Alex McDowell (UK)
Head of Public Fundraising, RNIBAlex McDowell is Head of Public Fundraising at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
A professional fundraiser for more than 18 years, Alex has led the legacy and tribute team at the NSPCC, served as Head of Fundraising at the Shakespeare Hospice, and had various roles in direct marketing, community fundraising, and higher education.
In his current role, Alex oversees RNIB’s individual giving, legacy, challenge events, and community giving teams. Collectively these teams generate more than 90% of RNIB’s voluntary income. His role has also included development of a refreshed fundraising strategy that will support RNIB’s new brand and delivery model as well as addressing risks to the current income generating model.
Alex is passionate about increasing impact through effective fundraising collaborations. For 6 years, Alex served as Chair of Remember A Charity, a behaviour change collaboration involving around 200 charities working together to grow the UK legacy market.
More recently, Alex has been involved in the Good Lab project which sees charities working together to identify and deliver new and innovative sources of income. These experiences have helped Alex understand the strengths and challenges of fundraising collaborations.