Published : Fri 12th Aug
Tom Law, Fundraising Product Owner, has worked his way up from a temporary role after he finished his education to becoming Fundraising Product Owner at the start of the year. We’ve been speaking to him about what interests him about fundraising at the Trust and what made him want to stay.
What attracted you to join the Trust?
I was interested in getting into the world of work and starting to build my career. I studied Sports Therapy, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with it. So, I registered with a local recruitment agency after I finished my studies and that’s where I was introduced to the National Trust. I didn’t have a lot of interaction with the National Trust growing up, so everything I learned about them was through my own research. It seemed like a great place to work, so when an opportunity came up, I went for it.
How have you progressed so far?
I joined as a temporary Business Support Coordinator on a three-month contract. I was cleaning the data in the fundraising database and organising schedules for how long to keep the data we had.
My temporary contract was extended for another seven months and then a permanent role in the fundraising team came up. I applied to become an Individual Giving Fundraising Assistant and that kickstarted my progression in the Trust. After that I moved to the Fundraising Database Coordinator and then Gift Processing Officer roles.
In January, I was then offered an opportunity as Fundraising Product Owner for the Trust’s programme. Now, I’m responsible for articulating what we need, and the features of the new fundraising platform by working with our partners to develop and deliver it.
I have been lucky enough to have opportunities to progress during my time at the Trust. It’s been a lot of change in a short period of time, but I’ve picked up such varied and valuable experience, while honing my expertise.
Has joining the National Trust lived up to your expectations?
It was my first office-based role, so I wasn’t fully sure what to expect. What I enjoyed the most was the people in the fundraising team. Everyone was so welcoming and had time for me. That working environment was what made me want to stay as long as I could. We have a brilliant cause, and it does really make you feel like you can make a difference. You also get to work with so many great teams across the organisation, who are also passionate about making a difference.
What would you say to someone thinking of joining Fundraising?
You’d be joining a team of brilliant people and we have great ambitions for the future. Go for it!
