Sweet charity as team finds £4m fund of goodwill to make a great giveaway

That's because, despite charitable giving in general taking a big hit in the recession with the value of the largest charities falling by

86m, Leeds Community Foundation, of which Greenfield is chief executive, has seen its most successful year since it was set up in 2005 to match philanthropy with good causes in the city.

It provides a way of channelling money donated by local individuals and businesses to community groups in disadvantaged areas. Despite the credit crunch, more than 300 voluntary and community projects benefited from almost 4m in grants as a result of LCF's fundraising work in 2008-2009 – three times the amount given out the previous year.

In 2009-10, it made grants of 4m to over 440 groups across the city, bringing its total fundraising so far to more than 10m. It is one of the youngest but already the third most successful of the 57 community foundations in Britain.

Working as both a philanthropy adviser to those who want to give to good causes and "give back" to Leeds, and as an expert grant-maker, the Foundation finds and nurtures would-be donors and vets organisations that request money. Its brokerage means many projects are funded which might not easily find financial support elsewhere.

LCF's philosophy is to create a "spirit of giving" that will transform people's lives, making a difference in a highly-focused way to disadvantaged parts of the community.

Scanning the list of groups to benefit from grants large and small in the last year, the word grassroots comes to mind. From 85 to a church in Cottingley and 250 to Richmond Hill Elderly Aid, to 12,065 given to Leeds Asperger Adults, 98,900 to Leeds Music Trust on behalf of home-grown rock band The Kaiser Chiefs, and 14,250 to Karate for Inner City Kids on behalf of Sport Relief, LCF spreads the largesse of others far and wide among activities aimed at helping to change lives.

"Like all community foundations, we're very specifically focused geographically but we're looking at some joint projects with other Yorkshire foundations," says Sally-Anne. "Local businesses often want to give money to charity locally, but don't know where to give to, and it's the same for individuals who might want to give to something in the city. We have details of projects falling into many different categories so, for instance, if someone is interested in young people or services for the elderly or sport, we can bring the group that needs the money and the donor together."

Fundraising may not have been a deliberate career choice, but it's a perfect fit for her, says Sally-Anne. Raised first in Cumbria and later on a trout farm in Devon, she studied social anthropology at Cambridge, then moved back to Barrow-in-Furness. Volunteering as a fundraiser at the local hospital led to a managerial job, charged with running a scanner appeal.

In 1992, she came to Leeds and ran another successful 1.5m scanner appeal, at the city's General Infirmary, and two years later was appointed corporate liaison officer at The Royal Armouries.

After three years she left and worked as a charity fundraising consultant until 2004, when she was asked to set up LCF, which was initially run from her dining table but now operates from a city centre office.

"I just found from the very start that I really enjoyed fundraising – organising fun events, meeting people, public speaking. This job, in contrast to raising funds for a specific cause that you learn about in great depth, is about understanding many very different deserving projects, some of them charities and some not, and also getting to

grips with the interests of businesses and individuals who might want to give to such groups. I love starting things up, and really wanted to do this job for a city I had grown to love."

A vital part of being a good fundraiser is likeability, she

says. "People basically give to people. The cause they represent can, on the face of it, be a bit unappealing, but if the person asking for the money is likeable, committed and enthusiastic, then that's more than half the battle."

LCF holds an annual Funding Network evening, when five local charities are selected to present their case individually to a panel of potential donors. The Foundation offers presentation skills training beforehand – all part of the service in helping small but significant concerns to find the cash to stay alive.

Despite Leeds having experienced great growth and prosperity in recent times, says Sally-Anne, it still has great areas of need, with one in five people in the city living in the top 10 per cent of most deprived areas in the country.

"That's 160,000 people living in poverty, with all the knock-ons of poor health, high unemployment and poor educational achievement that go with it. The council and Primary Care Trust are doing a lot to tackle the problems and are great supporters of ours, and helping the many small organisations who need money and encouragement to work with local people is crucial in this city."

The LCF administers funds like the Government's Grassroots fund, which matches 1 for every 1 a community or voluntary group with an income of less than 30,000 raises for itself. The Foundation also manages the Looked After Children Fund, which gives grants for specialist sports, music and educational equipment and trips for Leeds's 1,400 young

people in care.

It supports a number of voluntary organisations that provide help, support and information to people caught up in prostitution, and last year gave 170,000 to 49 different projects that provide help to 110,000 people aged over 65 who live with health or mobility problems.

More than 95,000 was given out to eight organisations that deal with domestic violence. The LCF manages a pot of money on behalf of the NHS for health-related projects including healthy eating projects in schools such as Christ Church in Armley, where a pilot scheme was set up for children to grow fruit and vegetables on a local allotment.

A lot of cash goes into projects whose effects are difficult to measure because their work is preventative, such as activities for elderly people who are isolated and may be depressed.

All donations, legacies and cash gifts are fallen upon gratefully by LCF, but on a rather spectacular scale a dream donor walked into Sally-Anne's life a couple of years ago in the shape of Jimi Heselden.

A former miner who grew up on the Halton Moor Estate in East Leeds, he put his redundancy money from the pit into Hesco Bastion, a company that makes "concertainers" – portable mesh baskets that are filled with earth and sand and can be used to shore up river or canal banks or as protective "walls"by military forces. Mr Haselden, who is 61 and thought to be worth around 93m, asked his solicitor to call LCF about setting up a charitable fund to give some of his money to projects that would help people in East Leeds.

"The solicitor said his client, a local businessman, was in a hurry for tax reasons and wanted to set up a charity 'next week'. He wanted me to see him that afternoon with a list of projects he could possibly give to, and the agreement was signed that afternoon. He said, 'Will 10m do?' and has very kindly added 3m since then.

"He is particularly interested in helping projects for young people and the elderly and local work involving the Armed Forces. We have a list of 1,300 groups in the city that need funding, so it was easy to find deserving causes in those area."

Younger people who think about charitable giving have a different attitude to many of their elders, says Sally-Anne Greenfield. "They give in a different way. If they've worked hard for their money and want to give, they tend to take a great interest in the detail of how it's spent and want to see it work for them."

LCF has fundraised 184,000 to start an endowment fund to provide grants for the long-term. And, with the help of local businessman Jonathan Morgan, a "100 Club" to get 100 local people or businesses to donate 1,000 a year each to cover the LCF's overheads has been started, so as much cash from donations as possible goes to worthy causes, with a ceiling of 10 pence in every pound spent on administration.

Part of LCF's job is diplomacy, and asking businesses to give has become a delicate matter in the recession, says Sally-Anne. "You can't expect companies that are suffering to fork out when wages may have been cut.

"Some might do a smaller thing we suggest like organising a cake sale but we need to be sensitive and get in touch with supporters sometimes just to say hello or let them know what's happening with projects they've given to which make lives better in their city."

Leeds Community Foundation is holding its third annual Dragon Boat Race in Clarence Dock, Leeds on June 26 to raise 3,000. Forty companies will compete and there will be many family activities and food available. A few places remain for teams wishing to compete. Info from Amanda Wingfield 0113 242 2426.

n Leeds Community Foundation: 0113 242 2426

n www.leedscommunityfoundation.org.uk