#208 Leading a hundred million pound corporate foundation, Catherine Ind, Head of St. James's Place Charitable Foundation

Welcoming Catherine Ind Head of the St. James's Place Charitable Foundation to Purposely where she shares their charitable mission as well as her personal journey.

Catherine's career path took an unconventional route, starting as a ski resort representative in France before transitioning to charity fundraising, ultimately leading to her current role at the helm of one of the UK's largest corporate foundations.

 

A proud Northerner Catherine, originally from Burnley now resides in the Cotswolds living minutes from the St. James's Place Headquarters. After earning an honours degree in business from De Montfort University in London, Catherine started in PR and marketing before transitioning to charity fundraising. Her experience includes roles at Meningitis Trust and a three-year stint at children's grief charity Winston's Wish, where she also served as acting CEO for a year.

 

Since its establishment in 1992 by SJP founders Mike Wilson and Sir Mark Weinberg, the St. James's Place (SJP) Charitable Foundation has become one of the leading corporate foundations in the UK. Over three decades, it has donated more than £130 million to hundreds of worthy causes, supporting transformational change in lives across the UK and overseas.

 

Appointed as Head of the Foundation in 2018, Catherine brings both expertise and passion to her role. In her Purposely Podcast conversation, she offers valuable insights into the Foundation's unique model and its far-reaching impact.

 

The SJP Charitable Foundation concentrates its efforts on four core areas: supporting disadvantaged children and young people, hospices, cancer support charities, and mental health. What distinguishes it from other corporate foundations is its deep integration with the company culture. As Catherine explains, "Unlike other corporate foundations, it's not an endowment fund. It's very much an integrated part of the business."

This integration is evident in the remarkable participation of SJP's community of over 10,000 partners and employees. An impressive 80% contribute through regular payroll giving, accounting for a third of the Foundation's annual income. This collective approach has enabled the Foundation to directly support 3.5 million people, with 66% reporting substantial or transformative change in their lives.

 

The Foundation's success stems from its ability to harness the collective power of the SJP community. From company-wide fundraising events to skills-based volunteering, it fosters a shared sense of purpose that extends beyond financial contributions. Catherine emphasises the importance of this approach: "By pooling those monies, we can really invest in some smaller charities who are phenomenal, those grassroots charities that we all know in wherever we live."

 

Under Catherine's leadership, the Foundation continues to evolve, adapting to changing needs while remaining true to its core mission. The team focuses on maximising impact through multi-year funding, supporting core costs, and maintaining open dialogues with grantees. Recent evaluations show that 79% of beneficiaries report substantive or transformative change, a testament to the effectiveness of their approach.

 

Case Study: The Foundation's Support of Onside Youth Zones

 

One shining example of the Foundation's impactful work is its support of Onside Youth Zones. Catherine shares her enthusiasm for this partnership:

 

"Onside are really transforming youth provision in communities and disadvantaged communities. Us partnering with them to really help them deliver their goal, which is to have a youth zone in all communities across the UK, we are seeing absolutely that transformation, changing lives for the better for the youngsters who use these facilities."

 

Jamie Masraff, CEO of Onside Youth Zones and a previous guest on Purposely (Episode #151: 'Stepping up to the role of CEO')