Our Team

Staff list

Cian Murphy

Co Managing Director

Cian is Co Managing Director of nfpResearch alongside Tim Harrison-Byrne. Cian and Tim are responsible for all aspects of nfpResearch's work. Cian oversees all of nfpResearch's bespoke research, helping charities frame, understand and resolve their research questions around brand, audiences, fundraising, communications, stakeholders and more.

Cian is an expert in quantitative research design and analysis and takes the lead on a range of client projects, from proposition and message testing, to audience research and attitudinal segmentation. He is also responsible for ensuring the quality of our research across the board.

Cian is a frequent speaker on a number of charity topics and has spoken at the International Fundraising Congress, The Wheel's Annual Conference, The Irish National Volunteer Management Conference, the Institute of Fundraising Scottish Conference and Trust Fundraising Conference, as well as multiple CharityComms events. He has also authored reports on a range of topics including charity brands and media spend, global fundraising and charity finance.

As well as working at nfpResearch, Cian has previously worked at the British Red Cross in the Fundraising Strategy department, and at the Charities Advisory Trust

cian.murphy@nfpresearch.com

Tim Harrison-Byrne

Co Managing Director

Tim is Co Managing Director of nfpResearch alongside Cian Murphy. Tim and Cian are responsible for all aspects of nfpResearch's work. Tim oversees all of nfpResearch's trend research, helping charities engage more effectively with their public, political and key stakeholder audiences. Tim advises clients on how perceptions of their brand have changed over time, as well as what broader societal trends mean for charities.

Tim has delivered projects ranging from campaign and brand evaluations to stakeholder audits and strategy development. Tim leads on nfpResearch’s tracking research with the general public, MPs, journalists and healthcare professionals, and regularly presents to various internal teams within charities.

Tim is a frequent speaker on a number of charity topics and has spoken at the International Fundraising Congress, The Wheel’s Annual Conference, the Institute of Fundraising’s National Fundraising Convention, UCL’s Global Citizenship Programme and multiple CharityComms events. He has also authored reports on trust in charities and donors’ perceptions on GDPR.
Before joining nfpResearch, Tim worked in corporate research for three years, and prior to that worked for an MP.

timothy.harrison-byrne@nfpresearch.com

Alix Moussy

Alix Moussy

Research Assistant

Alix joined nfpResearch in May 2023 as a Research Assistant for the Public Audiences Team, after completing a master’s in Sociology (Culture and Society) at the London School of Economics. There, she honed her research skills and explored interdisciplinary cultural sociology. This gave her a new angle with which to explore societal issues, which complemented her BA European Social and Political Studies at UCL.

In between her BA and MA, she worked at a local social and cultural centre in Paris, where she raised awareness around eco-living in urban settings, as well as taking part in community-building activities.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing football, volunteering at a food bank and going on long walks accompanied by a good podcast or some friends, as well as improving her cooking skills recipe by recipe.

alix.moussy@nfpresearch.com

Anne-Sophie Liv

Research Lead

Anne-Sophie joined nfpResearch in May 2017. She currently leads on the Celtic Charity Awareness Monitor (CCAM) whilst also supporting research in the wider Public Audiences team including the Charity Awareness Monitor (CAM). 

Before joining nfpResearch Anne-Sophie worked for three years in market research agencies focusing on brand and communication research, tracking and segmentation projects. She holds an MSc in Quantitative Marketing /Market Research from the IAE of Grenoble (France).

In her spare time, Anne-Sophie enjoys travelling and exploring new places, getting lost in translation, yoga, and occasionally fails at baking healthy cakes.

anne-sophie.liv@nfpresearch.com

Ben Roberts

Marketing Coordinator

Ben joined nfpResearch in April 2022 and manages our marketing, media output, and communications.

He is a graduate from the University of Nottingham, receiving a BA in English in 2016 with a specific focus on language in advertising. Having worked as a marketing administrator for the university, he then spent time working in PR and communications at London based agencies supporting the property sector, specialising in supporting tech start-ups.

Ben spends his spare time volunteering with his local food-bank, attending and (on occasion) participating in comedy nights, and is a lover of film.

ben.roberts@nfpresearch.com

Berni White

Head of Finance and People

Berni first joined nfpResearch as an Admin and Finance Officer in July 2015, providing admin support to the Business Team as well as completing the company's book-keeping. As Head of Finance and People, she continues with her finance role, which now includes the company payroll, as well as working in the HR dept and acting as office manager. 

She has a Professional Executive PA diploma from Pitman Training and a Level 2 Accounting qualification from AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians).

