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Who are the Sustainable Funding Team?
- Leesa Herbert
- Graham Collins
- Francesca Cignola
- John Mikucki
- Sally Roberts
- Emma Clements
- Jerrold Cheam
Leesa Herbert
Leesa joined NCVO in January 2007 as the Head of Sustainable Funding. For the past four years Leesa worked in Islington Council Children’s Services as Policy and Development manager in Early Years, leading on the Governments childcare strategy to provide affordable quality childcare in the borough. Leesa led on funding, supporting and sustaining childcare in the voluntary sector.
Prior to that Leesa worked in education most recently as lead officer on school exclusions in Barnet Council, reducing the borough's exclusions rate in line with government targets. Before that Leesa taught in schools in three inner London boroughs as a classroom teacher, head of year and senior teacher. Before working in education Leesa worked for ActionAid, a large international development agency, as Kenya Team Leader.
Leesa has also been chair and treasurer of two local park ‘Friends Groups’ and is now a school Governor where she has recently led on bringing the school meals provision in house.
Graham Collins
Graham joined NCVO in January 2003. He was a co-author of the UK Voluntary Sector Almanac 2004, and is co-author of An Introduction to Sustainable Funding - understanding your options. He joined the Sustainable Funding Team in April 2004, and in July 2006 was appointed the Sustainable Funding Project Manager. He oversees the team's main service delivery functions, focussing on capacity building of local and regional infrastructure agencies, and the delivery of services to frontline organisations.
Prior to joining NCVO Graham spent over ten years working in the private sector, principally in the retail trade: the last five years of which was spent at British Airports Authority as Merchandiser for Wines and Spirits. Graham is active in his local community, where he works as a volunteer with young offenders. He helps them to address the underlying causes of their actions in order to prevent an escalation in their offending behaviour. He is also a trustee for a grant-making regeneration Trust in East London.
Francesca Cignola
Francesca joined NCVO in July 2008 as the Sustainable Funding Public Policy Officer. As part of her role, she leads on the work of the Public Service Delivery Network and she is responsible for outcomes management within the Sustainable Funding Project Team.
Francesca’s professional experience pre-NCVO includes working as Economic Development Assistant in a London Borough and as Microfinance project officer in a Brussels-based social finance NGO. In 2007, Francesca was awarded a UN Fellowship contract and worked for a year as Partnership and Sustainability Officer for the World Food Programme in the Ghana Country Office. Francesca holds a BSc in International Political Science and an MSc in Development Management.
John Mikucki
John joined NCVO in June 2008, as the Sustainable Funding Innovation and Enterprise Officer. He leads on a project to provide voluntary and community organisations with a complete package of support around innovation from awareness and understanding of the opportunities, through to identifying and developing the skills needed, to deliver innovative products and services.
John has 23 years experience of working with the voluntary and community sector. He has worked on both sides of the fence – with a major London-wide funder and has also worked in a charity. Initially, John worked as a manager in the community programme and employment training schemes in the London borough of Barnet, then moved over to their voluntary sector grants programme. John then worked as a Principal Grants Officer at London Boroughs Grants, which became the Association of London Government (now London Councils). He led on the legal and advice sector and was part of the Lord Chancellor’s Team that set up the community legal service quality mark and has also worked in the contracts team at the London borough of Harrow.
Prior to joining NCVO John worked as a Consultancy Manager at an infrastructure agency supporting refugee and migrant groups in London. John is a licensed PQASSO mentor and is progressing membership of the Institute of fundraising.
Sally Roberts
Sally joined NCVO in June 2008 as a Sustainable Funding Officer and shares responsibility for delivering the Sustainable Funding Project's outreach activities to infrastructure agencies and frontline organisations. Sally also manages the website and the monthly SFP newsletter.
Prior to life at NCVO, Sally has worked in private, public and third sector frontline roles including delivering internet training to rural volunteer and community groups in South Australia, working with migrants and refugees and assisting with campaign work at the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Manchester. Sally holds a BA in English Literature and Philosophy.
Emma Clements
Emma joined NCVO in June 2008 as the Sustainable Funding Project Team Administrator. Her role involves supporting the project's varied events programme and managing the production of web based and hard copy written information.
Prior to joining NCVO, Emma has worked in the public sector and for a large international charity as a Research Assistant. Her most recent role was working as a Project Assistant for a Primary Care Trust in London. Emma holds a BSc in Sociology.
Jerrold Cheam
Jerrold joined the NCVO in August 2008 as a Sustainable Funding Project Team Administrator (part-time). His role supports the activities of the Public Service Delivery Network and outcomes management within the Sustainable Funding Project Team.
Prior to the NCVO, Jerrold has worked as a programme coordinator for a small international development charity specialising in capacity building and financial sustainability. Jerrold holds a BA in Classics, and devotes his remaining time working towards a further degree in Acupuncture.
