Meet our Fundraising Officer

You’ve already heard from Kara our awesome CEO. Today, meet Sandra, Tiny Changes’ awesome Fundraising Officer. We had a lovely wee chat with Sandra about her Tiny Changes journey, so grab a cuppa to find out what our fundraising officer does!

Sandra, tell us about your Tiny Changes journey…

There’s a long backstory, but I’ll try and keep it brief – not my strong point! I guess it starts with Scott being a friend who mattered very much to me.

My background is in live music, but during pregnancy and after the birth of my son, I struggled with my own mental health and received therapy for postnatal depression. I decided to retrain as an antenatal teacher to support others during their big transition into parenthood, and help anyone who might be struggling the same way I did.

Scott was always there when I hit those big bumps in the road. He’d have the right words, and lots of silly words too. He was such a positive force in my life who loved to champion me from the sidelines. I was very lost when he died, but I wanted to carry all the things that made him so brilliant into my life. I started to make tiny changes, I offered help to those around me, I connected more with friends, my life, my community, and I tried to find something to be thankful for every day.

When the Tiny Changes event ‘A Waltz Across the Carpet’ was coming up last year, I offered my assistance in organising the show to Grant [and Unique Events]. From there I went on to work on a variety of Tiny Changes projects until they invited me to apply for the role of Fundraising Officer, and here I am!

What does the fundraising officer do?

It’s my job to develop fundraising strategies, campaigns, and partnerships – you could say I put the ‘fun’ into fundraising.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The best thing about my job is being part of something that does such important work in memory of Scott. When we are working on a project, he always feels near, and that’s a wonderful thing.

I love organising events, so I’m hopeful things in Scotland will open up again soon so we can plan something really ambitious and fun. It’s wonderful interacting with our ever growing and brilliant community of tiny change makers, so I’d love for us to all be together for a big Tiny Changes fundraising bash soon!

You mentioned earlier on you struggled with your mental health, how are you now?

I feel better than ever. There wasn’t one particular thing that helped me feel like this, it was a variety of tiny changes that I continue to practice daily. I practice mindfulness, I get outside every day, I connect with people, I eat well, I make sure I get enough sleep every night. It sounds like such a cliché I know, but little changes can make a big impact on your overall wellbeing.

What song makes you feel good?

Can I choose an album instead? Rumours by Fleetwood Mac ALWAYS reminds me of brilliant times with Grant! I also can’t listen to Dancing on My Own by Robyn without stopping what I’m doing and getting a groove on.

What are you looking forward to in 2021?

We are about to start work on a VERY exciting fundraiser, but I can’t share that with you yet, so you’ll need to sign up to our mailing list and keep an eye on our socials!

We hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and we can’t wait to introduce you to more of our Tiny Changes family. Remember, you can keep up to date with our news and announcements by signing up to our newsletter or following us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. You can also donate to Tiny Changes today.