Testimonials

Helen has the very rare combination of thorough strategic understanding and thorough practical execution. Her ability to put policy into practice and turn words into actions set her apart in the sector. She delivers. Would I recommend her? In a heartbeat.

Andrew McIntyre, Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre 

Helen gives trusted advice and is always transparent and even-handed, clearly explaining her relationship with CRM system suppliers. There was absolutely no agenda from that perspective and she is entirely focused on the organisations solution.

Doug Buist, Head of CRM & Brand, Shakespeare’s Globe

“We really valued her expertise, wisdom and ability to identify our needs succinctly”

“We worked with Helen on procurement and implementation of the organisations first CRM system. We really valued her expertise, wisdom and ability to identify our needs succinctly, and would not hesitate to recommend her.”

Helen Willmott, Executive Director, Revoluton Arts

“We would highly recommend Helen for any kind of CRM support and consulting on audience development.”

“We have been working with Helen Dunnett over the past year, and she has been incredibly helpful, efficient, insightful, and a brilliant colleague. Helen helped us to set up our CRM processes, including choosing the correct CRM for our needs, and helped us prioritise our audience engagement strategy. We would highly recommend Helen for any kind of CRM support and consulting on audience development.”

Sim Eldem, Head of Communications, English Pen

“Helen gave us confidence in navigating the complex world of venue ticketing and audience data”

“We engaged Helen at a critical point in the launch process of our new concert hall. She took time to understand our specific requirements whilst also being extremely responsive to our relentlessly tight deadlines! Working with Helen gave us confidence in navigating the complex world of venue ticketing and audience data. Thank you Helen for everything you did to help us launch The Tung Auditorium at The University of Liverpool.”

Richard Hartwell, Artistic Director, The Tung Auditorium

“thorough and intuitive, quickly getting to the root of the problem and suggesting workable solutions”

“I've known Helen for more than 7 years, and always found her to be thorough and intuitive, quickly getting to the root of the problem and suggesting workable solutions. Most recently Helen has helped us to streamline our data systems and source potential CRM partners for our charity. I can't recommend Helen highly enough for all things data and systems!”

Emma Oaks, Marketing & Audience Development Manager, Level Centre

“knowledgable, personable and thoroughly experienced... Helen worked closely with our teams and saw directly to the heart of our needs as a complex organisation.”

“I have worked with Helen over the last year and I've found her to be knowledgeable, personable and thoroughly experienced. Helen helped us to procure a full CRM system (ticketing, retail, catering, fundraising and stakeholder management) and I highly recommend her. Helen worked closely with our teams, saw directly to the heart of our needs as a complex organisation, understood our goals and challenges, and supported us throughout the identification and procurement process. I couldn't recommend her more highly!”

Rebecca Williams, Head of Development, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

“knowledgable, efficient and straightforward... I highly recommend Helen for any kind of review or streamlining of digital processes.”

“Helen was recommended to me by Arts Council England's Digital Culture Network and we couldn't be happier with the work she did for us at Hospital Rooms. I have found her to be knowledgable, efficient and straight forward in her approach. Helen helped us with a data audit and with updating our privacy and data policies. I highly recommend Helen for any kind of review or streamlining of these kinds of digital processes. Thank you Helen!”

Niamh White, Co-Founder, Hospital Rooms

“professional, responsive and adaptive to our needs”

“I have known Helen Dunnett for approx. 10 months, having engaged her services to lead on our CiviCRM Development Project.I found her to be professional, responsive and adaptive to our needs. She has helped us to put together a Development Brief for our chosen contractors and engaged with our team to scope the best CRM system for us. I highly recommend Helen for any kind of consultancy work around CRM systems.”

Juliet Thomas, Assistant Manager, South East Museum Development Programme

“a remarkable talent for empowering people to embrace learning, development and working in different ways”

“Helen has supported my team on a protracted five-year journey through scoping and procuring a CRM system and her input has been tireless and always encouraging. Her knowledge, experience, patience, good humour and industry relationships have been invaluable every step along the way.

Helen has always made time to truly listen and understand our processes before making suggestions and has a remarkable talent for empowering people to embrace learning, development and working in different ways. Our journey is only just beginning but we would not have got this far without Helen and we'll most definitely be asking for her contribution in our next steps.”

Rebecca Weaver, Programming & Marketing Manager, King George's Hall Blackburn & Darwin Library Theatre

“Helen's approach is thorough, thought-provoking and friendly. [Helen] provides guidance that is instinctive but also backed up by significant knowledge.”

“I have known Helen now for 15 years having worked with her on a number of high impact projects. Most recently, at Harewood House Trust, she has taken the business through a CRM process, which more than centring on a system procurement, considered CRM across the business with Harewood's strategic aims in mind, helping inform our CRM ambitions and driving change. Helen's approach is thorough, thought-provoking and friendly. Her experience has given her a knack for understanding all sorts of businesses very quickly, enabling her to provide guidance that is both instinctive but also backed up by significant knowledge of this area. I would not hesitate to recommend Helen and it is always a joy working with her.”

