Merci beaucoup et adieu Simone Joyaux

A sad message. Last Sunday Simone Joyaux, fundraising consultant, gifted author and speaker passed away. She appeared at fundraising conferences worldwide to wake up people. With her death, the fundraising world loses a beautiful and unique person.

Simone was known for her cage-rattling questions. Loosely translated this means that she was good at stirring things up. She always advised her clients to question everything and start a discussion that would take you further than where you started. Great advice. At the hundreds of fundraising organizations she has worked with, this has triggered the much needed change process.

The last time I saw her has been a while. In 2017 she attended the Fundraising Summer School in Ireland. With fire in her eyes, she urged every fundraiser in the room to join a non-profit board. This way everyone can experience what it is like to run a charity. And that knowledge can be used in your own work as a fundraiser. She thought it was important to better understand each other's perspective. This resulted in much better discussions in the organization.

She was one of my favorites of the many fundraising speakers I have seen over the past 20 years. And I can imagine that she was also an expert in her consultancy work. She was different from the rest. Dared to swim against the tide. She created her own sound. She was honest, but also brutally hard if necessary. She delivered change and growth in non-profits through communication, transparency and connection. She was 200% committed to the non-profit world.

The memories about Simone are currently flooding the internet. Everyone has their own memories of this special woman. Fortunately, her advice and books will have an impact for a long time to come.

I wish her husband, Tom Ahern, and everyone close to her a lot of strength in dealing with this loss.

Merci beaucoup et adieu Simone.