A Trust fundraiser who has helped secure more than £2 million in charitable funding for NHS projects says taking a leap into an unfamiliar career during the Covid-19 pandemic was one of the best decisions she ever made.
Rebecca Arestidou, who is Trust Grant, Fundraising Impact and Project Officer with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, Baby Beat and Rosemere Cancer Foundation, has spent the past five years securing grants that support patient care, staff wellbeing and healthcare services. But her path into fundraising was far from conventional.
Before entering the sector, Rebecca studied psychology, completing three degrees over eight years. At the time, she admits she worried that moving away from a psychology-focused career meant she had somehow failed after investing so much time in her studies.
Looking back, she now sees things very differently: “At first, psychology and fundraising felt like completely different worlds,” Rebecca said. “I spent a long time thinking I wasn't doing anything directly related to psychology or mental health. It turns out I was completely wrong.”
She believes the skills developed through her psychology studies have become invaluable in her fundraising career.
“Understanding what motivates people, building genuine relationships, listening more than talking and remembering that behind every funding decision are real people, are all things I use every day,” she explained.
“Understanding people has made me a much better fundraiser. There was definitely a return on the investment for those student loans after all.”
Rebecca also credits her academic background with helping her navigate one of the less glamorous aspects of fundraising - coping with grant rejections.
Her experience has taught her that skills gained in one chapter of life often become unexpectedly valuable in another.
“Career changes are scary and stepping out of your comfort zone can be terrifying,” she said. “But sometimes the things that scare us most turn out to be the best decisions we ever make. Degrees and previous careers aren’t wasted when you change direction. Sometimes they end up being exactly what helps you succeed.”
Rebecca's move into fundraising came during a period of organisational restructuring in the pandemic, a time when she admits she was filled with doubt.
“I’d never done the role before and I was terrified I would fail,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who prefers the safety of my comfort zone, so stepping into something completely new felt daunting. But it was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.”
While many people picture fundraisers spending their days writing applications, attending meetings and building donor relationships, Rebecca says the reality can be much more unexpected.
Over the years, her work has seen her pushing a supermarket trolley around a hospital on a “Supermarket Sweep”, being given a guided tour of a farm to meet a turkey called George, dressing as Santa, tracking down a missing wheelchair around a hospital site and transporting a giant bale of hay that completely filled the back of her car.
She has even recruited her baby nephew to star in a charity film when no other volunteers could be found and once found herself standing in a circle of 100 conference delegates roaring like a lion.
“And somehow, all of these things were considered legitimate work activities,” she joked.
Despite the unusual challenges and memorable moments, Rebecca says she genuinely loves her role and cannot imagine doing anything else.
Having helped secure more than £2 million in funding for NHS initiatives, she is now focused on continuing to make a real difference to patients and staff across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