Edward Appleyard, Director of Engagement, Harewood House Trust

“approachable, knowledgeable, easy to work with and did an excellent job.”

“Helen provided advice and assistance on a consultancy basis to help me and my team scope a fit-for-purpose and cost effective Customer Relationship Management system. She is approachable, knowledgeable, easy to work with and did an excellent job guiding us through this process. She has a detailed understanding of the arts and cultural sector. There's no way we could of achieved what we did without Helen.”

Kevin Ward, Museum Development Manager, Museum in the Park (Stroud DIstrict Council)

“extremely helpful in clarifying the client organisation’s hopes, dreams, aspirations and expectations into a workable specification and project plan”

“Helen’s provides an invaluable external viewpoint to organisations changing IT systems, which is a significant factor in the success of a project delivering major change.

Helen’s expertise in supporting organisations through numerous system implementation projects provides a useful counterpoint to a system supplier, such as PatronBase. From our perspective delivering such projects, Helen’s involvement is extremely helpful in clarifying the client organisation’s hopes, dreams, aspirations and expectations into a workable specification and project plan.

She brings certainty through clarity. By being independent of both the client organisation and the system supplier, Helen’s external viewpoint is invaluable to both.”

Rob Walters, Technical Director, PatronBase (UK) Partners Ltd

“understanding of the customer journey process plus her knowledge of CRM systems… proved invaluable”

“We worked with Helen over a period of months on the development and tender process for a new CRM system for Heritage and Culture Warwickshire. Helen’s understanding of the customer journey process plus her knowledge of CRM systems across the Cultural sector proved invaluable in terms of helping the team gain the understanding and confidence required to move forward with the commission of our CRM system.”

Emma Andrews, Arts & Culture Development Manager, Heritage Culture Warwickshire

“highly organised, effective consultant to the Lancashire Classical Music Project”

“Helen was a highly organised, effective consultant to the Lancashire Classical Music Collaboration Project. She kept many plates spinning simultaneously, whilst helping to bring together a wide range of organisations, initiatives and activities.  Her knowledge of the orchestral music audience enabled her to hit the ground running and her experience working with venues meant that she was able to approach the project from multiple perspectives.”

Millicent Jones, Executive Director Audience & Development Royal Liverpool Philharmonic & Lancashire Classical Music Collaboration Chair

“…thorough, insightful and left us with solid, do-able actions…”

“The strategy work that Helen led for us was thorough, insightful and left us with solid and do-able actions that we could implement across our organisation. She has that perfect mix of a strategic mind and in-depth industry knowledge combined with extensive venue experience, meaning that everything she suggests is grounded in real life and with organisational resources in mind.”

Sarah Robertson, Head of Marketing, Colston Hall, Bristol

“…one of the most effective arts marketers I’ve ever worked with.”

“Helen is not only one of the most gifted, but also one of the most effective arts marketers I’ve ever worked with. She has the very rare combination of thorough strategic understanding and thorough practical execution. That means she can both lead teams and manage them, again not a very common trait. Equally comfortable leading the board through a strategy report and leading her staff through a box office report, it’s Helen’s ability to put policy into practice and turn words into actions that set her apart in the sector.

She delivers.

I’ve worked with Helen as she’s headed up the Marketing Departments of several major arts organisations over fifteen years. Two things have always struck me… First, is her relentless pursuit of innovation and improvement, pioneering groundbreaking techniques like Test Drive, TelePrompt and Audience Builder. And secondly, the way that she builds trust, loyalty and respect amongst her staff even while she is pushing her department and the organisation through tough programmes of challenge and change.

Would I recommend her? In a heartbeat. Should you work with her? Only if you are ready to step up a level.”

Andrew McIntyre, Director, Morris, Hargreaves, McIntyre

“…invaluable in gaining buy-in from a large number of organisations…”

“Helen worked on the GoSeeThis.com what’s on web portal project at All About Audiences. Responsibilities included engaging with our membership, content requirements and PR/promotions. Helen was a pleasure to work with and was professional, calm, good-humoured and full of ideas. These and her past experiences were all invaluable in gaining buy-in from a large number of organisations and in liaising with external agencies.”

Ben Le Jeune, Goseethis.com Project Manager & Head of Marketing Services, All About Audiences

“…considerable experience in the field of arts marketing…”

I worked with Helen on shaping content for the All About Audiences www.goseethis.com website. I found her to be an excellent communicator and manager who hit the ground running in what was a very complicated and time-sensitive project. She was able to draw upon considerable experience in the field of arts marketing and this really showed in the breadth of her expertise. I would be delighted to work with Helen again.”

Kate Feld, freelance writer, editor, blogger

“…knowledge of the audience’s needs were exemplary…”

“I worked with Helen on the redevelopment of the Bluecoat website and more recently the City of Radicals site. On both occasions Helen was extremely professional and key to the success of the projects. Helen’s project management skills and knowledge of the audience’s needs were exemplary. Always keen to develop innovative solutions that would improve the target audience’s online experience rather than relying on standard protocol.”

Shane Phillips, Creative Director, 3BYTE