The student experience
Catherine Longley is no stranger to postgraduate study, having graduated with an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester a year after completing her first degree. Now she has just enrolled on Sheffield Hallam’s part-time MSc in Charity Resource Management.
I have always been interested in academic study, hence the readiness to embark upon my first MA, which provided me with the necessary qualification to enter the museum world. I initially worked at the National Coal Mining Museum for England but after having an insight into fundraising, I felt I needed to move to a charity that had a more direct fundraising appeal. The Hollybank Trust; which cares for children, young people and adults with complex disabilities, provided the perfect opportunity to do this.
I’ve been at Hollybank for three and a half years now and my current role as Head of Fundraising involves managing two fundraising staff and having responsibility for all fundraising targets. I also sit on the Trust Board of Managers that takes responsibility for the running of the Trust, led by the Chief Executive.
It was only after working for a number of years and moving to Hollybank that I felt ready to further my academic study in a way that was directly relevant and beneficial to my role. I knew there was a lot that I didn’t know about charity management and that if I was going to progress in my career, I would need to gain some understanding in this area.
I looked at various MBA courses and was accepted at Leeds Business School; however, I felt that they lacked relevance to the charity sector, which is a complex area that requires detailed study in its own right. In this respect, the course at Sheffield Hallam was an obvious choice.
New enthusiasm
The combination of working and studying has presented a lot of challenges. However, it has given me a new enthusiasm and relevance for my work and somehow I have managed to juggle the two with considerable support from my home life and the Trust. I have found it refreshing to return to the learning environment and, whilst my priorities are different this time and I can’t always produce work to the high standards I know I am capable of, I do feel the learning experience itself is more important than the actual qualification.
The most enjoyable aspect of the course has been the fundraising module as this is where my interest lies, but I have found the financial module the most useful (and the hardest!). I am looking forward to the fundraising management modules to see how I can sharpen up practices and improve my department.
When I graduate, I hope to have a greater understanding of the charity world and to be able to perform better both personally and professionally. I feel that I will have a number of skills useful to my work. In fact, understanding the financial procedures relevant to charities has helped to make the relationship between finance and fundraising a lot smoother in my work. I also hope to have a better understanding of how organisations function and how change can happen.
Career prospects
As far as career prospects are concerned, I believe the course may already have helped, as I was recently asked to join the Trust’s Board of Management. The programme of study will help me greatly in this position as it gives me an understanding of the issues relevant to charity management.
I also feel it will have a positive effect on my future career development; if I ever decide to go into fundraising consultancy on my own, for example, I would feel very confident in doing this with the skills and knowledge I will have learnt on the MSc. Similarly, if I sought another senior management role in a different charity, I think the qualification and learning would lend credibility to any claims that I made about my skills and abilities.
For those people who are considering this course, I’d recommend they try to get the backing of their organisation, as this will help enormously during study. I would also encourage them to consider the link between their role and what they will be learning, to ensure that it will be of direct benefit. This course in particular is a major undertaking; one which should not be treated lightly. However, I would recommend further study if it is relevant to their development and I certainly think that for someone operating in the charity sector, this programme is more useful than an MBA.
Name: Catherine Longley
