It was Ian who wrote the original donorflex system with Brian Todd for the then West Midlands Children’s Hospice Trust. Over the years, he filled every role you can name until he passed away, suddenly, in February, 2022..
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Ian was intrinsic to what the donorflex team did, every working day (and most weekends) – in fact, the heart and soul of pretty much everything we’ve done as a CRM supplier with our UK charity partners for almost 35 years.
In the spirit of Meet the Team, here’s how he described himself....
Since the beginning! Some of our older clients might remember my training, but I’m strictly indoors now. From working with Acorns to where we are now, with around 200 charities using donorflex across the UK, has been an exciting, sometimes stressful, but always rewarding journey.
... is Technical Services Director. That means I’m the go-to guy when it comes to data translation and manipulation. Also, many of you will know me from the helpdesk, where I work alongside our fantastic support team.
Food. Making it, buying it, eating it. I’ve usually got a recipe or three to share, and might even be willing to divulge a few of my secrets (usually ‘add Brown Sauce’, but let’s keep that between us).
Virgin Media. And some so-called football fans. And customer service people who start off with “I can only apologise….”
I was a policeman in London, about five stones ago. They taught me to drive, which means I’m an excellent passenger – just ask my wife and children.
... all of which was a rich source of inspiration for his eulogy, which featured these words from Dominic Woods – now at JDRF, but also formerly at Keech Hospice, one of our original clients – as a flavour of what he meant to so many friends and acquaintances in the donorflex world, and also to the causes our clients espouse:
I can’t really express how sad, shocked and devastated the news of Ian’s death is.
My thoughts are with you all as I sit here using donorflex, the product Ian created, to ensure that we can raise funds to make people’s lives better.
I will miss him so much.
Dominic
It was one of almost 100 messages of tribute and condolence received by the donorflex team and his family in the weeks following his death. This is just a selection:
We were shocked to receive the sad news about Ian and offer our most sincere condolences to you all, and especially to Rachael and to Ian’s family.
I spoke with Ian only the other day, as I am sure many people did, seeking his wit and wisdom to overcome a challenge and get the most out of donorflex.
Ian was warm and friendly, a reassuring voice that quickly calms and gets to the root of the problem. He epitomised the donorflex ethos and what we value so much about working with you to achieve our aims.
Thank you, Ian. We’ll miss you.
I just wanted to say how sad I am to hear that Ian has passed away. My condolences to all at donorflex and to his family.
I will miss his consistent and valuable support on the occasions we have restored backups, or his SQL wizardry before the business day started.
Ian was a constant source of support to the charity during some particularly large pieces of work over the years, and his expertise, advice and support will be sorely missed.
I had so many interesting and amusing conversations with Ian while I was learning the donorflex ropes, and as I became a more proficient user. Who’d have thought data could be so much fun?
He was a one of a kind.
Well, I actually have no words. I feel like I’ve lost an old friend.
I am so sorry to hear this very sad news. I have known and dealt with Ian for over 20 years since I started at Compton.... He was always very helpful, like you all are, very jolly and funny.
I for one will miss him.
I’m in shock, heartbroken. I don’t know what to say. You must all be reeling.
It feels too soon to say all the things Ian meant to me. We’ve had some lovely chats over the years and I will miss him.
Such a character and lovely man whom I know you will miss greatly.
The hospice community certainly will, and so please cherish your memories and hold tight to the joy in knowing such a man, as we are not all so lucky.
What a shock – I’m so sorry to hear about Ian.
I’ll always remember him calling me about some query or other and realising he was actually sitting outside a café on holiday in Italy, I think – he was never really off duty, it seemed.
I think I worked out recently I’ve been a donorflex user for nearly 20 years now, and Ian was a constant help to us here at MRF throughout that time.
At a personal level, I’m going to miss those regular chats and email exchanges.
I was so very sorry to read this, Brian – sending our sincere condolences to you and your family / team from us all at St Giles.
And also sent with appreciation for all that Ian has done over many years to support both St Giles and, ultimately, those we care for, and also the wider voluntary sector donorflex community.
I know from Stuart and Michelle, as well as previous post-holders, that Ian’s knowledge and support was invaluable to us and that, ultimately, he has contributed to our own fundraising capabilities and income generation that has, in turn, allowed us to support our communities.
As such, he has been instrumental in indirectly supporting the care of thousands of people.
We work with the key drivers of the UK charity sector.
