We believe in giving new talent opportunities in the charity sector, which is why we partnered with Charityworks. Over the past 12 months, Amy has transformed our communications, and today we’re excited to share her experiences.
Charityworks is a national non-profit graduate programme accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management. It aims to prepare young professionals for impactful careers in the charity sector through skill development and a 12-month placement.
What has your placement been like?
Joining the Portal Trust through Charityworks has been a fantastic experience. In my role as a Communications Officer, I’ve had the opportunity to make a meaningful impact from the start. From visiting grantee organisations to increasing engagement on social media, it’s been a rewarding experience.
Although starting a new graduate position can be challenging, the support I’ve received from Charityworks has made it much easier. Completing a leadership and development programme has been invaluable, and having monthly meetings with my mentor has also helped me with the transition between university and work.
What have you been working on?
One of the first projects I worked was designing a Christmas card that was sent to partner organisations. This was a fun task which allowed me to experiment with Canva while navigating the complexities of printer settings and mail merges!
From the many highlights this year, launching a new charity newsletter stands out. Watching it grow into an important part of our communications strategy has been incredibly exciting, and presenting it to the board was a fantastic opportunity.
I’ve also been working on increasing the reach of our social media accounts, using the skills I developed during my previous internship experience. Additionally, I’ve created welcome packs for new grantees and enjoyed writing case studies for our website.
What is your favourite part of the role?
The highlight of my role is visiting the projects we support. Seeing their impact firsthand is truly inspiring, and it’s a joy to connect with others who are dedicated to making education more equitable.
I’ve also greatly benefited from the support of my fellow Charityworks trainees. One of the most rewarding aspects of the programme has been sharing this journey with others.
My 12-month placement has given me a great foundation for my future career in the charity sector. – Amy Cayzer
We also spoke with John Hayward, Head of Administration, about his experience with Charityworks and the impact having a trainee has had on the Trust.
What has your experience with Charityworks been like?
They’re responsive and professional. But above all they’ve hit on a really effective idea which provides wins all round: for charity employers, who get access to rigorously selected candidates, for the wider charity sector, which gets an annual cohort of future leaders, and for the candidates themselves, who get carefully matched to a charity where they can flourish.
Why did you choose to partner with Charityworks?
We heard about Charityworks by word of mouth, from a couple of different partner charities who’d had great experiences with the programme.
We learned that Charityworks have an emphasis on opening up charity careers to outstanding graduates who might otherwise feel this sector wasn’t welcoming to them. This really chimed with our mission at the Portal Trust, so the decision was quite easy.
What has it been like having a trainee join your charity?
It’s been a game-changer for us. We’re a small team of 9 staff, and our Charityworks trainee came on board to be our first ever full-time Communications Officer. Amy has done a great job of using the training and mentoring available to her both here and through Charityworks to rapidly develop her skills and build up her confidence.
A Look to the Future
Our collaboration with Charityworks has been incredibly positive, and we’re delighted that Amy will be staying with us.
If your organisation is considering joining the Charityworks programme, we hope Amy’s journey inspires you to take that step.
Interested in learning more? Click here.