Testimonials
What our Clients say
"Prospero has found a real variety of excellent charities fitting my interests and I trust them to provide the research and behind the scenes briefings I need to make my funding decisions quick and easy.
When giving, it is important for me to have good quality information about the projects and charities I support as well as to maintain my anonymity. I find it very helpful using Prospero as a professional intermediary. They not only provide well-informed and objective research for me, but they also are able to manage the expectations of the charities and fundraisers on my behalf.
I know that in many cases, Prospero has also introduced the charities I have funded to other donors, generating extra money for the causes I have invested in. That ability to leverage adds value for me; if I like a charity I want others to like and support it too and Prospero makes that happen."
Anonymous Prospero client
"We have used Prospero to carry out due diligence on applications submitted to the Foundation. Keeping us anonymous, they met each charity and recommended which ones had solid proposals that fitted my criteria. Their presentations are clearly thought out and deal with the relevant issues well. We then met two of these charities and made a donation in each case.
This has helped us to use our time most effectively, to make well-informed choices and, in the case of the charities which were rejected, it has saved time while keeping the charities informed about where they stood in the process."
The Queen Anne's Gate Foundation
"Prospero World has been recommending projects to me since it began. As our foundation is based in Switzerland but gives internationally, I have found it really useful in helping me to identify more of the kinds of project we like to fund. Prospero’s research simplifies what is often months of work for us.
Once we have funded a project, they will check that the work has been implemented - whether this was the Jaipur Foot Mobile clinic in Mumbai, the eye outreach camps we funded in Rajasthan, educational projects in South Africa or just keeping me up to date on what is happening to charities whose headquarters are in the UK. My visits to London are action-packed: Prospero organises a selection of charities and we interview around half a dozen charities per day; if one of Prospero’s events is on, we attend that, or have dinner with like-minded donors."
The Eagle Foundation, Geneva Switzerland
What the Charities say
"The founders of Prospero identified a barrier to charitable giving. Philanthropists wanted to give - and to help kick start embryonic organisations, but didn't have the time to research and vet projects effectively. Prospero have bridged this gap by providing easy access to advice. With untiring energy and passion, a demonstrable willingness to engage with charities and to visit their projects, Prospero provided the mechanism for independent assessments which have given potential donors the confidence to chose partners 'outside the box'.
As a result many smaller charities have been given the chance to build new donor relationships - and at Haller we have been able to get three new environmental and health projects off the drawing board and into delivery in less than twelve months thanks to partnerships made through Prospero.
They took an idea – built up an infrastructure and are on the way to becoming the 'go to website' for informed charitable giving.Well done and thank you."
Louise Piper, Director, Haller
"A unique feature of Prospero is its ability to identify viable pilot projects and connect them with donors willing to take the risk of supporting new or potentially controversial ideas. SAFE MAA's success is a consequence of its approach, but it is also about timing. The Maasai were at a point where they were willing to consider a change to the fabric of their culture. To harness this momentum was essential and the funding that we received through Prospero has sparked a monumental change. We were able to leverage international partnerships and funding as a consequence. The funding has been a catalyst for a change that far exceeds the value of the initial investment.
The work that was funded through Prospero was dealing with issues people are nervous to get involved in. Being able to demonstrate the 'value for money' that donors can get with SAFE helped us to get funding to continue this programme. It also got the most successful abandonment of FGC programme off the ground."
Sophie Bray, Programme Director, Sponsored Arts for Education
"Fauna & Flora International conserves the planet's threatened species and ecosystems, whilst improving the livelihoods of local communities. We are now active in 40 countries supporting 125 projects, mostly in the developing world. Almost all of our work is supported by donations and grants, and 84% of our income goes straight to conservation activities.
Prospero has been invaluable in helping us to make connections to individuals with a passion for protecting the natural world and for tackling threats such as climate change. It has played a critically important role in assessing us and our effectiveness on behalf of donors, taking the time to get to know our programmes, the people who work on them and the issues we are grappling with. I am sure that this approach enables them to give extremely comprehensive and thorough information to donors, and to comment authoritatively on our impact and how we use donor funds.
To date Prospero has helped to secure £45,000+ for our work to protect wildlife and wild places hand in hand with local people. Prospero's careful, and caring, involvement in our work has helped make a real difference.
Prospero has also helped to raise awareness of environmental issues among a wider group of people and has worked hard to do this in a way which has been engaging and stimulating for a growing network of supporters and potential donors. I have seen how well this has helped individuals consider the causes or issues they might get involved with."
Jo Coombes, Director of Development, Fauna and Flora International
Our Events
An Evening with Palfest, November 2009
"I attended the Palfest fundraising evening organised by Prospero in Autumn 2009 and was hugely impressed both by the event and by the work of Palfest. The evening gave me an opportunity to get a good sense of the work done by Palfest, through a short but insightful series of illustrated talks given by Palfest organisers and participants. I also had a chance to chat informally to Ahdaf Soueif, (Founding chair of the festival), Christina Baum (the festival organiser) and the author Esther Freud, who participated in last year's festival.
I was so inspired by these conversations and talks that I subsequently sent a long e-mail to the organisers asking to participate in the next festival, and I am delighted to say that I was accepted for the 2010 Palfest. It strikes me as a unique event, doing extremely valuable work in a place of terrible injustice and hardship, and I am both proud and grateful to have the opportunity to participate."
William Sutcliffe, Novelist
"I am excited to be able to have the opportunity - arisen/ initiated through Prospero's recent Palfest event - to join Palfest on their next tour through Palestine. I think that what Palfest are doing - which is to open up dialogue, understanding and communication - enhances possibilities of creating a much yearned for peace in the region. There can be no progress in better relations unless there is open communication, tolerance and forgiveness. I witnessed that in my work on the Truth Commission in South Africa, after years of Apartheid. I witnessed people 's ability to put their differences aside, and their ability to forge a better understanding. Thank you to Prospero for their work and dedication to enabling that process."
Jillian Edelstein, Photographer