1.      How did you get into the charity sector?

 

I read Law for my undergrad degree and one of my two dissertations explored whether the social tax system in the UK was creating a poverty trap. Through this I developed a very geeky interest in tax and ended up on Deloitte’s graduate programme as a Tax Consultant. A few years later, my husband moved into the charity sector and was finding so much satisfaction in working towards a morally driven vision, rather than a profit-driven mission, that I decided to follow him. It took me quite a while to find the sort of role that suited my interests and skill set but I am so pleased that I invested this time and made the move.

 

 

The people. The sector itself is so warm, friendly and helpful. I have met so many fundraisers who have gone out of their way to help me with no obvious reward to themselves other than the satisfaction that one gets from supporting someone else. I am also constantly amazed by the people who support charities through giving their time and money to good causes; I feel blessed that I have come across so many wonderful people.

 

One of the most inspiring people I have had the privilege of meeting was Harry Moseley. Harry was seven years old when he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. Harry started making bracelets to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Despite going through gruelling treatment and greatly suffering himself, Harry was focused on helping others. I met him when he was only ten years old and his selflessness and commitment to supporting others was truly inspirational. Sadly, Harry passed away in 2011, age 11, but his legacy lives on in a charity that his family run in his memory.

 

 

 

I love this quote. Apparently it’s an old African proverb with an unknown author. It really transformed my way of thinking. I used to greatly value autonomy and independence and would get frustrated by people trying to get involved in projects I was working on when I hadn’t asked them to. Now I realise that everyone has something to add and it is impossible to achieve the best results without collaboration.

 

 

I think that the impact that digital communications is having on the world provides both the biggest opportunity as well as the biggest challenges for the sector. This new digital era means that we, the people, are better connected and more empowered than ever before.

 

If we take charities that work in emergency relief as an example, those organisations used to be key sources of information. They would tell us about what was happening on the ground, the conditions that people were living in and what they planned to do about it. Now the general public finds out about these emergencies the second they happen. Those affected are sharing videos recorded on their smartphones and tweeting live about what is happening the second an event takes place. This means that charities no longer have the time to develop a strategy before we are expected to respond to the need.

 

The rise in digital communications has also meant that more people are raising money so that they can try to tackle the problems that would traditionally be tackled by charities. As an example, there are hundreds of crowdfunding pages set up to enable people to drive to Calais and hand out shoes, clothes, water bottles, food, etc. If people feel like their money will be put to better use by cutting charities out of the equation, then this could be a big threat to the sector. The challenge is for charities to become even more transparent and ensure that our supporters remain ever-aware of the positive impact that their donations make to the world.

 

 

I want to see people acting as critical friends to each other. I’d like to see an equal balance of challenge and support. It would be great if CharityConnect became the place that anyone in the charity sector could visit to get help, advice or learn something new from others in similar roles.