Conspiracy theory

Sometimes the world conspires for you (that's a corrupted quote from Paul Coelho's 'The Alchemist'). Though I spent three and a half happy years at my last employer, the time had come to move on.

Getting close to nature

As you may know (if you know me or from my blog posts), I am a lover of the natural world. I spend a lot of my time out bird watching, walking in woods or even by the sea if I get a chance. I worked for a conservation organisation for a year (the wonderful Fauna & Flora International) and subscribe to the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation and my local Wildlife Trust.

When it comes to looking for fundraising jobs - the obvious place is London where many of the major (and minor) charities are based. The thought of a commute into town didn't really appeal, but I've done it before, and I'm not that bothered. But the cost! Oh my, that did make a difference to my job hunt.

Fate, luck, chance, good timing. Whatever you care to attribute the confluence of circumstances to, I found my 'perfect job':

Factor one - it was in conservation!
Factor two - it was local!
Factor three - it was a wider remit than my previous job and would make full use of my recently acquired Diploma in Fundraising.

However, I discovered that my friend had also applied. She had been my boss at Fauna & Flora International. She was well qualified, lived nearby, and was a great candidate.

Fate? Luck? Here we go again ... the world conspiring. My friend had her eyes on a different job, which she really wanted. Actually, she invented the job - the employer didn't know how much they needed her, but she persuaded them and they hired her. So she did not want to interview for the job we had both applied to. And in her 'I'm sorry I can't attend' email, she also kindly wrote me a nice reference.

The long and the short of it is that I now work for a most exciting and interesting conservation organisation who are unique in their field. I have a huge challenge ahead of me, but one I shall relish.

Watch this space. I shall have more stories to tell.

If you liked this blog post, try:

Big cats
A year in fundraising
Food security