AWARDS JUDGES

Fundraising Awards 

The Scottish Fundraising Conference and Awards Committee is made up of professional fundraisers, who volunteer their time to bring the Scottish Fundraising Conference and Awards to you.

Unless their own charity has been nominated, committee members judge the following categories: 

  • Best Individual Giving Campaign
  • Best Legacy Fundraising
  • Best Marketing and Communications Campaign
  • Best Use of Event or Community Fundraising Initiative
  • Best Partner Relationship: Corporate Fundraising
  • Best Partner Relationship: Trust and Foundations
  • Best Supporter Experience

Chartered Institute of Fundraising Scotland Committee Judges:


Sharryn McKelvie

Interim Fundraising Manager & Interim Business Development Manager | Disability Snowsport UK and SAMH

Sharryn is an experienced fundraiser with a background in organising large scale events, fundraising and business development.  She continues to use her experience volunteering and over the last 30 years, has delivered many different fundraising projects. Sharryn spent 17 years with the University of Edinburgh leading on key commercial accounts, risk management and latterly as Head of Operations.  From there she has managed the volunteers in Scotland and Northern Ireland for The Compassionate Friends, supporting bereavement parents and families and continues to offer peer to peer support to fellow bereaved parents.  Sharryn moved on to Shelter Scotland where she led the Community Fundraising team in Scotland for over 2 years before redundancy.  Since then, Sharryn has been working on interim contracts and is currently enjoying working for two wonderful organisations DSUK and SAMH. 

Having attended the Scottish Fundraising Conference in 2023 she joined the committee in early 2024 and had a fantastic time working together with so many other fundraisers in delivering the conference in September 2024.  Sharryn was delighted when she was asked to take over as Chair of the committee and is looking forward to continuing working with the amazing committee volunteers.   

Isla Campbell Lupton

Head of Fundraising and Communications | Cerebral Palsy Scotland

Isla has been fundraising, volunteering and campaigning since she was 15, after she discovered Amnesty International in a modern studies class and set up a letter writing group. Isla’s first role was as a Community Fundraiser for Action for Children. From there she joined Poppyscotland where she became Deputy Head of Fundraising. Over 12 years Isla helped to run Scotland’s largest public fundraising appeal, and developed the learning outreach project #PoppyBud. In 2019 she moved to Music in Hospitals & Care as Head of Fundraising and Communications and most recently to the same role at Cerebral Palsy Scotland. Isla is passionate about developing fundraisers, enabling continuous professional development and mentoring. She has been a member of the Scottish Fundraising Conference committee since 2014.

Gary Kernahan

Executive Director | THINK Consulting Solutions

Gary is an experienced fundraising leader, with an excellent track record of developing and delivering diverse, cost effective, income generation activities to achieve growth in sustainable income.

He is an Executive Director at THINK and previously held senior roles at Cancer Research UK, Muscular Dystrophy UK and Children 1st. As a volunteer with the Institute of Fundraising Gary champions fundraising expertise across the sector and was awarded the Fundraising Excellence Award in 2018 in recognition of his work.

Christine Devlin

Fundraising Manager (legacies, in memory & in celebration giving) | National Trust for Scotland

Christine is an award nominated legacy and in memory fundraising professional with experience across the third sector. She joined the charity sector in 2019 and has been working in fundraising ever since. Having mainly worked for larger charities in Scotland, she gained experience to specialise in legacies early on in her career. Having studied zoology, her background lies in ecology and conservation and she has combined this with a passion for legacies to work with various animal welfare and environmental causes, with legacy roles at Scottish SPCA, Marie Curie and RSPB, currently she is the Fundraising Manager for legacy, in memory and in celebration giving  at National Trust for Scotland.

Christine joined the Scottish Fundraising Conference committee last year focusing on planning and managing the awards. When she isn’t fundraising, Christine is training and going on adventures with her rescue puppy, Albie, travelling, or salsa dancing.

James Edison Pierce

Head of Development | Traverse Theatre

James achieved his BA in (and had a career in) musical theatre, which is how he first found his way into fundraising. He has had the honour work at institutions such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the King’s Head Theatre and Music in Hospitals & Care. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed working on Galas and Special Events, establishing and growing membership and patron schemes, capital appeals, and offering stakeholders bespoke stewardship and pastoral care. James first spoke at the Scottish Fundraising Conference in 2024 and joined the committee in 2025.

Lexy Graham

Events & Community Fundraising Officer | Worldwide Cancer Research

Lexy grew up fundraising throughout school and university, organising a wide range of events including gala dinners, markets, afternoon teas, conferences and more. She initially studied Medicine at university, before gaining a first-class honours in Events Management, during which she won an award for her final year fundraising event. Her mixed background has grown into a passion for fundraising with a focus on science and research causes. After some time organising weddings and special events for a four-star hotel, Lexy is now in her first professional fundraising role as the Events and Community Fundraising Officer at Worldwide Cancer Research (and loving every second of it).

Lexy joined the Scottish Fundraising Conference committee in 2025 and is focusing on planning the awards. When she isn't fundraising or event planning, Lexy enjoys being outside, usually up a hill or on a paddleboard with her cockapoo Poppy, and loves cooking, Pilates and road trips.

David Page

Director | Triceratops Training

David is a product of small charities having experience as a service user, volunteer, staff member, leader, consultant and trainer. He has been a fundraiser for 20 years, starting with large NGOs before following his heart to specialise in smaller organisations. 

In 2019 he saw a lack of provision in high quality, accessible training targeted at the unique challenges of small charitable organisations, and so launched the equally unique Triceratops Training in early 2023. Since then he has had the pleasure of partnering with several sector infrastructure organisations, supporting hundreds of small charities and CICs, and delivering training and coaching across the world. 

