Michelle Wright

Michelle is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cause4. Launched in May 2009, Cause4 offers strategic support to charities and not-for-profit organisations in the charity, arts, sports and education sectors. The company has grown rapidly and has worked with some of the country’s leading charitable organisations, including the Design Centre, National Gallery and the Roundhouse.

Cause4 has also worked in the private sector developing CSR and philanthropy programmes with organisations such as Santander, Close Brothers and Cineworld and supports the development and set up of philanthropic foundations with a host of artists, sportspeople and entrepreneurs.

A Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Ashridge Business School graduate, Michelle worked for four years as a professional violinist before joining national music education charity Youth Music in 2002. After heading up work in arts and music charities she then become Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Toynbee Hall before taking the role of Development Director at the London Symphony Orchestra.  She started Cause4 with a vision to revolutionise the charitable sector.

Cause4 has raised more than £40 million for charitable clients, has 50 members of staff (including graduates and apprentices) and works with a range of charities, social enterprises and philanthropists and their causes in the UK and internationally.

Michelle set up Cause4’s flagship Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme, which aims to address the widely-acknowledged shortage of entrepreneurial fundraising personnel in the charity sector through a 12 month programme of intensive training and development.

Cause4’s flagship programme has already trained over 30 graduates, has another six currently training and has funding from Arts Council England to support a further 75 graduates and apprentices into the sector over the next three years.