After leading Oxfordshire Community Foundation for 10 years as Chief Executive, Jayne Woodley steps down on 30th June 2020. She has led the transformation of OCF from a small grant-making body with extremely limited resources to the ambitious, sector-leading organisation of today.
OCF’s staff, trustees, donors and charity partners are bidding a sad and very fond farewell to Jayne as she leaves to pursue other challenges. Jayne is widely regarded as an inspiring, visionary leader – and something of a force of nature without whom OCF would not be the organisation it is today!
We will sorely miss the unbounded enthusiasm and drive that Jayne has brought to the organisation. During the past ten years there have been so many achievements and milestones exceeded, not least the delivery of exponential financial growth. Since joining OCF from a successful 22-year career at Barclays Capital, Jayne’s many accomplishments include:
- Increasing the annual voluntary income raised by 647% (growing net assets held from £1.6m in 2011 to £7.9m in 2020), and uplifting the annual charitable distribution of grants by 496% (£262k in 2011 to £1.3m in 2020) over the same period
- Improving the governance and rigour of the organisation by achieving an “Exemplar” rating on the UK Community Foundations’ QA4 Quality Accreditation
- Being a role model ambassador of the community foundation movement both in the UK and beyond, proactively developing an extensive peer network and wider international perspective that has led to OCF being invited by the C.S. Mott Foundation to become a regular host for UK study visits organised by the European Community Foundation Initiative (ECFI); as well as developing a close working partnership with Buffalo CF in the USA
- Championing the early adoption of digital technology, with OCF the first amongst its UKCF peers to embrace Salesforce in 2012 as a proprietary CRM system, and to enter into partnerships with others such as 360 Giving and Local Insight, enhancing OCF’s capability to research, evidence and identify priority areas of need
- The publication of foundational research Oxfordshire Uncovered in 2016, a report that identified three key strategic needs for the county (homelessness, educational inequality and loneliness and isolation), kickstarting the ambition and development of OCF’s strategic programmes to find local solutions to these inequalities: Oxford Homeless Movement, Growing Minds and Age Friendly Banbury
- Building and developing a capable and dedicated team, who all share a deep commitment to the organisation’s potential to ‘join up the dots’ and constantly look to bring together partners from across all sectors to achieve more for the county
- Raising the benchmark for place-based giving and the potential for local philanthropy to address the most pressing needs of our time by leaving a legacy of over 37 donor-advised funds that OCF now manages, which together make significant contribution towards growing our relevance and impact
- Engaging high-profile ambassadors in the work of OCF: HM The Queen hosting a Garden Party to launch the Diamond Jubilee Fund in 2012; philosopher AC Grayling on the purpose of legacy for OCF’s 21st birthday celebrations at Broughton Castle in 2016; hosting two thought-provoking Oxford Union debates in 2014 and 2015; inspiring individuals such as John Nickson to choose Oxfordshire to incubate his more national ambitions following publication of his book of Our Common Good in 2017
- Working tirelessly to become an influential advocate and inspiring voice on behalf of social issues and inequality in Oxfordshire, named in the Cotswold Life list of 60 most influential women; raising the profile of OCF as keynote speaker at business events and representing UK Community Foundations at conferences and forums, with regular interviews on national TV, local radio and many published articles (most recently the RSA and BIO2020)
- Leading OCF’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up the Community Resilience Fund with speed and efficiency to support Oxfordshire’s charities and bring relief to those most in need; her fundraising acumen and excellent network of donors and supporters helped to source significant donations, and the fund has quickly built to more than £1 million.
In addition, Jayne leaves with several significant new partnerships in the pipeline, with one, Black Minds Matter UK, addressing the lack of mental health services available to black people.
In a recent interview with OCF fundholder Imam Monawar Hussain, Jayne commented: “What we’ve seen with COVID-19 is the power that comes from people working to the same end has been phenomenal. The challenge for me is how do we somehow bottle all of that up and make sure we don’t lose that energy and enthusiasm, and that will to help each other, which has come on leaps and bounds. It just shows you that where there’s potential things can really change.” The full interview can be seen here.
Lord Lieutenant and OCF President Tim Stevenson said: “The footprint and impact of Oxfordshire Community Foundation has been transformed during Jayne’s 10 years in post as CEO. An organisation then struggling for resources and effect has been changed into one that makes a major contribution to the not-for-profit sector, to our communities and to the philanthropists who make it work. Many thanks to Jayne for all her hard work and enthusiasm.”
Tributes were also paid to Jayne by High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Amanda Ponsonby, and incoming CEO Adrian Sell, at her final OCF webinar last week:
We are fortunate to have identified in Adrian Sell an individual with over 25 years of highly relevant experience in the voluntary sector both in Oxfordshire and beyond to take on the role as Interim Chief Executive from 1st July 2020.