Microsoft word - 111030 - final_general_release_finalists 2011 _2_ _autosaved_

1 November 2011
Development and fundraising organisation Cause4 nominated for two national Startups Awards

Startups Awards 2011 has announced its finalists, recognising the most successful new businesses in the UK.
Now in its eighth year, the Startups Awards have earned a reputation for recognising some of the UK’s most
promising entrepreneurial talent. Many previous winners have gone on to enjoy phenomenal success,
including Glasses Direct, Wonga.com, Home Instead Senior Care, Ella’s Kitchen, Three Sixty Entertainment
and Naked Wines.
Cause4 is nominated in two categories: the best socially driven enterprise and the female entrepreneur of
the year award for its Director, Michelle Wright.
Cause4 was set up in May 2009 and supports charities, social enterprises and individual philanthropists in
development and fundraising across the community, arts, sport and education sectors. The organisation has
a reputation for innovation in charitable fundraising and philanthropy, and has developed a number of new
national charitable initiatives and new programmes for individual philanthropists, including spearheading
the set up of a new charity The Philanthropy Foundation - to support individuals to give more easily and
effectively.

The business has achieved excellent success for clients in just over two years, raising over £3m pounds
charitably. Our entrepreneurial business model which offers two fee structures, a competitive day rate and
a relatively risk-averse option by offering a lower day rate plus contingent fee option (5% or 7.5%) based on
fundraising success, is popular in the sector as it clearly links expenditure to income and also provides
Directors and staff with significant incentives for investing maximum effort and expertise into each charity
and social enterprise over an agreed period of time. We have significantly challenged the traditional models
(in our view), of overpaid fundraising consultants that lack accountability - by clearly linking strategy with
fundraising success.
Our team is expected to work hard and to go the extra mile to achieve the greatest fundraising success for
clients and to provide the highest quality service to clients at excellent value. Our Alchemists training
programme is already bringing a raft of new, entrepreneurial, fundraisers to the sector who we envisage will
go on to have long careers leading charities and social enterprises.
Cause4 is a Limited Company, however our values are to be the most effective agency possible to support
charitable initiatives and social enterprises from across the community, arts, sport and education sectors in
raising funds to support charitable causes and beneficiaries. We are a socially driven enterprise which is
raising over £250k a month for charitable causes with plans to raise through our philanthropy work with
individuals an additional £10m in charitable funding over the next three years.
The judging panel for the Startup Awards consisted of some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs,
including Joe Cohen, founder of Seatwave, Mitesh Soma, founder of Chemist Direct, Rosemary Forsyth,
founder of the Forsyth Group, and Lara Morgan, founder of the Pacific Direct Group.
The judges assess on a wide range of criteria, such as: business success either by increase in sales and unit
volume, market research and identification of customer focus, organisational and team building
effectiveness, strategic planning, overcoming obstacles and barriers to success, visionary leadership, social
and community responsibility.
Commenting on this year’s finalists, Steph Welstead, editor of Startups.co.uk, said: “Britain is far more than
a nation of shop-keepers. The businesses people start each year come in so many colours, flavours, shapes
and sizes and the Startups Awards always sets out to celebrate the best of entrepreneurial endeavour. Our
finalists this year are as diverse, exciting and creative as ever… the entrants are like a patchwork quilt of
enterprise covering the length and breadth of the country.”

The winners of each category are announced at an event held on 2 December 2011.
For further information about Cause4 contact Michelle Wright Director on
[email protected] or telephone 07974 655294.
For further information about Startups Awards 2011 visit www.startups.co.uk/startups-awards or
telephone 020 8334 1680.
- ENDS -
Notes to editors:

Startups Awards media contact
David Mercer, Man Bites Dog
0844 561 1416
[email protected]
About Startups.co.uk
Startups Awards 2011 is organised by Startups.co.uk – the UK’s largest website for people starting their
own businesses. Startups provides free help and advice to 200,000 unique visitors every month.
http://www.startups.co.uk/startups-awards
The 2011 Startups Awards’ headline sponsor is NatWest. The awards are also sponsored by T-Mobile
and Companies Made Simple, part of the Made Simple Group.

Source: http://www.cause4.co.uk/home/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/111030-Final_general_release_finalists-2011-_2_-_Autosaved_1.pdf