Reflections
March saw me complete my 3 month probation since joining the Literacy Pirates in December last year. The role represented a step up for me, leaving my comfort zone of community fundraising, (with a bit of grant work on the side), and transitioning solely to Trusts and Foundations fundraising — a different beast entirely.
Despite having only been at LP for a short time, I relished being thrown in at the deep end, writing my first report for a £50K grant from a funder. Very quickly I needed to get up to speed on who the funder was? What had they funded? What had we actually done with their money? This required working closely with the Education team to understand both the achievements and the challenges faced during the grant period and how to suitably report this back to the funder. It was an eye opening experience. For someone who is naturally introverted, going ahead and putting time in peoples’ diaries to discuss something I needed support with was daunting — would they be too busy? Would they resent being asked for information? Was there somewhere I should be looking to find the information myself? I needn’t have worried. The people I needed support from were open, were there for me and were happy to help — something I have found quite unique to the whole team at the Literacy Pirates.
Since those early days it has been a steep learning curve — learning to navigate different CRM systems, learning to use Teams beyond instant messaging and meetings, and learning very quickly about LP’s pain points, achievements and plans for the future. Thrown into the mix was Line Management, something new to me. What did I learn? The day-to-day is constantly evolving. From numbers of YPs through to vols through to Lambeth specifically, the figures change at a rapid pace. Knowing where to go, who to ask and what specifically to ask for has been something I have learned over the last three months. Those conversations have helped to broaden my understanding of the charity’s vision and fully understand where we are on our voyage and the map for the future.
Looking ahead, I now feel more in a position to engage with funders confidently, to speak with authority about the achievements of the charity and recognise the challenges that we face. I feel I am developing my skill at being a line manager, (although my managee makes it very easy for me!) I feel that after the sprint at the start of the year to get up to speed and get things moving, I am now in a better position to take stock and think carefully about the future and, with my team, plan our approach and priorities going forward. Above all, I am excited. I am excited about the vision of the charity, I am excited to work as part of a collaborative and open organisation and I am excited to think about what the future holds for the development of the Literacy Pirates.
