Meet the team: Charity Link HR manager Hannah
Some people in life are the ‘wild ones’ and some are the ‘steady Eddies’. The moment you meet Charity Link’s HR manager Hannah you get a sense of a safe harbour. When she asks how you are, you get the feeling she’s genuinely listening to the response. With an acute radar for emotional and mental wellbeing and a reassuring smile for everyone, Hannah has spent a great deal of time redefining the culture and reputation of HR. Her dependability and consistent trust building has earned her much esteem. In fact, it’s fair to say there’s nobody in the Charity Link family that doesn’t respect her gentle but no-nonsense demeanor, nor her methodical and reasonable approach. We catch up with the most lovely Hannah to explore what makes her tick, what it’s like being one of Charity Link’s most long standing team members and what her future plans look like.
Tell us a bit about your background?
After thinking long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life post school, I enrolled into college. At that point I’d decided that I wanted to have a career in childcare (not sure why, I was always told I was good with children and had a caring nature so I was sold on that).
I did a two-year course on Early Learning and Child Development and after a year of placements, coursework, and A LOT of colds, I knew this wasn’t the career path for me. Armed with my certification, I began looking for my next adventure.
Over the next few years, I did a handful of admin roles and a bit of reception work, but nothing was ever enough. Despite my dislike of exams, I do love to learn and felt the opportunities were limited. All I knew was that I’d always enjoyed doing admin tasks!
It was around then that I applied for the temp role at Charity Link, initially in the Client Services team looking after their charity partners.
I remember being chuffed to bits when I got an interview and after a visit to the offices (and meeting the office dogs) I was totally sold on Charity Link and what they stood for.
I was made permanent in December 2013 and continued my Charity Link journey in the Client Services team until 2016 when an opening came available in the HR team.
A few people had approached me internally and said what a good fit I would be for the role and I thought ‘What have I got to lose’? By then I felt I had more to offer than just processing paperwork and packing up stock request for fundraisers.
So, I applied did tons of prep and successfully bagged the HR Assistant role. I really feel like joining that department was the making of me and I found who I was as a person.
In 2017 I decided I wanted to do my CIPD Level 3, and after a lot of PowerPoint presentations, essay writing and late nights I proudly qualified in 2018.
By May 2018 I was fortunate enough to be promoted to HR Advisor and I loved the role. Don’t get me wrong, there were days where I questioned whether I was cut out for it, but I guess we all have days like that! With the right support I soon learnt I had a real passion for HR - specifically helping to support others.
2020 saw a very difficult year with COVID and furlough. My HR Manager had left the business and things were a bit up in the air.
It was during this time, I thought it would be a great idea to do my CIPD Level 5 (think I’d gone a bit stir crazy from all the lockdowns).
Like everyone else, we battled through till August 2021 where I was promoted to my current role as HR Manager and honestly all I can say is…. What a journey!
I began as a shy, nervous 21-year-old when I started at Charity Link - really unsure what I wanted to do career wise. A whopping 9 years later (who can even believe that!) here I am, still learning and still growing.
I am very grateful for every opportunity that has come my way, and all of the challenges and hurdles I have experienced - it’s been totally worth it.
The HR department has seen so much change over the years and I’m thankful to everyone that has supported and believe in me along the way. After 7 years in HR I still love it as much as when I first started. I’ve worked with some genuinely great people over the years and cherish some wonderful memories that I’ll never forget.
So that’s a bit about my working life!
So a bit more about the ‘other’ me. I’m a 29-year-old (soon to be the big 30), dog obsessed “young” female.
I have a 2-year-old (very cute) French Bulldog called Remy, who is also known from time to time as Gremmy, Remaldo, Kevin the Teenager… the list goes on. I’m that person that spoils my dog rotten - said that he’d never sleep in my bed and so on… I’ve totally broken all my own rules!
I love nothing more than getting out in the fresh air and taking Remy out for walks with a nice coffee. Dogs really do make the world a better place.
Something about me that people tend to be surprised by is that I’m actually quite a big football fan.