Dan Rous

Freelance Church and Community Developer | CommunityDan

Dan has been running and developing Community and Social Enterprises in Scotland since 2003.  He has a heart for developing projects that enable people and communities to be developed.  Now working freelance as CommunityDan, he specialises in Church and Community Development, with a lot of time spent helping bring old buildings, especially church buildings, back to life again.  

Dan likes people, community, church, development, and social enterprise, plus he throws in a bit of radio broadcasting besides.  Dan supports a wide range of organisations large and small with visioning, funding, governance, marketing and many other development needs, plus he also sits on the Scottish Fundraising Adjudication Panel.

Jonathan Mitchell

Head of Fundraising | MND Scotland

Since starting as a Community & Events Fundraising Assistant in his hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne over 10 years ago, Jonathan has gone on to lead fundraising teams in national charities across Scotland.  Currently the Head of Fundraising at MND Scotland, Jonathan is passionate about the development of the teams he leads and so being involved in the Scottish Fundraising conference is the perfect fit. 

Whilst this is the first year for Jonathan on the Scottish Fundraising Conference committee, he also sits on the Scottish Heads & Directors SIG committee. When he’s not fundraising, Jonathan is a volunteer for the Dementia Dog project, looking after assistance dogs and assisting with their ongoing training.

Angharad Low

Grants Manager | Royal Zoological Society for Scotland

With 15 years of experience in income generation, Angharad has strategic and operational fundraising experience across a range of income streams, generating funding for causes as diverse as genetic research, children’s palliative care and wildlife conservation.

A specialist in high value giving, she is passionate about connecting grant makers, corporate partners and philanthropists with the causes that inspire them. As Grants Manager at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, she builds support for ground-breaking wildlife conservation and transformative, nature-based community projects.

She’s excited to have joined the CIOF Scottish Fundraising Conference Committee - supporting this unique opportunity for fundraisers to learn, share, and be inspired.

Derek Yarnell

Individual Giving Manager | The League Against Cruel Sports

Recently landed in Scotland, Derek has converted 15 years of direct marketing experience in marketing agencies serving blue chip clients including Microsoft into a successful career leading individual giving for almost a decade.

Leveraging his direct-response and relationship-marketing skills Derek was able to grow direct response revenue tenfold in his time with a Canadian regional healthcare charity.

Derek volunteered for years in Canada with the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is happy to once again be engaged with colleagues in advancing the fundraising sector.

Marion Pirrie

Fundraising Manager | Age Scotland

Marion started her fundraising career as Fundraising Administrator with CRUK.  She later spent 13 years at Maggie's, supporting its Edinburgh and Lanarkshire Centres. During this time she was involved in Partnerships, Community Fundraising and bespoke events as well as managing the Centre board and major donors. Marion moved to Parkinson's UK Scotland, before her current role as Fundraising Manager at Age Scotland. Marion has a team at Age Scotland who cover Supporter Care, Community and Events Fundraising, Trusts and Foundation and Corporate Fundraising.

Laura Salmon

Development Manager | Gordonstoun School 

Laura developed a love for fundraising and working with volunteers in a part time job in a charity shop whilst completing her master’s degree in history. After making the move to work full time in the charity sector, she has over ten years’ experience, working as an individual giving fundraiser for SCIAF and now as Development Manager for Gordonstoun focusing on regular giving income generation.

In 2024, Laura joined the Scottish Fundraising Conference committee as part of the marketing team. Aside from fundraising, she has also volunteered for events at a local community development trust near to where she lives and co-chairs the PTA at her daughter’s school.


Individual/Team Awards 

An external panel of judges, who are independent of the Conference Committee, judge the following individual/team awards:

  • Rising Star
  • Fundraiser of the Year
  • Fundraising Team of the Year
  • Fundraising Excellence

Barbara Osborne

Chief Executive | Music in Hospitals Care

Barbara has an extensive experience within Fundraising, Marketing and Health. With over 20 years of working in the voluntary sector in roles including Director of Income Generation and Marketing at Myeloma UK, Head of Volunteer Fundraising (Southern/Northern Ireland) at British Heart Foundation (BHF), and Regional Fundraising Manager at Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), she is also a Trustee for Scottish charity Health in Mind. 

Barbara joined Music in Hospitals and Care - a charity that improves the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of live music - as their first UK wide Chief Executive in August 2018.

Michelle Chambers

Chief Executive | THINK Consulting Solutions

Michelle has worked in the not for profit sector with a range of charity and heritage organisations for over 30 years. Following a number of senior leadership roles, she became a consultant and joined THINK, where she is Chief Executive. Michelle combines strategic thinking skills with operational delivery, applying practical implementation to the creative idea. She is passionate about identifying trends which are influencing and impacting the delivery of fundraising and helping organisations to use these to enhance their fundraising practice. She is a strong advocate of the importance of creating long lasting relationships between charities and their supporters and keeping the donor at the heart of fundraising thinking and practice.

Lawrence Cowan

Iain McWhirter

Chief Executive Officer | Revive MS Support 

Iain is CEO at Revive MS Support, the leading provider of physical, emotional, social and financial support for people affected Multiple Sclerosis in the west of Scotland.

Prior to that he was Head of Fundraising at MND Scotland for 15 years where he led significant growth in income and awareness, with a spell as Interim CEO in 2021. His other charity experience is as Treasurer for BOOM! Community Arts, a charity delivering community arts projects in North Glasgow that he helped establish in 2017.

Wishing all our nominees all the very best of luck. We look forward to celebrating with you on Tuesday 23 September 2025.