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Clare SegalDirector
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At the moment
I’m currently working on a number of cases for support. A case for support is the core document at the centre of any fundraising campaign. Essentially this involves me talking to a great many stakeholders, then taking a very complex issue and trying to make it simpler – but not simplistic – in a way that engages staff and donors. Recently I seem to have collected a portfolio of challenging causes to communicate about mental health (three different organisations), children, and women refugees.
I’m also actively involved with other colleagues in the strategic design for a large – £160M+ – capital appeal in a major UK cancer charity. We’re exploring a radical business model that will help them achieve a significant result.
Before =mc
I’ve always had a strong commitment to social change. So after graduating from York University, I worked for a variety of community-based agencies from Citizen’s Advice Bureau to Community Service Volunteers (CSV). While working at CSV I ran a community history project, bringing together long-term unemployed volunteers with elderly care home residents.
At that time I developed an interest in film and video making. For a number of years I directed and produced videos on a range of social issues – from sexism to elder care – and much in between. My work twice won UK awards.
I spend a lot of my time writing, including a number of books. My two most recent – Breakthrough Thinking and The Influential Fundraiser – I wrote with Bernard Ross, my co-director at =mc. Both books have been well received, with The Influential Fundraiser being recommended by the New York Times.
In 1988 Bernard Ross and I set up =mc, with two desks, an American Express credit card to pay for printing publicity materials, and one of the very first Macintosh computers. I'm very proud of how we've built the reach and reputation of the company over the last twenty years. Of course, now we do ethical banking, and have a team of twenty people. But we still use Macs!
