2024 Annual Gathering & AGM: Friendship & Fundraising Fundamentals
Thank you for joining us...
We were delighted to hold the 2024 Annual Gathering & AGM: Friendship & Fundraising Fundamentals on Saturday, 23 November 2024, at Edinburgh City Chambers.
Friendship remains at the heart of the Scotland-Malawi relationship, with inspirational stories of longstanding two-way links, fruitful connections, and signs of new growth shared throughout the day.
The event provided a valuable opportunity to network and discover who is working where and with whom in Malawi. This year, we placed an even greater emphasis on storytelling, highlighting its importance for mutual encouragement, collaboration, and learning. The Members' Marketplace this year was a little different, each stallholder had the opportunity to pitch their charity to attendees for 90 seconds, giving them a chance to share their impactful work and foster new connections.
The draft minutes from the event will be added at a later date. These will be formally approved by members at the 2025 AGM.
We have created a folder of images, you are welcome to download your choice of images from the day here.
(Thank you to Kirsty Stroma for the photography and Alan Jones for the videography.)

Fundraising Panellists
This year’s Annual Gathering was themed Friendship & Fundraising Fundamentals, and it brought together inspiring voices and valuable insights to support SMP members’ fundraising efforts. In a challenging economic climate, we heard from panellists with successful track records in fundraising for different sizes of for not-for-profits who offered practical insights.

Steve Sloan
Steve has experience of fund-raising at every level from just needing to keep a small organisation afloat and pay the mortgage to Director of Development , fund-raising CEO and Chairperson. He’s been CEO of a Fund-raising and Marketing Consultancy company serving the needs of over 200 clients from the tiny to International NGOs in the UK, Europe and the USA. His personal targets achieved range from 150 pounds to 42 million dollars and everything in-between.
Successful Fund-raising Checklist

Tracy Morse
Tracy is a Professor of environmental health and head of centre for Sustainable Development at University Strathclyde she is also a Trustee in the small charity Famine Relief for Orphans in Malawi (FROM) Scotland. A small charity based in Aberdeenshire which has gone well beyond that initial intention to help feed orphaned and vulnerable children when it was first established in 2005.

Stuart Armstrong
Stuart has had a highly successful career as a fundraiser, raising very significant sums for not-for-profit organisations in Scotland and has been a Grants Administrator for a charitable foundation for the past 20 years. He cut his teeth on Birds Eye Frozen Foods firstly as a salesman then as a brand Manager. In the 70s Stuart was Group Marketing Manager for Simba Chips in Johannesburg and then Account Director and New Business Director for Saatchi and Saatchi in Edinburgh. In 1985 he founded and managed a successful Communications Company and in 1991 became a Charity Fundraiser for major capital campaigns from initial concept to fundraising completion.
A quote from Stuart Armstrong's book titled Fundraising: The essentials for success revealed in under 1 hour: "Dale Carnegie, the great American salesman who wrote one of the first self improvement books - How to make friends and influence people: 'you will make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.'" Fundraising: The essentials for success revealed in under 1 hour is available on Amazon

Alison Spurway
Alison has had much successful experience generating funds for organisations of differing scales. Life time Girl Guide. Member of Funding Working Group for GirlGuiding Scotland. Member of Olave Baden- Powell Society (international donors to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) Fund raising for University of Glasgow Settlement and The Children's Wood
Videos from the Fundraising Fundamentals panel discussion with the speakers can be found here.
Prof Cubie stepped down as Chair of the Scotland Malawi Partnership November 2024.
Heather’s unwavering dedication, spanning three terms as a Trustee since 2016, has left a lasting mark on the organisation.
Serving on both the Audit and Finance Committee and the HR Committee, Heather took on the role of Chair in 2019, leading with passion and vision. Beyond her contributions to SMP, Heather has been deeply involved in life-changing cervical cancer screening and treatment initiatives in Malawi.Through two Scottish Government-funded projects, her work has transformed lives:
- From 2013-2016, Heather supported efforts at Nkhoma Mission Hospital and 10 surrounding health centres.
- The MALSCOT project (2018-2024), led by Dr. Christine Campbell of the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, with the work of Mrs Beatrice Kabota, has been pivotal.
Together, these programmes have reached approximately 150,000 women, providing vital cervical screening and ensuring 70% of those with early lesions received same-day treatment.Heather’s commitment to improving healthcare and strengthening the bonds between Scotland and Malawi has been truly inspiring.
Zikomo kwambiri, Prof Cubie for your exceptional leadership and service.

The Annual Gathering will include the 2024 SMP AGM.
SMP members can join the AGM online via the registration page.
Please see link to relevant documents below:
- The SMP AGM Agenda is available here.
- The minutes of the SMP’s 2023 AGM were agreed by (proposed by Emma Wood and seconded by Caroline Beaton)
- The SMP’s 2023-24 Annual Accounts.
- The Trustee application briefing.
Annual Gathering Holding Slides