This month, we spoke to Head of Events and Individual Giving, who’s been at LandAid for 3 years now. Read along to find our more.
How long have you worked at LandAid?
I joined LandAid in September 2023, initially as Senior Events Fundraising Manager and have since moved into my current role as Head of Events and Individual Giving.
What brought you to LandAid in the first place?
I’ve always been drawn to events because of the energy they create – bringing people together, creating memorable experiences and getting people to do something out of their comfort zone (and supporting them through this challenge).
Charity has always been particularly important to me. Before joining LandAid, I’d spent more than seven years in the hospcie sector. I have a real passion for hospice care and saw first-hand the incredible difference charities can make to people and their families at some of the most difficult points in their lives. That’s always stayed with me and is a big part of why I wanted my career to continue to have a genuine social impact. I loved the pace, pressure and creativity of events, but I knew I wanted to use those skills for something that had a bigger purpose behind it.
LandAid felt like a really natural fit. Youth homelessness is something that can completely change the direction of a young person’s life and I was really attracted to the fact that LandAid brings together an industry with the skills and influence to do something about it.
What particularly appealed to me was the relationship LandAid has with the property industry. There is such a huge network of businesses and people who want to make a difference and I loved the idea of being part of an organisation that could bring all of that together and turn it into something tangible.
For me, that’s what makes LandAid so exciting. We’re taking an industry that is already incredibly well connected and influential and giving people a way to use that collective strength to help prevent youth homelessness.
What’s your role, how do you help end youth homelessness?
As Head of Events and Individual Giving, I lead LandAid’s events programme and our individual giving activity.
That means overseeing everything from Race for LandAid, the LandAid Trek, SleepOut and our Gala Dinner, through to developing new fundraising opportunities and making it easier for individuals to support LandAid. There’s a lot of strategy behind it but there’s also a huge amount of getting stuck in – whether that’s working with venues, sponsors and suppliers, looking at budgets and income, improving the participant experience or solving the inevitable last-minute problem!
I’m also really focused on making sure our events continue to evolve. We work in a competitive events environment, so we can’t simply do something because that’s how we’ve always done it. We need to keep asking: How can we make this better? How can we make it more engaging? And how can we raise more money without losing what makes the event special?
Ultimately, every event and every pound raised counts is about the same thing! Helping fund the organisations and projects supporting young people experiencing homelessness.
What’s one project or moment that made you proud to work at LandAid?
There have been lots, and for me it’s difficult to pick just one because some of the moments I’m proudest of are seeing an idea grow into something much bigger than you initially imagined.
The LandAid Trek is probably one of the best examples of that. In my first year at LandAid, the Trek was an idea that I introduced and developed. It was a completely new event for us and there was obviously a lot of work and a few unknowns around whether people would actually want to take part. To now see it heading into its third year led by Sally, having grown into a really established part of our events calendar, is something I’m incredibly proud of. Seeing people come back, bring colleagues and friends with them and talk about it as something they look forward to each year is brilliant.
My first SleepOut is another moment that really sticks with me. It was the biggest SleepOut LandAid had delivered at that point and seeing so many people from across the property industry come together in locations around the country was incredible. I remember looking at LinkedIn during the day and seeing post after post from people taking part, sharing what they were doing and encouraging their colleagues and networks to get involved. It wasn’t just LandAid talking about the event – the whole industry was talking about it. I’d never really seen anything like it, and it showed me the reach that LandAid can have when you get the right idea behind people.
Another moment that has stayed with me was Mohammed speaking at our 2024 Gala Dinner. He shared his own experience of homelessness and what it had been like to navigate that period of his life. Hearing him speak so openly to a room full of people from the property industry was incredibly powerful. He also talked about the role that businesses and individuals can play in helping young people move forward – not just through funding but through opportunities, connections, employment and support.
What made that evening even more special was the standing ovation he recieved and what happened afterwards. Mohammed came away from the event with job offers and new opportunities as a direct result of sharing his story and meeting people in the room.
For me, that was a real example of what impact can look like. We spend a lot of time talking about the money we raise and the projects we fund, which are obviously hugely important but sometimes the impact goes beyond the fundraising itself. One person sharing their experience, a room full of people listening and then those conversations turning into genuine opportunities for that person – that felt like a real full-circle moment.
Those are the moments that make me proud to work at LandAid. I can spend months worrying about an event, a budget or strategies but then you see what it actually creates and who it can help and I remember why it all matters.
What’s one challenge LandAid faces in this work that you think more people should know about?
One of the biggest challenges is that the demand for what we do continues to grow, while we’re still a relatively small team.
People see the big events, the number of people taking part, the sponsors and the money raised but they don’t always see what goes on behind the scenes to make all of that happen. There’s a huge amount of planning, relationship management, problem-solving and work that goes into every event.
And I’m probably one of the worst for always wanting to make things bigger and better! I’m constantly thinking about how we can improve an event, make it more exciting, attract more people or raise more money. But you also have to be realistic about what you can deliver with the resource you have.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about the job (surpisingly). You have to be creative and find ways of delivering something that feels big and exciting without having a huge team or unlimited budget.
I think that’s sometimes the bit people don’t see.