Acquires Skylark Works Ltd.
Celebrated at the House of Lords in London

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Kinetic Fundraising, a leading philanthropic consultancy headquartered in the United States, today announced the acquisition of Skylark Works Ltd., an Oxford University social venture spin out company. The announcement was made at a special event at the House of Lords in London, where Kinetic’s leadership team officially welcomed Skylark into the Kinetic family.

The event, attended by Kinetic Chairman and CEO Matt Beem, President Karin Cox, Skylark co-founder and director and Kinetic United Kingdom Managing Director Jonathan Smith, and a select group of associates and guests, included the presentation of a commemorative plaque to mark the partnership.

“Kinetic and Skylark share a common belief: philanthropy is a force that builds stronger communities and a better world,” said Matt Beem, Chairman and CEO of Kinetic Fundraising. “This partnership allows us to expand our reach, deepen our expertise and serve nonprofit organizations on a global scale.”

Founded in 1987 with global headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, Kinetic has guided fundraising campaigns across North America, helping organizations raise billions to advance missions in education, healthcare, human services and the arts. Skylark Works Ltd. was co-founded by Jonathan Smith and has provided strategic support to UK-based charities and donors since its creation in 2020.

“Our experience is that the main issue facing our charitable friends in the UK is a shortage of long-term strategic funding which inevitably has a detrimental effect on their capacity to plan and manage with any certainty,” said Jonathan Smith. “We knew of Kinetic’s work, its commitment to growing philanthropy and saw an exciting opportunity to collaborate to the benefit of all parties.”

Baroness Jan Royall, who hosted the House of Lords event, is a former Principal of Somerville College, Oxford and sat on Skylark’s Board as an observer for Oxford University. She said, “Skylark was set up during the pandemic as a result of work that had been done by the University’s Careers Service and Jonathan Smith. We are delighted that the work undertaken and Skylark’s reputation have appealed to a bigger player like Kinetic. This move is particularly encouraging because it represents only the second ever exit of one of the University’s social ventures and provides the perfect springboard for even greater impact over the years ahead.”

“This is a proud moment for Skylark and for Oxford’s community of social ventures,” said Philippa Christoforou, Social Ventures Lead at Oxford University Innovation. “Seeing a venture born from the University’s social impact ecosystem join forces with an international leader like Kinetic is exactly the kind of global collaboration we want to inspire.”

The merger strengthens Kinetic’s position as a global leader in philanthropy consulting and underscores its commitment to delivering innovative strategies, creative communications and impactful results.

Read reflections from Kinetic Chairman and CEO Matt Beem → A Milestone Day for Kinetic

Media Contact
Karin Cox
President, Kinetic Fundraising
+1.910.465.1053
kcox@kineticfundraising.com