Two BU graduates are helping an air ambulance service to deliver critical care across two counties as part of the charity’s fundraising and supporter engagement teams.
Emma Stileman and Ellie Colman both graduated from BU in 2021 and are now part of the team at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA). Emma, who studied politics, is a Supporter Engagement Officer while Ellie, who studied communication and media, is a Trusts and Foundations Officer.
The pair met during their placement year at BU, when they enrolled as interns with the Fusion Fundraising Academy. The internship helped them to learn the ropes of professional fundraising, through a mixture of workshops and training, live consultancy projects and work experience with local charities.
While Ellie went on to work in trust fundraising immediately after graduating, Emma completed a PGCE and worked as a primary school teacher before taking up her first charity role at HIOWAA earlier this year.
Ellie said: “My year with the Fusion Fundraising Academy was the highlight of my university experience. It built my confidence and introduced me to an area of work that I hadn’t considered before. I went on to do my dissertation on charity fundraising, looking at the theories of why people give and how charities can look after and retain donors. When it came to applying for jobs, the fact that I’d delivered consultancy projects for charities and worked at a health service charity was a big advantage.”
Ellie’s work is focused on securing grants from trusts and foundations to support the charity’s operations, including providing essential kit for the air ambulance crews and support services for staff who are regularly faced with traumatic incidents. Her next challenge will be to raise funds for a new headquarters for the charity, as it prepares to move to a single site at Southampton Airport.
Emma’s work includes raising awareness of the charity at public events and forging partnerships with companies. She said: “My time at the Fundraising Academy gave me skills and knowledge that I have been able to put into practice in my role now. And it also introduced me to Ellie who recommended that I should apply for the role in the first place! Working for a charity such as this is incredibly rewarding. When you speak to volunteers or members of the public, who share stories of how the air ambulance saved their life or the life of a loved one, you realise that your work can make a difference.”
Find out more about Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance here.