In her spare time, she is aiming to complete an AAT Level 3 Accounting qualification and is an avid theatre goer. 

berni.white@nfpresearch.com

Bijal Rama

Head of Public Audiences Research

Bijal joined nfpResearch in January 2014 and now oversees all of nfpResearch’s general public audience research including the Charity Awareness Monitor. She has worked with a number of clients across the UK and Ireland on understanding brand perceptions and engagement among target audiences. Bijal also works on bespoke and social investment reports. These have included donor segmentations and trends in trust, volunteering and fundraising.

Bijal graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2013 with a degree in Geography. She has been volunteering as a Girl Guide Leader since 2008 and is a trained workshop facilitator. One of her roles involves designing gender equality leadership workshops for girls and young women. These workshops run globally and discuss the issues girls care about and how they can become leaders for change in their own communities.

bijal.rama@nfpresearch.com

Eva Spencer

Researcher

Eva joined nfpResearch in December 2020 and primarily works with the Public Audiences team.

Before joining the nfpResearch team Eva graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in French and Linguistics, during which she spent a year in France teaching English as a second language. At the end of her studies, she completed an internship with a market research agency working in the Young Family sector.

Eva has volunteered for many years with Girlguiding UK and is passionate about supporting a local sustainability driven community-owned society. In her spare time Eva has taken up illustration and she performed regularly (before the pandemic!) with her band in their local area. 

eva.spencer@nfpresearch.com

Heather Sturgess

Head of Influencer Audiences Research

Heather joined nfpResearch in 2016 and heads up our Influencer Audiences team, helping charities evaluate and strengthen their engagement with politicians, journalists and healthcare professionals.

She holds a Masters in International Politics MA (Res) from the University of Manchester where she focused on public attitudes towards immigration. She also has a BA (Hons) in Politics with International Relations from Lancaster University. During her studies she volunteered with several Refugee Charities and worked as a tutor for a not for profit aimed at reducing the attainment gap. A supporter of Amnesty International, Heather was the secretary of her local group for a number of years. Prior to working at nfpResearch Heather worked for the NHS and has an interest in health.

Ian Scott

Ian Scott

Associate

Ian Scott has a background in both anthropology and statistics and is hugely experienced in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
 
Ian spent many years in senior roles with some of the world’s largest market research companies, managing multi-million pound accounts, conducting specialist analytics and hands-on qualitative research (focus groups etc.). He then spent time in HR consultancy with the Hay Group and following that had responsibility for legacy income with Cancer Research UK.
 
In recent years Ian has for worked as a freelance consultant providing support to organisations in technology, media, the not-for-profit sector, and to high end golf-clubs.
 
Amongst the organisations he has worked with recently are Amazon Web Services, Royal Troon Golf Club, Kings College London, the Scottish Green Party, and BBC Children in Need.
 
Ian has degrees in Social Research Methods, and Social Anthropology and Sociology

Jemma Smith

Jemma Smith

Data Processor

Jemma has been in the research industry for over 20 years since leaving University and has worked across numerous industry sectors specialising in Charity and Consumer research.

In 2015 Jemma started her own research consultancy specialising in turning vast amounts of data into meaningful insights and joined nfpResearch in September 2016 as a part time data processor.

In her spare time, Jemma enjoys walking her beloved dog Frank, caravanning and exploring new places. She has recently taken up growing her own vegetables with varying amounts of success.

jemma.smith@nfpresearch.com

Jo Fischl

Research Director

Jo is Research Director at nfpResearch. She oversees qualitative research across the company, ensuring we deliver excellent research design, moderation and analysis – as well as leading on innovation and training in qualitative methodologies. Jo manages a range of qualitative and quantitative bespoke projects, with a particular focus on understanding the needs of service users, evaluation studies and research exploring public perceptions and attitudes. Current projects include two multi-year grant evaluation projects for The Clothworkers’ Foundation.  

Jo also overseas our quarterly Sector Insight research, exploring key trends in public attitudes to charities and drawing out what they mean for our clients. Jo previously led on all of our general public audience research including nfpResearch’s Charity Awareness Monitor and continues to present on our public research at client away days. She moderates our annual focus group programme in the UK and Ireland for Charity Awareness Monitor and Irish Charity Engagement Monitor clients, exploring topical sector issues with donors.  

Jo has an MSc in Social Policy (Research) with distinction from the London School of Economics (LSE). She also has a degree in English Literature and History of Art from the University of York. Prior to joining nfpResearch, Jo worked as a researcher for a grant giving and educational charity focusing on children and young people’s issues. She has also previously worked for charities including MSI Reproductive Choices. 

jo.fischl@nfpresearch.com

Joe Saxton

Driver of Ideas

Joe Saxton founded nfpResearch (formerly known as nfpSynergy) in 2002. He stepped down from his role as Driver of Ideas after selling the company to colleagues Cian and Tim in Autumn 2021. Joe still works on a range of specific projects, especially those that look at strategic advice on fundraising or communications, or wider organisational issues. He has co-authored over 70 reports on charities from branding to trusteeship and organisational strategy.

