Bertie Bosrédon

My name is Bertie Bosrédon*

*/bow-ray-don/

Bertie Bosrédon

I'm an independent consultant supporting charities, NGOs, and membership organisations to strengthen digital fundraising and supporter engagement, and to adopt AI in a responsible and practical way.

My work sits at the intersection of strategy and delivery: clarifying priorities, mapping end-to-end journeys, improving data quality and governance, and translating organisational needs into actionable roadmaps. I work with a methodology designed to build confidence across diverse stakeholders and keep projects moving in environments with limited resources or budget (often both).

I regularly support teams through health check, technology selection, project and campaign implementation, coaching, and change facilitation, with a consistent focus on ethics, clarity, and outcomes.

I didn't plan to end up in the NGO sector. In the mid-90s I set up the first web agency in my hometown of Dijon, then moved to London in 1999 and joined a B2B start-up. After a year, I heard the British Heart Foundation needed someone to build a 'new media' team. At the time, only five UK charities had a full-time web person (yes - I am that old).

I quickly realised opportunities to use digital for fundraising, online services, campaigning, and volunteering were massive. Convincing colleagues that people would actually donate online was another matter. But in five years at BHF, online income grew from £20K to £1.5 million per year. After 5 years, I joined Breast Cancer Care to build a digital department from scratch, which eventually grew into a team of 27 covering editorial, digital, design, print, and online community services.

An iNGO 4x4 vehicle on a muddy track in a refugee camp Kenya, representing international humanitarian fieldwork
A serene stone monk statue in a Japanese zen garden, representing mindfulness towards NGO clients

After 11 years in-house, I noticed that external voices often carried more weight than internal ones, even when saying the same thing. Rather than getting frustrated, I decided to become one of those external voices - often telling senior management what they already know (with a French accent). I launched my consultancy in early 2012, just the idea of being a pay-as-you-go head of digital. I've since worked with over 150 organisations, from small NGOs with one person to large UN agencies on hundreds of projects, strategic and hands-on.

One aspect I love about my job is the first phase when I have one-to-one interviews with staff at the start of a project. I'm often told it feels like therapy. I'm always struck by the talent and passion of people in our sector. The three core challenges I keep seeing haven't changed much in 20+ years: disconnected technology (even more with predictive and agentic AI), siloed departments, and parallel processes. It always comes back to how organisations adapt their mindset, processes, and tools to match what their audiences actually do. Very few NGOs have a genuine fundraising CRM, and fewer still understand their full potential.

The three core challenges I keep seeing haven't changed much in 20+ years: disconnected technology, siloed departments, and parallel processes. It always comes back to how organisations adapt their mindset, processes, and tools to match what their audiences actually do. Very few NGOs have a genuine fundraising CRM, and fewer still understand their full potential.

What I'd most like to see change is how NGOs thank their donors after a gift. I test donation journeys regularly and the gratitude is almost always missing. A simple email three months later showing impact, without asking for more money, would transform the relationship. Donations should feel like a social investment, not like getting a home insurance quote.

Children playing with a tyre in Kenya, illustrating energy and resourcefulness in local communities and field staff
Bertie Bosredon playing the handpan in a garden, reflecting his creative life outside consultancy

After 22 years in the UK, I moved to Spain (I called it #bertxit). I'm based in Madrid and Valencia. I work internationally, in English, French, and (a bit) in Spanish. Outside consulting, I take photos, play the handpan, and write theatre plays.

A collage of 1990s musicians photographed by Bertie Bosredon during his career as a music journalist

Some of my music photos - more at bosredon.com

My work timeline

2021–present

After twenty years in the UK, I moved to Spain in 2021 (#bertxit). I'm based between Madrid and Valencia. Alongside consulting, I teach digital strategy at IE University, which keeps me close to the next generation of leaders. I co-write and produce theatre.

In Madrid, I have been converting a former nursery school building into an art studio and home. I am also restoring an old shepherd's house in the Valencia region into a digital detox retreat.

2012–2021

I launched my consultancy in March 2012 with a simple idea: be a pay-as-you-go head of digital for NGOs. Over nine years in London, I worked with over 100 organisations across digital transformation, online fundraising, technology selection, and later AI integration. From small teams with one person to large UN agencies, the work was always a mix of strategy and hands-on delivery.

2006–2012

I joined Breast Cancer Care to build a digital department operating as an in-house agency. Over six years the team grew to 27 staff covering editorial, digital, design, print, and community, with a budget of £1.9 million. During that period the organisation reached 22 million web visits and £2 million in online income per year. I also spoke at over 30 conferences, contributed to industry publications, and produced a podcast interviewing voluntary sector chief executives for The Guardian.

2001–2006

In January 2001 I joined the British Heart Foundation, one of the largest charities in the UK, to set up the first online team and write the initial digital strategy. In five years, online income grew from £20K to £1.5 million per year. We were also the first charity to launch a mobile game: Fatris (blocks of fat falling from a cigarette, like Tetris).

1999–2001

In 1999 I joined ECeurope as Creative Director and Head of Web. With a small team we quickly developed the first and largest European B2B trading platform, described by Prime Minister Blair as "a prime example of the initiative that the Government is looking for in the new information age." I left before the company was sold, to move to the not-for-profit sector where I believed digital could have a real social impact.

1996–99

In 1996, I set up the first web design agency in Dijon: Comète Multimédia. I won a Défi Jeunes prize in 1997. Until 1999, I developed web strategies and websites for local businesses, large companies, and not-for-profit organisations, and trained many staff in web design, search, and online marketing. Convincing French entrepreneurs to move away from Le Minitel was a challenge. I still remember the managing director of a large French company telling me in 1998 that the internet had no future and would only last two years. He was partly responsible for my decision to follow the digital revolution in London.

1989–95

Producer and presenter of Le Club Watson on local radio station (Radio Cinq) then regional (RVL Bourgogne) in my home town of Dijon. I interviewed and photographed many artists and bands including Blur, Radiohead, Björk, Oasis, and Sonic Youth. I was the official photographer of two venues: l'An-fer, where Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk and a few others made their debut in France, and La Vapeur (I met Pulp but stupidly declined an invitation for dinner with them). I still take photos regularly. My photography website is bosredon.com.