Who are the figures leading the way in fundraising and philanthropy?

Challenging the false narratives

“I am a Ghanaian diaspora,” says Dilys K Winterkorn, adviser and researcher in African and African diaspora philanthropy. “Growing up in the UK, I was always reminded of the negative depictions of Africa and the false narratives of Africa’s growth and development. I wanted to challenge that.”

After studying geography and development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Winterkorn interned at Ghana’s Ministry of Education and a private foundation. “But I fell into fundraising on my return to the UK. I don’t think many fundraisers choose their profession; however, I saw the value of resource mobilisation and distribution, which was a huge benefit when I started to work in programme development because it equipped me with an enterprising mindset and the ability to communicate the work to different audiences.”