About Us

Factary is Europe’s leading prospect research agency, offering unrivalled experience and special skills. Over 85% of our clients would either recommend our services to a friend or colleague if asked – or have already done so.1

  • Factary is highly approachable.
  • Factary cares strongly about data security.
  • Factary is responsive.
  • Factary is flexible.
  • Factary gives clear answers.

All the above phrases were with agreed with by more than 80% of respondents to a customer satisfaction survey conducted by Factary.2

  1. In customer surveys conducted in 2010 and 2011, a total of 87% of customers said that they would recommend Factary for the service they received. Of these, almost half (36% overall) reported that they had already made a recommendation.
  2. Respondents to our customer surveys in 2010 and 2011 gave average scores to Factary for various attitude indicators as follows:
    • Data security – 8.6 out of 10
    • Approachability- 8.5 out of 10
    • Speed of response – 8.2 out of 10
    • Flexibility – 8.2 out of 10
    • Clarity – 8.6 out of 10

Why Factary’s clients are satisfied

Here’s a few reason why our customers may think so highly of our services.

  • We are experienced. Factary was founded in 1990 and since then has worked with hundreds of non-profit organisations, from the local through the regional to the national and international levels.
  • As well as our thorough understanding of the UK non-profit sector, we also operate internationally. We regularly undertake research in many parts of the world, though our focus is on the UK and Europe. In the US, we partner with the highly respected Helen Brown Group.
  • We are able to support our research services with a variety of consultancy and training offerings, including advice on data security and protection.
  • We work with both philanthropists and fundraisers. Factary is active with philanthropic investors, helping them to find partners – we aim to build bridges between philanthropists and fundraisers.

A bit more detail

Our Approach

Factary is an ethical business built on non-profit values. Our aim is to bring fundraisers and philanthropists together to share knowledge for good.

Our approach is to provide services that meet the needs of our non-profit clients, including time- and labour-saving subscription services, bespoke research and consultancy services.

Major Gifts

Factary has experience of major gift and gift upgrade programmes, for both national and international non-profits, in education, cultural, social and environmental programmes.

Philanthropists

Factary actively works with philanthropists and is a member of the European Foundation Centre.

Factary has privileged connections with venture philanthropists in Europe as a member of the European Venture Philanthropy Association.

Training

Special skills in training and in the design and delivery of high-quality and well-supported courses in fundraising.

Truly international

We have experience and knowledge of the workings and practice in international and cross-border fundraising. We regularly conduct research across the UK, Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and have experience of research in the Middle East, an area of increasing philanthropic interest.

Leadership

Factary’s team has substantial knowledge of the private-sector funding scene in the UK and Europe. Our team has over 40 years’ of combined experience in prospect research.

Factary’s Chair, Chris Carnie is the author of Fundraising from Europe (Chapel & York, 2003) and How Philanthropy is Changing in Europe (Policy Press, 2017).

Studies

We have published several studies and research pieces in the field of philanthropy.

For example, for three years from 2012 to 2014 Factary produced the Foundations of Wealth report, focusing on the Ultra High Net Worth Individuals and High Net Worth Individuals who founded grant-making trusts and foundations in those years. In 2016 these foundations were revisited to assess their financial performance, and what this meant for hopeful beneficiaries.

In 2017 we published an in-depth report into the philanthropic activities of the chairs of the UK’s FTSE100, including biographical information, key professional and philanthropic interests and details of links to other FTSE100 Chairpersons.