For Purpose Tuesdays with Graduate Presentations
Yesterday, we hosted our final For Purpose Tuesday session of 2022. Three of our graduates, who are nearing the end of their graduate roles, presented to our other For Purpose Graduates. They discussed their role, the impact of their organisation, highlights of their graduate role and plans for the future. This was a fantastic learning opportunity for our graduates to learn more about their peers’ specific roles and how they plan on developing within the nonprofit sector.
Sarah – Epilepsy Ireland
Sarah applied for the Fundraising and Development Executive Role with Epilepsy Ireland through the For Purpose Graduate Programme in December 2021. Sarah described how much she learnt during her year with Epilepsy Ireland. She explained the different types of fundraising activities within Epilepsy Ireland, and how importance of understanding the condition, the organisation, services, and challenges facing those with Epilepsy when fundraising.
In her position, Sarah worked on the following areas:
- Community Fundraising
- Epilepsy Ireland events, such as Purple Day
- Grants/State Funding
- Corporate
Sarah described how she developed deep connections with the service families during her time at Epilepsy Ireland, noting that the fundraising work carried out within her team was especially touching and shared some personal fundraising stories from her organisation. Sarah concluded her presentation and looked forward to the future, as she continues her career within the Irish Red Cross as Policy and Advocacy Officer for International Humanitarian Law.
Gavin – Foróige
Our next graduate, Gavin, joined the For Purpose Graduate Programme in February 2022 as the Leadership for Life Programme Co-ordinator. Foróige is Ireland’s largest youth development organisation, engaging 50,000 young people aged 10-18 annually. Gavin joined their training, learning and development team and throughout his graduate role, he focused on the coordination and administration of the Leadership for Life Programme, while also supporting the broader training, Learning and development team in the development and delivery of a variety of different programmes.
Gavin’s specific highlight from his role was the annual Leadership for Life conference, a 6 day conference with 300 students. Gavin met a range of people from diverse backgrounds, and planned the event accordingly in the run up. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet a range of young people and help them complete their Leadership for Life Certificate. Gavin continues to develop his career in Foróige as he moves into a new role as the Strategic Planning and Development Officer.
At For Purpose, we encourage our partner organisations to develop their graduates in training and development. Gavin discussed the many opportunities available during his time with Foróige, and the different opportunities he is grateful to have been involved in. We are delighted that Gavin is now continuing his career within Foróige.
Michaela – Co-operative Housing Ireland
Finally, Michaela from Co-operative Housing Ireland, presented her work as Digital Engagement Officer. Michaela joined the For Purpose Graduate Programme in January 2022 with Co-operative Housing Ireland, an Approved Housing Body providing over 4,000 high quality homes to low-income households. As a representative body, CHI champions co-operative principles in delivering homes and supporting communities.
Michaela joined the Communications Team within Co-operative Housing Ireland, working closely with the member engagement team. Her role focuses on social media, internal and external communications, building brand awareness and managing events. Michaela has successfully developed within her role, as her team won the Irish Building and Design Retro Fit Award – Retrofitting / Renovation Project of the Year 2022. Michaela looks forward to continuing within the Communications Team in Co-operative Housing Ireland and would like to manage her own Communications projects in future.
Concluding For Purpose Tuesdays 2022
We commenced our first ever For Purpose Tuesdays session at the beginning of 2022 and have had a fantastic year, with a range of speakers attending our seminars and sharing their knowledge with our graduates. Thank you to our fantastic graduates who provide endless engagement, curiosity and shared learnings within each of our learning seminars. We look forward to another year of peer-learning, development and networking.
If you have any questions about the For Purpose Graduate Programme, visit here or contact Rhonda Wynne directly.
