Ever wondered what it’s like to be a fundraiser? Meet Kate and Lauren, two amazing members of our team who are dedicated to securing vital funds that support our work with refugees and people seeking asylum.
Q. Tell us a little about your role at Scottish Refugee Council
We are Fundraising Officers working with individuals and communities to raise money to fund the crucial work at Scottish Refugee Council. We both joined the team just over a year ago and are loving it!
We wear many hats! From organising and attending events to working on fundraising campaigns, and supporting communities with their fundraising efforts. We collaborate with diverse groups and individuals to create exciting events of all kinds – it’s inspiring to see the creativity! One of our supporters, Gareth, is currently hosting wine tastings to raise funds, and The Snuts have already raised over £2200 from their Glasgow gigs.
Q. Tell us about your workspace. Do you have any daily habits to get your head into work?
Primarily we work in the office as we like to work together in person. We usually start the day with grabbing a wee hot drink and a piece of the free fruit from the kitchen. We work on our to-do lists in the morning and co-ordinate who’s going to do what tasks. Now that Spring is here we try to get out in the sun during our lunch break.
Q. Walk us through a typical workday
Our days can vary depending on what we’re working on. Currently, we’re encouraging our supporters to sign up for some fun challenge events. We have runs, relays and even a zipslide over the Clyde!
Fancy a challenge? Check these out!
Recently we were charity partners with Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show, which has been an amazing experience. We’ve worked closely with their charity reps who built an amazing campaign to raise money and sell tickets to their gorgeous fashion show, with all proceeds going to our work. It was such an honour to attend an event that everyone had worked so hard on, with people who care so much about our cause.
We also put on our own events, such as our ‘No Borders Comedy Night’ in October and our Spring Ceilidh which was only a few weeks ago! These are great opportunities to get our supporters together for some fun, awareness-raising and fundraising!
Q. What’s the best thing about your team?
We’re a small team of 5 so we work closely with each other. We’re a team of ‘foodies’ so we always enjoy lunch together when we’re all in the office!
Q. How do you wind down after work?
We both love to relax with something creative, like going to life drawing sessions together.
Kate: I also like going to the odd pub quiz with friends and playing with my ceilidh band outside of work!
Lauren: I try to get outside when the weather allows! I enjoy going out for hikes with friends and exploring new places in Scotland.
There are many ways you can support Scottish Refugee Council, from taking on a challenge event to sporting one of our ‘Aye Welcome Refugees’ t-shirts or totes!
