Funding for Kindness of Strangers

A software company that helps charities with their fundraising efforts has received a £325,000 equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) through appointed fund manager, the FSE Group.

CIOSIF’s investment is matched with funding from private investors and will support business growth. The funds will be used to facilitate the development of new bespoke software, the recruitment of new staff and expansion into overseas markets.

The Kindness of Strangers, based in Liskeard, has created a fundraising platform specifically designed to help small charities with their biggest challenge – raising money. It is estimated that there are over 400,000 not-for-profit causes in the UK alone, the vast majority of which operate at a local level, run mainly by volunteers who are not fundraising experts.

Mathew Neville, CEO of The Kindness of Strangers, has spent many years working in the voluntary sector, where he has seen how small charities play a crucial role in society.

He said: “Smaller charities often lose out on funding opportunities to larger charities who can spend more and employ bigger teams. With The Kindness of Strangers, our aim is to level the playing field and provide small charities with the same expertise and technology as large charities.

“Our platform is already being used to connect with hundreds of charities across the UK and we look forward to working with the ESF as we use this funding to grow this reach both in the UK and globally. “