Joe was chair of the Institute of Fundraising from 2005-2008. He was co-founder and chair of CharityComms from 2006 to 2013, and chair of the student environment and development campaign group People & Planet from 2005 to 2015. For six years he was a trustee of the RSPCA and chair of both the Public Affairs and International committees. He is now chair of the Parentkind which has over 14,000 members and aims to develop parent engagement with schools.

He was in the top ten of the most influential people in UK fundraising for over a decade, including four years in the top spot. In 2007 and 2008, he was named one of the 1000 most influential people in London by the Evening Standard. In 2009, PR Week named him as the 2nd most influential person in voluntary sector PR and communications. He was highly commended in Third Sector’s trustee award in 2013.

Before nfpResearch, Joe was Director of Communications at the RNID, Britain’s largest charity for deaf and hard of hearing people. At RNID he was responsible for PR, disability consultancy, lobbying, campaigning, policy, information and membership. He was also with Brann, the world’s largest direct marketing group, for five years and has worked with numerous charities. He co-founded the Journal of Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Marketing.

Joe lives in Keswick in the Lake District and is married with three children.

To contact Joe, email him at joe.saxton@nfpresearch.com, or call on 07976 329212.

Katharina Zistler

Katharina Zistler

Head of Projects

Katharina joined nfpResearch in February 2020 and now oversees our project work. She has worked with clients across different charity sectors on bespoke projects understanding brand perceptions, audience segments, and the needs of service users. Katharina previously supported our influencer audiences research working on the government and parliamentary monitors and tracking with journalists and healthcare professionals.

Before joining nfpResearch, Katharina worked as a researcher in academia and in the research team of a local mental health charity in London. She holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Koblenz-Landau (Germany) and a PhD in the field of Personality and Social Psychology from the Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany).

katharina.zistler@nfpresearch.com

Logan DiFranco

Logan DiFranco

Research Assistant

Logan joined nfpResearch in April 2023 as a Research Assistant for the Public Audiences Team after completing their Master's in Sociology (Media and Culture) at the University of Cambridge. There they explored mixed methods research to understand how Trans and Non-binary people use social media to inform their identities.

Before their Master's Logan spent a year teaching as an English Language Teaching Assistant in Madrid. This followed their completion of Bachelor's degrees in Public Relations and Journalism at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

In their spare time Logan loves playing football, cooking, and baking.

logan.difranco@nfpResearch.com

Mhairi Guild

Mhairi Guild

Associate

Mhairi is an experienced researcher specialising in the voluntary and social purpose sector, who has worked client and agency-side and across quantitative and qualitative research. She has experience in survey design, data analysis, depth-interviews and focus group moderation, and brings high quality analysis and reporting, tailored to audience, to her project work.
 
Mhairi previously led on research, monitoring and evaluation at Into Film, the national youth arts education charity funded by the British Film Institute, where she managed funder monitoring responsibilities, external evaluation programmes and supported internal evaluation and research competencies. She also worked at nfpResearch for many years first as a senior researcher across tracking programmes and bespoke client projects, and then heading up the Charity Awareness Monitor (CAM) on behalf of over 60 charity clients.
 
Over the years Mhairi has worked with non-profit clients including ACEVO, Action for Children, Age UK, Alzheimer’s UK, ACEVO, Care International, CLIC Sargent, London Music Masters, Macmillan, Parentkind, RSPB, Time’s UP UK, and Water Aid. She has a First-Class History degree from the University of Glasgow and an MPhil and DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where she researched policy discourses on asylum and migration in the years following 9/11.

Naomi Croft

Naomi Croft

Research Officer

Naomi joined nfpResearch in August 2022, working primarily with the Influencer Audiences team.

She graduated with a degree in BA Geography from the University of Manchester in 2021 where she focused on studies of migration, politics and (environmental) health. Naomi has done voluntary work in the UK and overseas, notably in sports and refugee charities.

In her spare time, Naomi enjoys cycling, football, listening to music and getting out into the countryside.

naomi.croft@nfpresearch.com

Nick Rand

Nick Rand

Associate

Nick is a qualitative researcher and strategic consultant. He has worked on projects with nfpResearch since 2008.
 
Nick has extensive experience in researching complex and sensitive issues, such as health, finances, identity, exclusion, bereavement; and in talking to diverse stakeholder audiences to inform strategic and brand decision-making. Nick combines his work in the not-for-profit sector with projects for government and commercial clients.
 
