Q&A with Rachel Peek, Dementia Australia
Rachel’s role expands across fundraising, events, projects, partnerships and communications. She is dedicated to the charity sector and helping people to make a difference in the world. Thanks to Rachel for giving us an insight into her philanthropy and fundraising journey in the NFP sector.
How did you get into fundraising?
Accidentally really. I was a science nerd and loved the idea of being a science journalist so I could tell the world about all of the exciting advances that were being made by brilliant minds. After university, I ended up in Kenya for a while and my passion soon turned to education programs. I worked on some really large scale international youth events aimed at engaging children of all ages in education, the arts, and at building resilience in them. After six years of touring, I decided to settle down a bit and used my events experience to transfer into Dementia Australia’s fundraising team. I thought I’d only be there for two years and then move onto project delivery, but there have been so many new campaigns and so much scope for growth that I’ve been there for nearly eight years now. Best of all, it’s finally come full circle, and now part of my role is translating the amazing medical research work that dementia researchers are doing into resources that the general population (and importantly, our donors) can easily understand. So now I get the best of both worlds – raising money for a great cause, and still getting to be a bit of a science nerd.
Favourite thing about working in the NFP sector?
That people really underestimate you. I love to over deliver, so the fact that a lot of people outside the NFP sector meet you with a predisposition to thinking you are limited in what you can achieve, gives you a real opportunity to completely blow their minds with your results.
What is the best career advice you’ve received?
That you spend too much of your life at work to be miserable, so find something you love to do and do it well.
You have worked remotely for some time, even pre COVID-19 - what are your top tips for making it work well?
Tip 1: On days you feel like slacking on the couch instead of working, remember that it’s not just the brand of the organisation that you’re working for that matters, it’s your personal brand too.
Tip 2: Make the most of your brain power and creative spurts. If you wake up early and want to start work at 5am in your pjs, do it!
Tip 3: Go for a walk in the middle of the day to reset, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. You spend a lot of time in the same room, in the same house, so fresh air and a different view is important for your sanity.
Tip 4: Open the windows.
Tip 5: If you have an outdoor table (and there’s a task you need to do that doesn’t require multiple screens) take your laptop outside for an hour to work.
Tip 6: Keep chocolate in the fridge.
On top of working at Dementia Australia, you have other commitments. What advice can you give about juggling work/life balance?
Be prepared. Know what you need to deliver and be aware of all of the useable hours in the day to deliver them. Don’t let yourself get behind on things because it will have a cascade effect and the next thing you know you’ll be in chaos. You think more clearly when you’re not stressed, so control the situation and your role in it.
Most importantly, multitask. I hate wasted time and I’m probably a little hyperactive, so I’ve given many an agency briefing whilst stacking the dishwasher, tuned into many a staff meeting whilst folding the washing (and lately during COVID times, been toilet training a 2 year old mid-presentation… I recommend this less, but when you’re in a pandemic and nature calls, it calls). I also recognise when there’s nothing else productive I can do on a task and find another way to fill the time until I can once again make progress…. if IT has remoted into my work laptop to update software, I might choose to open up my uni computer and watch the first 15 minutes of this week’s lecture.