I’ve been in the sector for over 25 years and worked in national, regional and local charities. I’ve done a bit of everything and I relish the variety and the breadth of what being a fundraiser can bring. My career pathway was about wanting to do a good job and achieve outcomes for the causes that I believe in.
In my current role I sit on the senior management team for the charity. I manage a team of five senior leaders in the organisation and we’re collectively responsible for all voluntary and traded income. My role also encompasses management of the IT team and all planned giving including regular giving and Lottery.
My role with the Chartered Institute is as Chair of the Central South Group. Our group started out as an independent group and with the introduction of GDPR, we approached the Chartered Institute to see whether we could join as a group as there wasn’t one nearby. Having completed the due diligence, we joined the Chartered Institute and have continued to work to support, guide and inspire local fundraisers ever since.
Being Chair of the group is fantastic. I get to work with a great committee of super capable, caring, dynamic committee members who work without ego to do what they can for other fundraisers in the area.
Each group has a different look, feel and focus. However, there is plenty of scope of meeting new people in different types of organisations and learning new skills or different approaches. Everyone is busy – never more so than at the moment, but membership is generally fun and, if the team works, the outcome is brilliant.
Being a small and relatively young committee, we have taken time to find a rhythm that works. We are really looking forward to organising our first conference and delighted that we were able to secure a headline sponsor and have other active conversations for more to follow. The excitement isn’t about the money but the fact that this will enable us to contribute more to the Chartered Institute, and offer even more bursaries for Fundraising Convention, ultimately helping lots more fundraisers to develop themselves.
My role as Chair also supports my day-to-day role. Being able to say that I’m the Chair of the committee is particularly helpful in my work with Trustees, other senior leaders and other groups. It exposes me to the breadth of what is going on in the sector and adds credibility to discussions.
I value my membership of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, especially the expert advice, resources and training that’s on offer to members, and I’d recommend joining as a member and seeing what groups you can join to make the most of your membership.