I spend every Sunday morning (rain or shine) cheering my other half on from the side lines. I really enjoy being outdoors at the weekend particularly as I’m sat indoors 5 days a week behind a laptop, so any excuse to get out in the fresh air I will.
I’ve been with my partner Nathan for four years, becoming engaged in May 2022. At the time were were holidaying in beautiful Croatia and I was completely blown away by the gorgeous setting and what he’d arranged for the proposal. So of course Croatia will always be a special place with me.
As far as the actual wedding plans…Well, if I’m being honest, they’re hold for a little while yet, only because we would love to do a bit more travelling if we can first. We’ve got our sights set on Thailand in the next year or so.
What's your favourite part of your job?
This is a tough one, as there is lots of favourite parts to my role!
If I had to pick one in all honesty it would be supporting our employees, whatever that may look like. Sometimes it’s being an ear to listen to their personal challenges or it can be helping them through work-related issues.
I love that people trust me enough to open up to me and share their stories. It’s an honour and a privilege and something I’m really proud of.
Off the back of that, I’m a huge advocate of mental health awareness and have made it my goal that everyone in Charity Link feels they have support from lots of different angles.
What's the hardest part of your job?
I’ve thought about this a lot as there’s definitely parts of my job that can be really difficult! That said, there’s one thing that stands out the most for me which is the perception of HR.
HR seems to have this reputation of
“Uh-oh HR is calling me what have I done wrong” or “Am I in trouble?”.
I’ve had so many different conversations along these lines and to be honest I find it super disheartening! HR stands for so much more in my eyes than just complaints/grievances and disciplinary hearings!
Moving forwards my team and I are intending on showcasing all the great work we do in an attempt to shift that negative impression of our department.
How do you overcome difficult days?
I try not being too hard on myself! When I have a difficult day I think it’s important to step away from a situation and allow some breathing space.
So my remedy is to stick my headphones in, put my favourite music on and get out in the fresh air and take Remy for a walk. Even ten minutes can clear your head and by removing yourself away from whatever is clouding your mind makes all the difference.
I also think I’m really lucky to have a great support network at work and home. I know that I can speak to anyone at Charity Link and feel comfortable in doing that.
What's your overall motivation for doing your job?
My biggest driver is people and their happiness. So for me, it’s simply about making a difference to someone’s life. That might sound over the top, but it’s true!
We spend so much of our lives at work, why spend it unhappy? If I can make one person smile every day, I know I’m doing a good job.
What 3 qualities do you think a fundraiser needs to do the job well?
Patience, resilience and determination. Charity fundraising is up there with one of the toughest jobs you can do, so I think it’s important to have those qualities. We’re always reminding our fundraisers that not every day is a good day and you need to be able to deal with the bad days too.
Find out what other qualities a charity fundraiser needs to do the job well
If you could choose a new charity for us to support, which would you love the most?
There are so many great charities out there, but if I had to pick one, it would be one that is close to my heart, Daisy’s Dream.
Daisy’s Dream are a charity that supports children and their families who’ve been affected by life-threatening illness or bereavement.
I lost my dad when I was 13 and it was a very turbulent time for me, particularly coming into those teenage years. Daisy’s Dream were a such great support to me because they really understood that sometimes you didn’t want to talk about what had happened or that just doing something normal could take your mind off it. They would run activity days for kids who’d experienced bereavement which I always really enjoyed because I could be around others who were going through the same thing as me.
For the difference they made to my life at such a hard time, they’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
What's your best memory of working at Charity Link?
Honestly, it’s hard to single out one memory as I’ve worked here for 9 years now (I still can’t believe that).
Our Charity Link Christmas parties were always a good laugh and filled with lots of memories! There was one year at a local place in Wokingham and after a few drinks I think we rallied up about 10 people to squeeze into this photo booth and we were all in fits of laughter and couldn’t get out the booth (I think I still have these photos somewhere).
What do you think makes Charity Link different from other fundraising agencies?
That’s an easy one for me! I think it’s definitely the level of support and opportunities available to everyone. Having personally experienced traumas and struggles with my mental health, I can hand on heart that I’ve been fully supported every step of the way. I honestly think the support that Charity Link provides is off the scale, they truly care about their employees and prove it!
