GEMMA DOWNHAM
Transforming Fundraising into Lasting Impact
16+ YEARS EXPERIENCE
Gemma Downham is the UK's leading specialist in Grateful Patient fundraising. She pioneered one of the first Grateful Patient programmes in the country — a model that has since inspired similar initiatives at Barts, Guys, University Hospitals Birmingham, and Great Ormond Street.
Before consulting, Gemma spent sixteen years as a fundraiser inside the NHS. She led two major capital campaigns — raising £32 million for a Children's Hospital and £8 million for a Cancer Hospital, both starting from zero prospects. She also fundraised for three surgical robots, which remains one of her career highlights.
What she learned in that time is that Grateful Patient fundraising only works when it is genuinely embedded in clinical culture. Getting clinicians to trust the process, and building organisations that can sustain it, requires a different kind of thinking — and a different kind of consultant.
She now works with NHS charities nationally on strategy, clinician engagement, team training, and feasibility - and with national health charities on frontline engagement. Recent clients include Alder Hey, CW+, Frimley, Leicester, Newcastle, Northumbria, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton as well as NHS Charities Together. Non NHS health clients include The Royal Veterinary College, Teenage Cancer Trust, and East Anglian Air Ambulance.
age Cancer Trust
SOME OF THE GREAT Fundraising Organisations I’ve Been Proud to Support
"Gemma is such a unique and thoughtful fundraiser. She brings an immense amount of warmth and compassion with her sheer experience. I would hesitate to work with anyone other than Gemma. She's the safest and surest pair of hands there is."
Fundraising Director, NHS Charity
"Gemma is a wonderful fundraiser and we miss working with her. She’s fabulous at building relationships – she is thoughtful, entrepreneurial and most importantly, listens. We never felt like she was trying to sell us something. Her approach encouraged us to introduce other donors because we felt like we were in safe hands. She’s thoughtful and communicative when there’s no pending ask. More charities need a Gemma!"
"Gemma introduced the first Grateful Patient Fundraising programme in the NHS to Cambridge University Hospitals. Since then we have seen an increase in donations and increased staff engagement with the charity"
Maxillofacial Surgeon
Roland Sinker, CEO
Cambridge University Hospitals
