thought leadership powered by hard work and deep dedication. Being part of Prism has been one of the most fulfilling roles I’ve held.”
Keeping an eye to the future
Always keen to look for new ways to shape giving and make it simpler, Prism also announced the launch two new services: a Dual Qualified Structure for individuals with taxable income in the US and UK, and Prism’s membership to the Myriad Alliance – making cross border giving simpler. As Anna told the audience,
“Today we live in a complex world. With political instability upending the markets, cost of living crisis and government cuts, we’re seeing more of the world’s philanthropists on the move than ever before. Americans arriving in the UK, resident non-doms relocating to Europe and NGOs in the US are establishing a presence in the UK due to the uncertainty they face.”
Stuart Roden, Philanthropist, former Financier and one of Prism’s longstanding Donor Advised Fund clients, spoke to this issue:
“There’s a real sense that Trump might tax very heavily US endowments. Or might specifically tax those giving outside of the US into, for example, UK institutions. And it is fantastic that Prism is proactively setting something up to help those people.””
Leading the conversation
Stuart Roden was joined on stage by Anna Jones CEO and Co-Founder of RefuAid – one of Prism’s unique Collective Funds. Both were interviewed, with great humour and precision timing, by Broadcast Journalist Nick Ferrari.
They shared insights, advice and their motivations for joining Prism. Stuart advised potential philanthropists to ask themselves some important questions before they start, he suggests, is: “Do you want to give to small, start-up charities, or do you want to give to established charities? And of course, there are pros and cons of both. When I met the founder from RefuAid, it was very, very small, but I spotted something pretty unique,” which appealed to his approach to philanthropy.
Building human connections
Anna Jones was as asked what she had learned about philanthropy since setting up RefuAid, which offers interest-free loans to refugees – former lawyers or Drs – looking to re-train so they can practice in the UK:
“I’ve learned from running an organisation, and working with philanthropists, that it’s about human connection. It’s about people wanting to give their wealth and give their money to help other people. So, we just need to make sure that … what we are offering is clear – show them what’s possible.”
Anna told the audience that Prism helped them get started and build these important early relationships, “We were looking at a cost-effective way to raise money that meant we wouldn’t be tied up in paperwork. Essentially, we are doers. We like to do.
“We now have a team of people who help us with that, but Prism enabled us to scale. It focuses on kind of the entrepreneurship that we needed and introduced us into philanthropy in a really special way…the original philanthropists we worked with, we met through Prism.’
In recent years, RefuAid had been left feeling ‘deserted’ as corporates readjust to the new political landscape. Anna expressed the importance of maintaining relationships with philanthropists in the face of an increasingly unstable political landscape.
“The funding landscape has changed overnight. So now is when we lean on those relationships with philanthropists.”
Working with charities
Many Philanthropists, especially new ones, will have little experience working in the charity sector. Stuart, who wears three hats (one as a philanthropist; another as co-founder of Unlocking Potential, which provides holistic therapy in schools; and one as a former financier), says the difference between the charity and private sector can present challenges.
“One is the fact that measuring success is much harder. Unlocking Potential is working with very damaged and troubled kids, and success might be that that person doesn’t end up in jail…”
The role of government
Asked what the government could do to support Philanthropy, Stuart has a few suggestions.
“The first thing they can do is not do anything bad. When the previous chancellor started messing about with Gift Aid it was a complete, complete disaster. Clearly, we’d like them to be more generous on Gift Aid but that’s not going to happen.
“What I would like them to do is to bring back that concept of partnership, between government and the charitable sector.”
Philanthropy’s seat at the table
Philanthropic giving can take many forms and partnerships. During the closing remarks from Amelie Sarrado, Christie’s director at the Chairman’s Office, their connection to philanthropic giving was highlighted. During Covid they sold a Banksy for £16 million, and all the proceeds went to the NHS. “It was the donor’s wish for this to be the case. He wouldn’t have sold it, had it not been that funds went straight to the NHS. And, in fact, the buyers really responded to that.” Amelie spoke about the very important ‘seat at the table’ philanthropy has at the world-famous auction house when they meet with collectors, families and discuss the legacy of art collections.
Shaping the Future of Giving
In our anniversary year, we have raised over $1 billion and distributed over $600 million to charitable causes globally. A huge thank you to the generous 20th Anniversary sponsors Charles Stanley, Christie’s. Edmond de Rothschild, Evelyn Partners, Farrer & Co, MTG The Bluston Charitable Trust.
Our events provide opportunities for meaningful discussions on key philanthropic issues. Our next will look at the impact of AI on philanthropy – together, we can shape the future of giving.
You can read more stories and spotlights from our work and see photos from the Gala.
