Women & Golf had the chance to speak to Vanessa Bell, Head of Fundraising for the Golf foundation and find out about her career, fundraising and her own relationship with golf. Find out what she said…

Tell us about your career

I attended the University of Alabama on a golf scholarship and left with a BSc in Sport and Fitness Management with a view to playing golf professionally. I played on Tour in the US and Europe but after having my daughter, I wanted and needed a more regular profession. I found my home in fundraising as I like the element of building the story around the cause and seeing the outcome of getting people’s support. I started fundraising nearly 10 years ago and my roles have included work at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, University of East Anglia and Ipswich School.

What attracted you to this new role at the Golf Foundation?

Golf has been in my life for many years and is my passion. My dream was always to have a golf related role. My career started in fundraising and it is something I both enjoy and have an aptitude for, so when these two worlds collided with a fundraising position that focused on helping young golfers, it was the jackpot! The Golf Foundation does great work in protecting the future of the game, and I’ve seen first-hand how golf can change a life and know the life skills that golf can give you.

On a day-to day basis, how are you trying to increase the level of fundraising?

Education is key; getting people to understand the role of the Foundation. With this in mind, we are implementing new programmes of outreach and communications so we can spread our vision more widely. I have started to put more focus on large donor sponsorship and corporate involvement, as these relationships, while they take time, make up a significant part of our annual donations. Additionally, I am looking at how we work on a more local level with golf club managers as they are the ones who have the best relationships with their members and can encourage activities that help drive fundraising.

Expanding girls’ golf and support for youngsters with disabilities are a focus for the Golf Foundation. Have these areas of work helped to attract potential funders?

Anyone who supports the Golf Foundation is helping in both areas. Every one of our projects encourages more girls to enjoy golf, while our ‘Golf for All’ philosophy reaches all ability levels. We are particularly thankful to HSBC and the Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust for its support of youngsters with special educational needs (SEN) or disability through a growing number of ‘Plus’ community projects. Another example: the London Welsh Golf Society raised nearly £3,000 on its golf day which will support young people with SEN, through community golf projects in Wales.

How closely do you work with golf’s governing bodies and organisations?

Very closely; we all have the same ultimate goal, to encourage as many people from as many backgrounds as possible into golf and to reach as many people as we can with our message. It is great to be able to leverage the knowledge, expertise and contacts of the golf organisations and governing bodies as well as working alongside them on a range of joint projects to help more young people enjoy the benefits of golf.

You have been in this role for under a year, so tell us about the challenges and highlights so far.

Well I am definitely a ‘glass half-full’ kind of person so I see everything as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Some of the foundations of fundraising need to be set up but we have the benefit of starting with something of a blank canvas, so we can dictate how we do it and make sure it works for us. Highlights wise, attending a dinner at Buckingham Palace and meeting Prince Andrew will always be hard to beat and was a total privilege.

How often do you play golf nowadays?

Golf is my first love and of course I also played professionally so playing will always be in my blood. I am Captain of the Suffolk Ladies golf team so I need to keep my practice up for that alone. My family and now daughter are also big golfers so finding a partner is never hard. I practise at least once a week and my ambition is to play off +1, if only for a day!

For more information visit: Golf-foundation.org

ANA Inspiration 2019 Makes Big Promises READ MORE