Bliss, the special care baby charity, provides vital support and care to premature and sick babies across the UK. They offer guidance and information, as well as funding ground-breaking research. They campaign for babies to receive the best possible level of care regardless of when and where they are born.
So what's your background?
I’ve worked in communications for about nine years. My career began in commercial comms, and I moved into the charity sector a couple of years later.
How did you get this job?
I’d been working in a charity press office for three and a half years and saw the job advertised at Bliss. I thought it would be perfect for me. The role was great career progression.
How long have you worked at your current organisation for?
I’ve been at Bliss for three and a half years.
What was your first charity job? And your first communications role?
My first charity job was in the press office at Breast Cancer Campaign as a Media Relations Officer. I worked there on a temporary basis for a few weeks during a busy period and then a couple of months later I was offered a full time role. I mainly worked on fundraising events, including the successful wear it pink day.
My first communications role was for a theatre ticket agency in London’s West End. The job was really varied and included both internal and external comms.
What do you actually do on a daily basis?
My day begins with reading the papers and scanning the news for any relevant stories. After that it can be anything from answering calls about stories relating to premature and sick babies to promoting a fundraising event. I might be advising senior staff on reputational issues, dealing with more complex research and political issues or talking to case studies. There is always a lot going on and two days are very rarely the same.
What's been your biggest achievement in this role so far?
We recently launched the findings of a survey looking at cuts to frontline neonatal nursing staff and we received lots of media interest. I got my first ever national front page on The Independent, which was amazing for the charity.
What are the most challenging parts of your role?
One of the most challenging things is juggling conflicting priorities. With a very busy and growing organisation, the demand for the media team's expertise is fast growing.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I am doing something positive and proactive to make a difference to tiny babies and their families through raising awareness of really important issues. I also like the diversity of my job and dealing with a wide range of people both internally and externally.
Anything you don't enjoy?
I’m more of a creative person so I find number crunching and budgets can be a bit of a bore - but generally I really like my job.
What kind of personality is best suited to working in a job like yours?
It’s really important to be well organised and to prioritise your team’s workload to be able to make the most of all proactive and reactive opportunities.
You also need to be good with people as you will deal with a wide range of people on a daily basis, from journalists and celebrities to those affected by your issues. Being approachable and having the ability to stay calm definitely help.
Any top tips for people wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Make sure you are up to date with news trends and what is going on in the external environment. Have a good understanding of what the media want and know your own organisation inside out!