After 9 years at Stewardship, the last 7 leading the charity, Michael O’Neill has decided to leave his role as Chief Executive this summer to pursue a role that allows him to return his family to his native United States.
Speaking about his departure, Michael said:
“Working at Stewardship has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. An organisation that lives and breathes biblical generosity is rare, and the people who built and sustain it are extraordinary. That’s one of the reasons it is so difficult to say goodbye, but God has made it clear that our season in the UK is coming to an end.”
During his time at Stewardship, Michael has led the organisation through its most significant period of growth, seeing the organisation transition its donor advised fund ‘giving account’ service to a new digital platform, expand its philanthropy services to high net worth individuals, reach new audiences with the Christian crowdfunding platform give.net and significantly grow the number of churches and Christian charities making use of the organisation’s array of professional services.
Michael, who joined Stewardship first as Director of Philanthropy, has shaped Stewardship into a progressive, mission-minded but business-focused organisation now based in the heart of London. Under his leadership, Stewardship’s income rose year on year throughout the recession; last year it distributed £64.3m to charities and Christian causes on behalf of its account holders.
On his family’s return to their native New York in August, Michael will be taking up the position of President of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) for the North East Region, an organisation which mirrors the vision, mission, and values of Stewardship in the United States.
Concerning his future Michael said: “In addition to focusing on the Northeast, I’ll be working with the teams pursuing two areas of interest. The first is strengthening their existing drive towards the transformative power of generosity. The second is developing a global network of Christian organisations resourcing Kingdom work - so Stewardship will be very much a part of my future.”
Commenting on Michael’s departure, Stewardship Chair Ram Gidoomal CBE said:
“Mike has overseen the period of greatest progress for Stewardship and we could not be prouder of all that he has achieved. The organisation has a strong senior management team and Board of Trustees in place that we are confident will ensure a smooth transition to the new CEO and even greater successes for Stewardship.”
Stewardship's Vice Chair, Heather Grizzle, added: “Whilst sad that Mike will be leaving, he goes with our blessings and very best wishes. We are thrilled that his new role will allow us to collaborate across the pond, as we pursue a shared vision for the world to encounter Jesus through the generosity of His church. His new role will be significantly additive to Stewardship’s future growth and global footprint.”
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Daniel Jones
Daniel joined Stewardship in 2007 and currently leads the Generosity Services division and driving growth in giving towards our target of £250m by 2025.
He has been responsible for developing many successful giving campaigns within Stewardship, including the popular 40acts Lent Challenge, and previously advised the National Stewardship Committee for the Church of England, particularly digital innovations like contactless collection plates and curriculums for parishes. Daniel was also instrumental in bringing the Giving Tuesday movement to the UK following its successful launch in the USA.
Before joining Stewardship, Daniel led Hand in Hand for 3 years, a Christian international development charity that he co-founded with friends and continues to serve as trustee.
He is married with a teenage daughter and is currently exploring life in a local estate-based church plant.
