Adopting a business-like approach has transformed Childreach International from a small charity without full-time staff and an annual turnover of £11,000 in 2006 to an award-winning organisation with offices on four continents and a £4m turnover last year.
"We have been successful because we don't treat Childreach as a charity," says its fundraising director David Milton, 24. "We're a business and the profits we make are used to help people."
Every year Childreach helps thousands of children in the developing world by improving access to healthcare, education, child rights and protection. Projects operate in countries such as Tanzania, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Cambodia and China where Childreach works with local experts.
"I was born and raised in southern England and I don't know a lot about what happens in life in rural Tanzania. It would be arrogant of me to sit here in London pretending that we know what the best solutions are," Milton says. "Having offices in countries where we work means staff can use local knowledge to guide every penny to the projects to have the most positive impact on children's lives."
Before Childreach, Milton didn't have charity experience but his sense of adventure led him to skydive for Childreach in 2006. "I then joined as a volunteer to raise funds and discovered that I had talent for it and in 2008 I joined the full-time staff," he says. He took on his current role last year.
Milton resents the pictures of children with distended stomachs often used in charity campaigns. "True development is about enabling dignity and you'd never see us devalue our work using shock tactics," he says. "We have a really strong belief that development and helping people is not a morose thing – it is exciting. You're transforming lives."
A programme of fundraising such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or doing a bike ride in India led to the dramatic growth of Childreach. But Milton wants to develop a diversified income stream so, as well as traditional fundraising methods, Childreach also works with institutions such as Comic Relief and the European Union.
"If the challenge events took a knock we have to make sure it doesn't impact on the long-term sustainability of the organisation," he says. Money isn't easy to raise following the financial crisis. "I won't pretend that money falls out of the sky, but having this attitude and having a young creative staff has paid dividends for us," he says. "We increased our turnover by 40 per cent last year and I have every faith that we'll do the same, if not more, in the coming year."
Milton aims to make Childreach International the biggest children's charity in the UK. "Like all charities we were founded on the principle that someone thought something wasn't being done properly and I think it would be an affront to that vision to not go for the number one spot," he says.
www.childreach.org.uk
My inspiration…
Best book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. It's a brilliant book about the way
the global economic society has developed. Hands down the best book I have read about it. It riles
me to read about how self-centred our society has become and that drive of emotions is great when you need to be dynamic.
Social media I'm not much of a social media type. Facebook and Twitter are fantastic for work when
I want to communicate with supporters, but at the end of the working day I like to switch off.
Where I learn I've been brought up to think you should be a sponge and learn from everyone and everything. I make a point to try to read around as much as possible.
How I relax I like to escape to the mountains and climb and live out of a tent because that's how I connect with my inner-self. It's all I do in my spare time.
Favourite brand Virgin because I really love the ideal Richard Branson has that "anything you can do I can do better". I love that mentality.
Favourite charity Practical Action is not the best-known charity but it does what it says on the tin and it's an extremely well-run organisation.
Saying If you want something badly enough you'll always find a way to make it work.
