Graduate case studies
As Regular Giving Manager, I'm responsible for running fundraising campaigns to raise money for projects like student scholarships and medical research. My team and I deal with all donations with a value of up to £10,000 - mostly raised through telephone campaigns and fundraising mailings to our graduates. I line manage two members of staff - one is a face to face fundraiser who deals with higher value donations, and the other is responsible for running our telephone campaigns and making sure our donors are appropriately thanked.
My job is very varied. On a typical day I might be writing copy for a new direct mail appeal, or working with a design agency on new fundraising material. As a fundraiser, it's really important that I constantly monitor and evaluate how our appeals are going, so I also spend quite a bit of time looking at spreadsheets and statistics and thinking of new ways to improve our work.
I often take the opportunity to attend alumni and donor events as well - I love chatting to people who really care about the University, and some of our older alumni have some great stories of their student days! I also like to keep track of what's going on in our telephone campaigns, and try to spend some time getting to know our team of student callers each year.
The best thing about my job is seeing the donations stacking up, and knowing what a difference that money will make to peoples lives. It's so exciting when an appeal is going really well. I also love hearing about how fond people are of Sheffield, and why they've chosen to give.
It's always a challenge to keep donors' interest, and to come up with new ideas to encourage them to give. Dealing with design agencies can be a difficult and lengthy process sometimes - but we always get there in the end! My job also requires me to keep on top of ever-changing legislation around direct marketing, fundraising, and information security. These aren't subjects that fill me with excitement - but it's so important that we follow best practice and treat our supporters in the best way possible.
I decided that I wanted to be a fundraiser during my second year at uni. I wanted to have a job that would make me excited to get out of bed in the morning, and for me that comes from knowing that my work is improving people's lives. I also wanted a job that would allow me to be creative, and one where I could spend time writing, as this is something I've always loved.
Some key skills I use in my job are communication, problem solving, and analytic skills. Being able to write persuasively, and get my point of view across to people verbally, is really important.
I graduated in 2012 and went straight into a fundraising job as a Development Officer at a performing arts venue. I was there for around a year and learnt so much. I then became Regular Giving Officer at the University of Sheffield for around three years, before being promoted to my current role.
My current goal is to grow Regular Giving at Sheffield, to raise more money and help more people. Longer term, I would like to be responsible for a larger fundraising, marketing and communications team.
Take every opportunity you can to gain experience. Learn from everything you do. When you finish a project, take some time to reflect on it. Think about how it went, what you personally achieved, and any difficulties you overcame. Write them down - this will really help you in performance reviews, or in future interviews.
Last updated: 23 Jun 2017