Charity cheerleader Jane steps into award spotlight

A nationwide search for Britain's most inspiring charity entrepreneur has homed-in on Chester - and a 28-year-old marketing manager with a taste for adventure.

Jane Whittle of ACF Car Finance has been named by the government-backed Institute of Fundraising as a candidate for its most prestigious personal honour.

The institute's outstanding individual award is given annually to the person considered to have made the most exceptional achievements to encourage payroll giving in an organisation.

Jane emerged this week as one of just five people in Britain to be put in line for the accolade.

The overall winner of the "best individual contribution" honour will be announced at the National Payroll Giving Awards in London on 30 October at the HM Treasury office.

Jane's shortlisting followed an assessment by award judges of her work at the company, a subsidiary of The Funding Corporation, to inspire payroll giving among the firm's 180-plus staff.

Since joining the Chester Business Park company just over five years ago, Jane has thrown herself headlong - often quite literally - into fundraising for various good causes.

In the past she has skydived from a plane flying at 14,000 feet, plunged 750-feet on a zip-wire from the top of Manchester's Imperial War Museum, and abseiled from a Leeds office tower.

Organisations benefiting from her dare-devil antics - and those of other staff who joined her - include Chester's Hospice of the Good Shepherd, and the national motor industry charity BEN.

But it has been Jane's work this year in drumming up support for payroll giving which has earned her a place on the podium at the Institute of Fundraising's 2012 awards.

Judges were especially impressed with Jane's organisation of a national roadshow to encourage staff to make regular charitable donations, deducted at source from their salary.

She launched the event at The Funding Corporation's Chester offices, and then took the multi-media roadshow around the country to the ACF Car Finance network of regional car dealerships.

The success of the event helped ACF Car Finance this year to become one of just 30 UK companies receiving a top platinum award for payroll giving from the Institute of Fundraising.

A resident of Chester, and an honours graduate in marketing management from Manchester Metropolitan University, Jane chairs the charity committee at The Funding Corporation:

"It's fantastic to have been singled out from the thousands of British businesses and organisations which are involved in payroll giving," said Jane.

"But although I'm really looking forward to the awards ceremony in London next month, I don't think I would be making the journey if it hadn't been for everyone else who works here.

"The management at The Funding Corporation are incredibly supportive of charity work, and have a very generous policy of doubling up all the money raised for donations.

"We've also got an amazing staff team in Chester who are only too willing to give up their time and to put their hands in their pockets for our various good causes.

"If I had my way, I'd put all their names on the shortlist next to mine!" added Jane.

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ACF Car Finance is Britain's leading supplier of high-quality used cars to people whose credit status might otherwise prevent them from obtaining used car finance. ACF Car Finance has earned a strong reputation within the finance and motor industry for its standards of customer care, and the quality of the friendly, professional advice provided by members of its fully-trained team. The company has a Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ACFCarFinance, and can be followed on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ACFCarFinance.

ACF Car Finance Limited. Registered in England number 4757280. Registered office address: International House, Kingsfield Court, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9RF.

For further information, please contact:
Jane Whittle
Marketing Manager
01244 625 683
07974 328 194
[email protected]