Goodbye to Faith!

May 20, 2025

This month, we said goodbye to our wonderful Senior Fundraising Officer, Faith. A huge part of the Beacon team, Faith will be very missed by all of us.

In this blog, Faith reflects on some of the highlights from her time at Beacon.

Can you sum up your time at Beacon for us?

I can’t believe it’s been over two and a half years since I joined Beacon – the time has absolutely flown by. Starting out as a fresh-faced graduate in 2022, I’ve grown so much both professionally and personally, and I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve been part of.

From building relationships with corporate partners, to helping restructure our fundraising strategy, I feel privileged to have contributed to work that makes a difference.

One of the highlights of my time here has been connecting with the rare disease community. From patients and passionate advocates to life sciences professionals, I’ve learned so much from every conversation.

It’s been an honour to work alongside such a committed and compassionate group of people.

Photo of Laura and Faith at a Beacon exhibition booth

Photo of Faith and Niamh in Barcelona at the World Orphan Drug Congress 2024.

Fundraising hasn’t been without its challenges, but the support within the field is second to none. There’s a strong sense of solidarity and shared purpose in this work, and that’s helped make all the difference.

Watching Beacon deliver impactful projects and events – made possible by our generous supporters – has been truly rewarding, and I’m looking forward to continuing to cheer them on from the sidelines as I take my next step.

What will you be doing after Beacon?

After working remotely for the past year, I’m now taking my career to London to join the brilliant London Marathon Foundation.

Thanks to the fantastic set of skills I’ve developed at Beacon, I’m taking a sidestep from fundraising into the world of impact, supporting the Foundation’s mission to inspire children and adults to lead active, healthy lives.

I’m really looking forward to this new challenge and to working with charities across the UK to help them track and share the positive change they’re creating within their communities.

What is your highlight/your greatest achievement from your time at Beacon?

One of my proudest achievements was running our ‘Fundraising without a fundraiser’ training webinar for patient organisation leaders alongside my fabulous manager, Emma. It was the first time I had the chance to consolidate everything I’d learned about fundraising into something practical and shareable. Knowing it could make a real difference for the community made the experience even more rewarding.

I also had the opportunity to support some fantastic fundraising volunteers in my last few months here. It was my first time dipping my toes into management – slightly scary but incredibly fulfilling.

I’m grateful to have worked with such a dedicated team, and especially thankful to my colleagues Blayne and Emma, who offered invaluable support and encouragement throughout this new experience, generously sharing their advice and insights along the way. I still keep in touch with some of the volunteers, which is a lovely reminder of the impact we made together.

Thank you to the Beacon team and the wider rare disease community, for being so welcoming and taking me on this journey with you – it has been a pleasure.