Nick has volunteered for NHS and community projects. Over the past 20 years, he has spent time living and working in rural East Africa; and he helped to establish an education charity that supports secondary schools across Kenya & Uganda.

Peter Dawson

Peter Dawson

Research Lead

Peter joined nfpResearch in June 2018 and supports the work undertaken by the Public Audiences team assisting on the production and delivery of the Charity Awareness Monitor.

He graduated from the University of Strathclyde in summer 2017 with a MSc in Political Research with his dissertation focusing upon the impact of increasing levels of secularisation on public attitudes to strands of social policy. Having previously obtained a BA in Politics from the same university in summer 2013, he also gained experience working as an intern with Skills Development Scotland’s Evaluation & Research department in Paisley. This followed his time as a Project Officer for a small community charity in the north west Highlands, researching development opportunities within the region. He has also carried out voluntary experience working for Citizens Advice Scotland as well as in the heritage and creative arts sectors.

During his spare time Peter is a keen runner, enjoys listening to music (including playing guitar) and stressing himself out supporting Liverpool FC!

peter.dawson@nfpresearch.com

 

 
Rachael Walton

Rachael Walton

Associate

Rachael Walton has over 25 years’ experience as a researcher. As a qualitative insight specialist, she has managed 100s of research projects and conducted 100s of focus groups and depth interviews. Rachael is a Certified Member (CMRS) of the Market Research Society.

Rachael has a breadth of experience across different sectors - charity, not for profit, government, tourism, automotive, retail. Rachael has been an associate for nfpResearch for twelve years, providing qualitative research support and training. She has researched subject areas such as fundraising, communications, legacies, attrition and retention, branding, product and service provision.

Rachael lives in North Wales, close to the mountains of Snowdonia. She enjoys the great outdoors with her partner and dogs.

Rachael has a degree in Social Sciences, majoring in Psychology from Middlesex University and spent a year at the Institute of Education. After a stint travelling abroad which included voluntary work in Peru, Rachael became interested in the concept of Responsible Tourism and completed an MSC in Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Rosie Burrells

Senior Researcher

Rosie joined nfpResearch in January 2020. She works on our general public tracking research for charities, as well as a range of bespoke audience projects, helping our clients to better understand their key stakeholders. She leads on the delivery of the Charity Brand Evaluator, measuring perceptions of brand personality and drivers of support. She has also worked extensively on applicant perception projects for some of the sector’s most influential grant-making foundations.

Before joining nfpResearch, Rosie worked as a Research Analyst and Project Assistant on the Catalyst Project at the University of Essex, where she also obtained her BA and MA in Politics. She has experience in research and policy roles with charities including Citizens Advice, CPRE and Asthma UK.

In her spare time Rosie is an avid reader and enjoys being in the countryside or by the sea.    

rosie.burrells@nfpresearch.com

Sarah Eberhardt

Sarah Eberhardt

Associate

Sarah has over fifteen years of experience in research and the not for profit sector, working with a range of charities and public bodies. As an Associate for nfpResearch, she focuses primarily on desk research and analysis, using various types of evidence and data to tackle a range of topics, such as the extent to which charity lotteries are linked to problem gambling; whether charities should charge beneficiaries for services; and issues around measuring philanthropic giving in the UK. Clients have included the Institute of Fundraising, the Lotteries Council, British Heart Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support. She has also co-authored a number of freely available reports published as part of nfpResearch’s commitment to working for the health of the not-for-profit sector.

Prior to this, as a Senior Researcher for nfpResearch Sarah gained experience in all stages of the research process from proposal writing to dissemination of findings, conducting bespoke qualitative and quantitative projects for a range of clients. Sarah has worked and volunteered for several charities, working on homelessness, poverty, supporting ex-offenders and health. She has also worked in impact evaluation and research management for universities, as well as enjoying academic study – holding qualifications in philosophy, science and religion, criminology and research methodology.

Sarah Nathan

Researcher

Sarah joined nfpResearch in October 2021. She works primarily on the Public Audiences team, which includes the delivery of our general public tracking research (Charity Awareness Monitor); she also leads on the delivery of the Charity Awareness Monitor in the devolved nations, offering unique insight into the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish general public’s view on charities. Sarah also works on a range of bespoke audience projects and on our grant maker benchmark, helping funders to create better partnerships across the sector.

Before joining nfpResearch, Sarah graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a First-Class degree in International Relations. She enjoyed developing her research skills at university and through collaboration with the charity Gingerbread working on impact evaluation data collection.

In her spare time, Sarah enjoys going rock climbing and hiking!

sarah.nathan@nfpresearch.com