Meet Erin, Trust and Foundations
My name is Erin Lazarus and I am a Trust and Foundations officer in the Fundraising Team at Diverse Abilities.
The 3 words I would use to describe myself are creative, caring and curious.
I graduated from University of Brighton with a degree in Business and Marketing before working in Advertising for nearly 3 years. I always had a personal interest in the non-profit sector and really wanted to work for a meaningful cause, so I decided to try my hand in fundraising instead!
As a Trust Fundraiser, the main goal is to secure grants from charitable trusts and foundations. These can range from small family owned organisations to large, corporate funds owned by banks and other companies.
Day to day, we focus on submitting applications for projects at Diverse Abilities that need funding, for example funding revenue for Coping with CHAOS, or equipment such as wheelchairs or computers for Langside. Research is a really big part of the role, as we spend a lot of time matching up projects with funders who are most likely to be interested in supporting a certain project. We also write grant updates and reports to successful funders, letting them know how their money has been spent and showing them the impact that their donation has had. This is a really rewarding part, as it gets to highlight the great work DA does!
Having never worked in fundraising before, when I started at Diverse Abilities I was not only new to my role, but to the charity and sector as a whole. This meant I had to do a lot of reading and catching up to make sure I was up to speed! While it was challenging, it was also really interesting to me as I got to learn how charities operate both similarly and differently to for-profit companies. I also got to learn more about Trust Fundraising, and the importance of skills like relationship management and bid writing. I think through time, learned experience, and occasional trial and error, you become a lot more confident in your abilities, which is how I overcame this challenge.
My favourite memory is volunteering for the Adult SEND club nights at Pop World. It was so lovely to see people just letting loose, having fun, and being really present and happy. It was such a wonderful thing to be a part of.
I don’t have a fixed goal currently, but I would like to keep learning, developing my skills and understanding of fundraising, and taking on new experiences that will help me grow.
I think some of the best advice is to ‘act like a sponge.’ There are so many passionate and knowledgeable people with many years of experience at DA, and I think really absorbing other people’s advice and lived experience is a great way to learn quickly.