Funding Socials: Meet Funders, Find New Resources & Connect with Your Peers

Funding Socials is an inspiring in-person event series designed for charity and social enterprise leaders looking for fresh ideas and connections to help boost income generation.

Our session in the Highlands will be held in the amazing Garioch Heritage Centre, Inverurie. You will have the chance to hear directly from both Funders and a local organisation working to raise funds.

The event is designed to help you cross the divide and connect with both funders and new peers, who can help you on your journey.

Please tell us a bit more information about you and your organisation within the registration, so we can match you up to potential funding, investment and support opportunities during the Funding Socials event.

Jane Bruce of Brilliant Leaders will facilitate the session with the aim of creating an informal and accessible event.

We are delighted to welcome along some guest speakers, funders from across the ecosystem and supported by Aileen Longino at Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action. We also welcome along Pamela Barnes, Development Officer – Democratic Finance Programme, Development Trusts Association Scotland and Emily Macdonald Investment Readiness Programme Manager, Firstport.

Aileen Longino, Development Officer, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action (social enterprise)Aileen provides development support to groups and organisations across Aberdeenshire, specialising in Social Enterprises. Aileen is also a qualified Mediator for the Workplace and can help with conflict.

Pamela Barnes, Development Officer – Democratic Finance Programme, Development Trusts Association Scotland

Emily Macdonald, Investment Readiness Programme Manager, Firstport

Emily’s career in finance and risk management has included roles at Dresdner Kleinwort Bank, Investec and Gatehouse, a Shariah-compliant UK bank. Since leaving banking, Emily has been putting her analysis skills to work on freelance projects, launching her social enterprise and gaining valuable experience in trustee roles with charities in her local community.

Recent projects have included helping establish a community library and saving it from closure. This included writing the business plan, community consultation and getting the library launched and operational. Through this and other projects, Emily has gained great experience in project management, financial planning, grant applications and reporting, volunteer recruitment, service design and fundraising.

In her role as trustee for a community development trust, Emily has added experience in governance, larger community projects and local place plans. She has built a good network of contacts with partner organisations in Fife.

As an experienced credit risk analyst, Emily is well-placed to advise on what potential investors are interested in, what information is useful and how to present this compellingly.

Kieran Daly, Head of Market Building at Social Investment Scotland and our guest speakers will explain the support and funds they offer charities and social enterprises and be ready to answer any questions you have.

You will be given a warm welcome with teas and coffees on arrival and the session will close with a light lunch, where you will have the chance to mix with funders and peers and make some new connections.

The hosts for this session are:

Jane Bruce, Brilliant Leaders

Jane is the Founder of Brilliant Leaders, a social business which offers coaching and development programmes to leaders and teams with a social purpose. Jane is a former charity/social enterprise CEO, accredited Executive Coach and experienced facilitator.

Before setting up Brilliant Leaders, Jane was Chief Executive of Social Bite in Scotland. In this role, Jane led a team of 100+ staff and 90 volunteers to run a chain of social enterprise cafes, mass fundraising events and innovative housing programmes. Previously, Jane was Chief Executive of Venture Scotland, which provides a wilderness-based development programme to young people facing tough challenges.

Alongside Brilliant Leaders, Jane is a qualified football coach having previously played football in the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

and Kieran Daly, Head of Market Building, Social Investment Scotland

Kieran Daly is Head of Market Building at Social Investment Scotland (SIS) and part of its senior leadership team, leading on all Market Building income generation, programme delivery, and business development to support social enterprises across Scotland. His career spans senior roles in enterprise, investment, and the arts, including Country Manager (Scotland) at Big Issue Invest, where he managed a £1.5m early-stage fund, and Chief Operating Officer/Deputy CEO at FoodCycle in London, where he scaled its social café model nationwide.

He is currently a Board Member at Impact Arts and a long-standing Board Member and former Interim Chair of Social Enterprise Scotland, with previous trustee roles at Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) and MsMissMrs CIC. A Glasgow School of Art graduate, Kieran is passionate about building ecosystems that enable mission-led organisations to thrive. A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, he combines creativity with strategic leadership to support organisations tackling social challenges across Scotland and beyond.

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