I began my fundraising careeer in 2006, starting out as a telephone fundraiser, and have worked both agency-side on behalf of multiple charities, with a proven track record of delivering results.
I progressed to Account Manager and along with a colleague, managed both client accounts as well as direct management of the fundraising call centre team. In 2015, I became director and partner of Karat Marketing, a telephone fundraising agency until 2018.
I have been freelance since 2018. Telephone fundraising has always been my forte and passion, so since then, I have worked alongside QTS Fundraising, managing (primarily) Scottish client accounts and alongside that, began working with animal welfare charity OneKind as their sole fundraiser. I manage all aspects of their fundraising. I have run successful donor acquisition campaigns, appeals, developed supporter journeys, managed the whole process of implementing their new website, and been heavily involved in social media, as well as data protection. In 2023, I spearheaded their lead generation campaign, achieving an online reach of over 400,000, increasing their regular givers by 5% with a cost per donor of £95, all within a £10,000 budget.
My skillset includes:
I have also worked with other charities on specific projects, helping them to set up internal telephone operations and conducting training on telephone fundraising.
Having worked with upwards of 60 charities of all cause types and sizes, I've gained invaluable knowledge and experience, and I LOVE my job! My experience in working both agency and charity side allows me to empathise with the needs and challenges charities face, as well as being able to advise them on what’s working within the sector.
Within these roles, I’ve been fortunate enough to speak at several events, including the IoF National Convention 2013 & 2016, Scottish Fundraising Conference, IoF Yorkshire, IFC 2014 and was winner of SOFII I Wish I Thought of That 2013 . I’m a storyteller at heart, and I love helping charities relay their stories in an emotive, passionate and engaging way to raise even more funds to support their beneficiaries and help create long-lasting relationships with donors.
When I’m not working, you’ll likely find me cooking up new recipes, running about after my two cats, Monkey & Banana, out enjoying nature, volunteering and speaking out about causes and things I'm passionate about.