I am a big yoga fan and happiest when I’m on my mat. I like to get out and about with my dog Vegas, we can often be found on long walks which usually involve a pub or a café! Travelling is a big part of my life, I’ve previously climbed Mount Fuji, visited the Great Wall of China and bumped into a black bear in America.
We hear that money is tight in this time of austerity, yet you and the team keep stretching further and further and bringing more money in year on year. How do you do it?
There’s no getting away from it we have to work harder than ever for every penny raised now, the charity sector is larger than ever and with pressure on all types of funding streams this makes the challenge huge. The fundraising team is brilliant! It’s not just the 3 of us you see in the office, there are lots of volunteers who most people at the Centre probably don’t see. For example the 60+ volunteers who collectively make Spirit of Christmas be the successful event it is or the people who spare a few hours to man a stall at a local fete – they are all brilliant and we couldn’t possibly achieve what we do without them.
GSK impact award was a huge accomplishment. Anything you'd like to share about that 'experience'?
The GSK/Kings Fund IMPACT Award was a real turning point for NMC as an organisation, it gave us the confidence to stand back for just a minute and reflect on just what a fantastic organisation NMC is. We have grown in confidence as a result of the Award, it supported the belief that we needed to expand and its provided new opportunities. Sitting in the Science Museum in London and seeing the NMC film for the first time was by far the ‘best bit’ of the Award, there on a cinema size screen was NMC in all its glory – a super proud moment!
How did you decide to become a fundraiser and how did you hear about NMC?
Totally by accident! After completing my Marketing Masters degree I applied for a position in the marketing department at former high street retailer Littlewoods and at the same time spotted an advert for a fundraising role at a charity based in Cheshire. I had no idea where Winsford was and didn’t have a good grasp on fundraising if I’m honest. I had interviews for both jobs, was offered both and accepted the fundraiser role at NMC. I had been completely sold by NMC’s atmosphere, it was, and still is, such a positive and friendly place and a world away from a stuffy corporate office environment where I was working. The breadth of the role would be challenging and whilst I had some of the skills required, I knew a lot of learning was also needed.
The chance to do a lot of different things such as PR, marketing and selling tickets to events and pitching to funders seemed a match to my marketing skills. I could see that the impact of successes would impact on people rather than a faceless company – that ticked my box and still does today. I can see clear as day why I’m doing what I do at NMC, gaps in service and provision for the MD community haven’t gone away so NMC needs to continue to do what it does.
You have a love of VW Beetles - any reason?
I’m a bit of a girly girl believe it or not and I think the Beetle is a super cute car, I’ve had 3 so far loved them all and I smile when I’m driving it. Is that a reason?
You've been 'roped' into some of the crazy NMC challenges over the years - what were they and would you do any of them again?
I think I’ve got away with it quite lightly to be honest! I was sponsored by a funder years ago to abseil down a quarry in North Wales and of course I couldn’t say no. I was terrified when I was on the cliff edge but once I got to the bottom I wanted to do it again with my eyes open! A few years ago I took part in Nightrider a sponsored cycle which was a new event to NMC’s calendar. I managed to complete the 100km overnight cycle through central London along with other NMC colleagues and can highly recommend it. Piccadilly Circus is as busy at 2am as it is at midday!
Does the new build excite you? That must be a huge challenge on top of the existing challenge to keep the NMC funded!!
The new build is terribly exciting and has been a totally different fundraising challenge. Funding for the expansion has come largely from funders who would not typically fund our day to day activities which protects the vital day to day funding which is equally as important. The next challenge will be funding a larger NMC - never a dull moment in the world of fundraising!
How much money have you raised in total - as in while you've been part of the NMC family?
I have no idea I’d like to think its millions. When I first joined NMC 15 years ago the cost of running the Centre was around £300,000 today its a million pounds!
NMC has changed a lot over the recent years - what has been the biggest change you've seen, or the one you're proudest of being a part of?
The expansion project will probably be the largest single change in my time at NMC. A larger NMC means more people can benefit from our services which will be great and I'm chuffed to have been involved in this chapter of the NMC story.
No comments:
Post a Comment