As my internship was coming to a close, my manager was due to go on maternity leave. I was extremely grateful when Smile Train offered me the chance to stay on by covering her role full-time as Smile Train's Corporate Fundraising Assistant.
The job means I look after our current corporate partners and create partnerships with new companies. Each partnership focuses on creating a win-win situation and focuses on raising funds and awareness for Smile Train. This may be through:
> Employee engagement (where staff complete sporting challenges and fundraising activities to raise money)
> A brand partnership (like our work with Kylie Jenner, to produce co-branded products)
> Percentage of sale partnership (a portion of each purchase is donated to Smile Train)
> Customer engagement (working with customers to raise awareness and funds)
> In-kind donations (the company donates some of their products to support our programmes)
> Matched-giving (where a company pledges to match any funds raised by their employees)
Through this role, I've been able to launch a global partnership with a pharmaceutical company; represent Smile Train at huge trade fairs like The Baby Show and The Toy Fair; meet a lovely gentleman from Qantas Airways who was born with a cleft lip and palate in Mumbai; deliver numerous motivational ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions and speeches (which I love doing!) and I’ve even had a meeting with Sooty and Sweep.
It’s quite a rollercoaster of a job – some days are very research-heavy, trying to find links between Smile Train and a new company, looking for ways we can connect. Other days I have to be very hands-on – travelling to give speeches to our supporters, going to cheer on our corporate fundraisers in events like the London Marathon or a Tough Mudder. My favourite days are without doubt those where I get to meet our partners in person. They help us in so many incredible ways – it’s a joy to be able to thank them and explain how I personally understand how much they are helping to transform lives.