By her own admission, Head of Fundraising and Lottery Veronica walked through the doors eleven years ago, knowing little about Hospice care. But she had an appetite for fundraising and boundless energy. Even after more than a decade leading our fundraising team, she’s still driven daily by the difference they make to hospice care.
Veronica has played a key role in making our care possible year after year. Just three years after she joined us, she led her team to dizzying new heights and doubled fundraised income to raise £1m! An ambitious fundraising programme, a more developed marketing team and the introduction of new ways to reach supporters paid off.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Veronica set her sights on ‘the next big thing’. The St Barnabas Colour Dash in 2015 broke all records and raised over £125,000 in its first year – becoming the most successful fundraising event in our history. In fact, through developing the event alongside Lincoln-based business Running Imp, Veronica and the team established a blueprint for hospices up and down the country, helping them run their own Colour Dash events to support hospice care across the UK.
It’s fair to say Veronica never stops! But even she has her limits. So when she came across a new, novel way to remember loved ones, she shelved it. That was until she built a team dedicated to helping more people remember family and friends with St Barnabas. With Veronica’s backing and support, the team brought our ironworks appeal to life. First there were forget-me-nots, followed by dragonflies and then hearts, all beautifully handcrafted locally for people to own and dedicate in memory of a loved one. It was another hugely successful initiative that continues to go from strength to strength, just like Veronica and her team.
Even on maternity leave, she didn’t miss an opportunity and set the ball rolling for St Barnabas’ first-ever gin blend. It turns out it was the one fundraising idea that benefitted from the Covid-19 lockdowns, with most sales made during those months!
It’s not all strategy and ideas for Veronica though. She’s trekked across Jordan for us, dressed as Mrs Claus, sang and danced in Lincoln High Street, and is always at the front of the queue to get her hands dirty in the name of fundraising. Yet she’s always quick to acknowledge that she couldn’t have done any of it on her own. Maybe not, but her drive and dedication are the heart of it all.
In her own words…
“From then Director of Fundraising, Neil Paulger, who took a chance on me, to our former CEO Sarah-Jane Mills, who inspired me in those early years, to the volunteers who set firm fundraising foundations for the Hospice and my dedicated team that makes anything possible. Every one of them has been integral to what I’ve achieved for the Hospice, and I can’t thank them enough.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces