Roger Pitman

Roger is NOTDEC UK's Treasurer. 

Being retired from local government planning  he's very familiar with spreadsheets, accounts and budgets.  So he's exactly what we need to keep NOTDEC UK’s finances on track, and to support NOTDEC Uganda's accountant Annah as she learns how to adjust her budgets in the light of the latest expenditure figures.

And it's not just what Roger knows that is ideal for NOTDEC UK.  Who he knows is spot on too.  For example, Roger has a daughter who is a professional charity fundraiser.  Not ony has Roger asked for her help and advice, but he's also quizzed her about whether finding more child sponsors might need a different approach from general fundraising say to drill a well or buy a new pickup truck.  So now Roger is looking into charitable trusts to see where they might be willing to help.

Better still, Roger is also interested in making things work better.  NOTDEC UK, for example, has to claim back tax paid by all the supporters kind enough to Gift Aid their donations.  First off, he did it the way NOTDEC UK has always done it - with a manual claim to HMRC every six months.  But  then he found a software package which - when he'd set it up - will do it all automatically, and monthly!  That's less effort and better cashflow.  He's also got us a card reader – allowing us to take card donations – for even less effort and even better cash flow!

All this makes sense.  If Roger isn't wasting weeks reclaiming Gift Aid and paying in cheques, he'll have even more time to look for the most relevant charitable trusts, and figure out how best to persuade them to help NOTDEC UK.  And that too is something that interests our Roger!