show menu In February 2018, GlobalCan was commissioned by the British Council in Israel to examine the status of fundraising at the British Council and to make recommendations with respect to business development efforts. I gladly accepted our clients request at the outset to become part of the local British Council team and to serve as senior Advisor, Partnerships & Business Development. I recently met with Mr. Christian Duncumb, UK Cultural Attaché and Director of the British Council in Israel, to submit our report and discuss the recommendations.
During my engagement with the British Council, I had the privilege of getting to know this fascinating and vibrant organization. Headquartered in London, the British Council supports programs in over 100 countries across the globe. I worked closely with the Israel-based team, as both observer and mentor, with the goal of developing a strategic plan to help the organization to improve fundraising outreach and outcomes.
The British Council has maintained an active profile in promoting UK-Israel relations, which during the last few years has mainly focused on supporting the sciences and the arts. The British Council is currently spearheading a host of new and exciting ventures. This initiative led to the decision to engage a consultant, who could bring a fresh, unbiased perspective on what is needed to ensure ongoing and sustainable funding levels for current and future projects.
As part of my consulting work, I conducted in-depth interviews with team members of the British Council in the UK, Israel and the US, and learned about their experience and success stories. I also had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the strategic challenges facing the veteran organization – founded in 1934 – as it develops new initiatives.
As part of my on-site work, I took the opportunity to join the team in London and participated in the “UK-Israel Science Days”. At the conference, I had the privilege of hearing Lord Robert Winston at the House of Lords address the importance of joint scientific research between the UK and Israel, and met with Sir Ciarán Devane, who spoke about his vision for international cooperation. Ambassador David Quarrey and Minister Sam Gyimah announced the new phase of BIRAX (Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange program) and at that event I was very privileged to meet with many inspiring British and Israeli philanthropists who share a common vision of making the world a better place.
Following our extensive review, GlobalCan submitted a final report to the British Council, “Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Plan”. The Report included a comprehensive overview and analysis of the British Council (Israel) and its financial, strategic, organizational and operational processes. It also included specific recommendations for the British Council’s international and local fundraising teams.
In my meeting with Mr. Christian Duncumb, we discussed one of the key messages of our Report: Just as it takes a village to raise a child - it takes a comprehensive and integrative approach to create sustainable fundraising success within organizations. Mr. Duncumb concurred, adding that Globalcan’s comprehensive analysis was instrumental in helping to shape the Council’s future strategies and tactics. “Yariv Sultan brought to this assignment his vast experience in fundraising. Yariv’s knowledge of complex, multi-national organizations proved key in enabling him to provide tailored recommendations that effectively focused on our organization’s mission and challenges.”
Wishing all my friends at the British Council much success. I’ve enjoyed working together!
For more information, you are very welcome to contact us or check out Our Services.
