Having started my career in media and publishing, I moved to the charity sector in 2017, where I’ve since worked in fundraising, marketing and supporter experience roles at organisations including Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, and Leonard Cheshire.
I’m currently Head of Supporter Experience at Scope, where I am responsible for implementing our organisation-wide supporter experience and audience engagement strategy, and managing all the things that go with that, including supporter care, supporter journeys and fundraising compliance teams.
I joined the Chartered Institute when I saw the opportunity come up to join the Supporter Experience Special Interest Group, which I realised would be a great knowledge-sharing and networking opportunity. Prior to that, I had been part of organisational memberships, and enjoyed the resources available on the website.
I find the newsletters from special interest groups and webinars quite helpful for hearing what colleagues in other organisations within the sector were doing.
Being a member is useful for networking and hearing about what other organisations are doing – challenges and successes and sharing learnings. It’s being able to sense-check what you’re doing and know that there are others out there who may be on the same journey.
When I was first managing fundraising teams, I found the guidance and resources available on the Chartered Institute’s website quite useful.
I attended Fundraising Convention in 2023, which was a great experience, as it gave me that opportunity that I love to learn about what others in the sector are doing. I came away inspired in some areas and with some great ideas in others, which I always find particularly motivating.
I am the Chair of the Supporter Experience Special Interest Group and joined the committee back in 2022, as I am passionate about supporter experience and had wanted to lend my expertise, where possible, and also to learn from my peers working in that space, and have the opportunity to talk to people about something enjoy so much.
Joining the Chartered Institute of Fundraising is a great opportunity, especially if you are starting out in fundraising or working in a small charity that has limited resource and few people that you can lean on and learn from. Joining a special interest group is a great way to meet your peers and get a sense of what is happening in the sector.