David is an experienced self-employed specialist, able to draw on 20 years’ of varied experience from working to support the third sector. Key areas of focus include:
Although based on Wirral, David works nationally with clients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He specialises in offering support that enables organisations to understand their position, develop evidence-led business models, and create financially viable futures. He has been previously employed in local authority, private sector and third sector organisations; enabling him to draw on a rich experience of viewpoints and reference real life examples of what works (and what might not).
David has a genuine passion for creating a positive difference for the organisations he works with - and is generally considered a nice guy to work with!
“Having worked with David Waterfall previously I had no hesitation in recommending him as the consultant of choice to the board of White House Cancer Support. David has a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding all aspects affecting both charities and social enterprises and due to the charity recently experiencing unexpected radical funding cuts, the support provided by David was second to none. By working with David we were able to work through our obstacles; with his support we felt inspired to think out of the box, to take calculated risks, and try different approaches to reach our end goal. We are now in a much stronger financial position, able to support more individuals, and we have retained all our team, and much of this is due to the support given by David.”
CEO, White House Cancer Support
David has successfully worked with a broad range of organisations over his career, spanning numerous sectors, commissioned directly by the client themselves, by an infrastructure body (such as a CVS, or funder), and by their statutory sector partners (such as local authority, or CCG).
Within this he has worked with a range of sizes of group – from small-scale volunteer-led local groups, through larger organisations that have a borough or regional focus, to umbrella style businesses that have a national focus – and all sizes in between with turnover from £ thousands to £ multi-million.
He has also worked across many sectors during his career; reflecting the breadth and innovation found within the third sector. Although recent trends have seen a lot of interest within health and social care, arts and culture, and also heritage sectors.
Examples may be found on his website, or please ask for any client case studies and testimonials that can always be provided, tailored to your specific project requirements.
“David knows the third sector inside and out, and was the obvious choice for the role. He engaged a range of civil society organisations through a wide range of techniques to understand their needs, explore their barriers, and identify how to harness innovation for the future. He did this quickly, and flexibly. The findings have helped the authority to fundamentally redesign the way we engage and commission with the sector. "
Commissioner, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Examples of David’s endorsements and approvals include:
• Business Development and Management Consultant, NL Heritage Fund
• Business and Financial Advisor for Arts Council England
• Approved Consultant for Lloyds Bank Foundation
• Advisor to Wales Co-operative Centre for Social Business Wales
• Liverpool City Region LEP approved Growth Hub Advisor
• Approved Provider for Start-up Support in Greater Manchester
• Approved Social Investment Mentor for Big Society Capital
• Preferred Supplier for the EU funded Advice Skills Academy
• Approved Provider for Stronger Communities across North Yorkshire
• Associate for Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations
• Active approved mentor for the Small Charities Coalition
• Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts
• Associate of the Chartered Management Institute
• Certificate Level 5 in Management Mentoring
• ‘Best Third Sector Enterprise Consultant 2019’ awarded by SME News
David has been a third sector consultant for some 20 years; historically as lead consultant for several national consultancies that enabled him to have the pleasure of supporting the growth of hundreds of third sector organisations, and since 2015 continuing the support in a self-employed capacity.
David is a ‘go-to’ consultant for several national funders and support agencies, and in a voluntary capacity co-ordinates community enterprise in an area of woodland in North Wales, and is an advisor to an autism-focused CIC. He also provides pro-bono mentoring to organisations that are struggling and that have ideals and values similar to his own, especially around environmental and humanitarian aid.
“David proved to be an excellent appointment. He provided excellent support and
advice and made everything so much easier for us, transferring his knowledge and skills, and supporting the team through the process at all times. It would have been impossible to carry out all of this ourselves. His expertise was very reassuring and he worked well with tight time constraints. I would definitely work with David again.”
Manager, Dudley CVS