The Institute was saddened to hear of the death of Guy Stringer CBE, who was former director of Oxfam, and who passed away peacefully on 4th July 2009 after a long illness.
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive of the Institute of Fundraising, comments:
'Fundraising has lost an inspirational leader. Guy Stringer did a tremendous amount to develop fundraising practice and encourage the talents of others. My thoughts are with Guy Stringer’s family and friends at this very sad time.'
According to the Resource Alliance, which has set up the Guy Stringer Development and Bursary Fund:
'Guy Stringer has, without doubt, had more influence on fundraisers and fundraising than anyone else.
'Whilst at Oxfam, Guy constantly promoted the role of fundraising as connecting the donor with the cause. As such, he was the founder of modern fundraising and inspired a whole generation of fundraisers, including, among others, Ken Burnett, Stephen Lee, Ian Ventham, George Smith.
'He visited overseas projects and brought back compelling stories of what donors' money achieved, and used this to inspire them to give more. As Director of Oxfam, he would personally telephone anybody giving more than £500 to thank them, and connect them further with Oxfam's work.'
A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Guy Stringer joined Oxfam in 1969 as commercial director, and became director in 1982. He remained in the post until his retirement in 1986. Guy Stringer was also dedicated to the work of The Resource Alliance and acted as a trustee to many charities.
Guy Stringer was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 National Fundraising Awards organised by the IoF and Professional Fundraising Magazine.
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