The Institute of Development Professionals in Education

What The Institute of Development Professionals in Education does

The Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Bath with an operational office in Bristol. It operates as the UK's only dedicated membership organisation specifically for schools' development professionals, advancing professional practice in fundraising, alumni relations, and community engagement across the independent, state, and international school sectors in the UK and Ireland.

IDPE's core offering is a tiered institutional membership (£500–£800 per year depending on school type and size, £525 for international schools) that gives every staff member at a member school access to training webinars, regional meetings, specialist forums, an online community, a resource library, and benchmarking research. The membership is supported by a structured product line: four training programmes (New to Development, Fundraising for School Leaders, Fundraising for School Bursars, and Fundraising for School Governors' Support Service), a co-branded Certificate in Fundraising with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF), biennial benchmarking reports, the annual 'Fundraising futures' sector report, and a two-day Annual Conference. Distribution is direct-to-school via the idpe.org.uk website, with channel endorsement from GSA, HMC, and ISBA and sponsorship from EdTech and consulting vendors such as Blackbaud, ToucanTech, Huron, and Almabase.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across recurring school subscriptions, per-programme training fees (£520–£1,195), conference ticket sales (£295–£660), benchmarking report sales, and corporate partnership fees. A wholly-owned trading subsidiary, IDPE Trading Ltd, handles commercial activities. The organisation is run by a senior management team of three (CEO Louise Bennett, COO Vicky Roe, Finance Director Emma Bendall) supported by ~8–9 functional staff, and is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Melanie Bushell that includes serving school heads and development directors.

Name

The Institute of Development Professionals in Education

Legal name

The Institute of Development Professionals in Education

Website

https://idpe.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IDPE is the UK's only dedicated membership organisation for schools' development professionals, providing subscriptions, training programmes, benchmarking research, and an annual conference to independent, state, and international schools across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from schools based on type and size. Independent schools pay £600-£800 annually depending on pupil numbers. State schools pay £500-£600 annually. International schools pay £525 annually.
2. Professional Development Training Programmes: Revenue from training programmes including New to Development (£995-£1195), Fundraising for School Leaders (£595), Fundraising for School Bursars (£520), and Fundraising for Governors' Support Service.
3. Annual Conference: Revenue from the two-day Annual Conference with ticket prices ranging from £295-£660 per person depending on membership status and attendance days. Additional revenue from sponsorships.
4. Benchmarking Reports: Sale of benchmarking reports: 2022 report costs £30 for hard copy, 2023 update report available to members in resource library or £10 for non-members.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnership fees from organizations supporting the schools' development sector, offering marketing and networking opportunities at events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IDPE is a UK membership organisation that provides training, resources, benchmarking research, and networking for schools' development (fundraising and alumni relations) professionals. Its core commercial offerings include annual school memberships, structured training programmes (Fundraising for School Leaders, New to Development, Fundraising for School Bursars, and Governors' Support Service), the IDPE and CIoF Certificate in Fundraising, the two-day Annual Conference, and benchmarking/sector reports.

Product overview

IDPE is a membership organisation offering a portfolio of professional development programmes and services for schools' development professionals. The core offerings include structured training programmes (Fundraising for School Leaders, New to Development, Fundraising for School Bursars, Fundraising for School Governors' Support Service), the IDPE Annual Conference, the IDPE and CIoF Certificate in Fundraising qualification, benchmarking research reports, and membership access to resources, regional meetings, and specialist forums. The organisation also publishes a monthly e-bulletin and sector-specific reports like the Fundraising Futures Report.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fundraising for School Leaders Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools that have invested in development have been able to realise significant philanthropic support to advance their strategic objectives
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered gold sponsor, silver sponsor, core partner and minor.

• ToucanTechgold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing fundraising software solutions for schools. Co-founder Sian Morley-Smith serves on the 2026 Conference Committee.
• Blackbaudgold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor specialising in fundraising and financial management software for non-profits and schools.
• Huron Consulting Groupgold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing advancement consulting services for independent schools. Sponsors Sunday Leadership Forum.
• PTLY (Potentiality)gold sponsorTechnology or IntegrationConference sponsor and provider of the IDPE Online Community platform. Platform provides membership management and online community functionality for IDPE members.
• SuperKind Fundraisinggold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor specialising in pupil-led fundraising programmes and student engagement. CEO Keren Mitchell speaks at conference sessions.
• Affixxius Filmssilver sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing video production services for campaign communications in schools.
• Almabasesilver sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing alumni engagement and fundraising platform solutions.
• Baines Cutler Solutions Ltdgold sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing school identity and positioning consultancy services.
• Cairney & Companysilver sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing senior leadership placement and development consulting for schools.
• GSA (Girls' Schools Association)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSA provides support and endorsement for IDPE's Fundraising for School Leaders programme. Collaboration with heads of GSA member schools.
• HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHMC provides support and endorsement for IDPE's Fundraising for School Leaders programme. Collaboration with heads of HMC member schools.
• ISBA (Independent Schools' Bursars Association)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerISBA formally endorses IDPE's Fundraising for School Bursars programme as essential training for bursars and finance directors of independent schools.
• Gifted Philanthropycore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded benchmarking reports: IDPE and Gifted Philanthropy Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2022 and 2023. Joint research partnership for sector-wide data collection.
• CIoF (Chartered Institute of Fundraising)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDPE partners with CIoF to offer the IDPE and CIoF Certificate in Fundraising - a year-long training programme (mainly remote with two blocks of two study days) providing professional qualification for those working in schools' fundraising.
• Corporate Bursary SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner14 corporate partners funded sponsored day places at the 2026 Annual Conference for schools that could not otherwise attend due to travel budget constraints.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA): UK membership body for bursars and business leaders of independent schools, formally endorsing IDPE's Fundraising for School Bursars programme. Overlaps in audience (independent school leadership), training, and advocacy.
• Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC): UK membership body for heads of leading independent schools, co-endorser of IDPE's Fundraising for School Leaders programme. A direct peer in the same independent school ecosystem with overlapping training and events.
• Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF): UK professional body for fundraisers across all sectors. Co-delivers the IDPE and CIoF Certificate in Fundraising with IDPE and offers overlapping training, conferences, and policy advocacy — the closest UK-based peer in mission and product.
• Girls' Schools Association (GSA): UK membership body for heads of girls' independent schools, co-endorser of IDPE's Fundraising for School Leaders programme. Direct peer with similar size, mission, and member base.

Others

• GEMS Education Solutions: Large global K-12 education operator. A useful scale comparable for understanding the economics of the broader international schools market that IDPE's international tier addresses, though not a direct product peer.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): Global professional association for individual fundraising professionals. Comparable in training, certification, and conference offerings to IDPE, though not education-specific — represents the international incumbent model IDPE could evolve toward.
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Global nonprofit membership body serving advancement, alumni relations, fundraising, and communications professionals across education. Operates at a far larger scale and international footprint than IDPE, with similar training, conferences, and benchmarking — making it the most relevant strategic comparable and a potential cross-border competitor.

Regional players

• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): UK umbrella body for the voluntary sector offering training, research, and advocacy to charities and nonprofits. Shares IDPE's UK nonprofit, training-led model and produces comparable research and sector publications.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS): US membership association for independent schools, providing training, research, advocacy, and benchmarking to a comparable school client base. A useful US peer and potential model for international expansion of the IDPE model.

Emerging players

• Gifted Philanthropy: UK consultancy co-producing IDPE's benchmarking reports. A specialist emerging player in school philanthropy research and advisory, with partial product overlap (research and benchmarking).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idpe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Institute of Development Professionals in Education