Lisa Johnston

I've spent most of my career inside big household name charities — helping them grow their income, transform services, and bring new ideas to market. It was fantastic work, and I got to do some genuinely remarkable things alongside some remarkable people. But I kept noticing that the smaller organisations — the ones doing vital, irreplaceable work in their communities — didn't have access to the kind of expertise I was working with every day. That's why I set up Bid Buddy. I wanted to take everything I'd learned over twenty years and put it to work for the organisations that needed it most. Not just bid writing support — though I do that too — but the kind of strategic thinking that helps you understand your whole funding landscape, figure out where the real opportunities are, and build something that actually works for your organisation. Sometimes that means writing a compelling application. Sometimes it means helping you face a much harder question about your future. I'm APMP certified, hold a PG Cert in Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy, and am a Senior Fundraising Fellow. Over the course of my career I've helped organisations raise more than £150 million. But what I'm most proud of is the work I've done with smaller organisations finding their feet — and the ones facing their hardest moments — where the right outside perspective made all the difference.