DM charity offers £200,000 to safeguard industry

rosemary smithThe charitable institution created from the merger of the IDM Trust and the Direct Marketing Foundation – dubbed The DM Trust – is offering a total of £200,000 to groups, individuals or organisations with initiatives designed to raise the standards of the DM industry, either through nurturing talent or promoting responsible marketing best practice.
The Trust’s mission is to create a sustainable future for one-to-one marketing by raising and distributing funds to support the best new talent coming into the industry and promoting fairness to consumers.
Rosemary Smith (pictured), co-founder of Opt-4 and the previous chair of the DM Foundation, is the first chair of the new group.
The initial board of trustees includes representatives from both merged charities in equal number. Caroline Worboys, who served as chair of the IDM Trust for 10 years and Future Foundation founder Melanie Howard, acting chair during the merger, will continue to serve as trustees.
Other new trustees include principal lecturer at the University of Greenwich Matthew Housden, former Experian managing director David Coupe and political and communications professional Mike Harrison.
Smith said: “The future of the one-to-one marketing industry depends on both the talent coming in, and how consumers interact with what we do. The formation of the DM Trust has created a charity that has the experience to address both of these challenges to create a sustainable future for our industry.
“We welcome applications from anyone with an initiative that promotes and extends responsible marketing, whether by best practice or educating the next generation of marketing talent.”
The DM Trust comprises two distinct grant-giving committees to distribute dedicated funds: the Derek Holder Legacy Fund and the Consumer Grants Fund.
Funds left by IDM founder Derek Holder are dedicated to delivering the Derek Holder Bursaries and other awards to attract talent into the industry
The DM Trust intends to distribute the Derek Holder Legacy Fund, totalling £500,000, over the next five years. It will support the IDM Summer School for a minimum of three years and will also provide bursaries to talented young practitioners seeking to enter or advance in the one-to-one marketing profession.
Howard commented: “The Derek Holder Legacy Fund will be earmarked to honour Derek’s memory and make the best use of the legacy that he left – supporting young people to learn about and enter the profession that he so loved. This means young marketers entering the profession can apply today for support to access the training and qualifications they could not otherwise afford.”
The DM Foundation will contribute its remaining funds to support consumer orientated projects through the Consumer Grants Fund. More than £200,000 will be earmarked for grants to projects that help to increase consumer trust in the one-to-one marketing industry. The Trust will continue to support efforts to prevent any negative impact from marketing, especially on those who are disadvantaged, less able, or vulnerable.

Related stories
DM Foundation to dish out grants
DM charity hands grant to DMA
DM charity offers education grants
Industry pays tribute to visionary Holder