Sophie RD

A laptop screen shows a remote Microsoft Teams Christmas party going on. On the right of the screen a grid of faces are wearing reindeer antlers and Christmas hats. On the left a woman with long brown hair plays an enormous golden harp that's draped in red tinsel.

Loving working with Music in Hospitals & Care. What other org's staff Christmas quiz features a live professional harpist providing the music round?

Unsuccessful in bagging London Marathon gold bonds? There's still time!

500 orgs without 2026 places can enter the Charity Ballot, which is open until Fri 13 Dec. Results announced by 20 Dec.

customervoice.microsoft.com/Pages/Respon...

Remember that unless you're working a uniformed job, nobody cares what you're wearing except you.

Seems like you've somehow managed to achieve both tasteful AND tinsel. Excellent skills 🎄

A Christmas wreath of green fir tree twigs hangs on a wooden gate suspended by a red ribbon tied with a bow. The wreath is studded with Christmas baubles of all shapes and sizes, forming a circular rainbow of colours.

Today I learned that volunteers from Hobbycraft put up beautifully crafted decorations in hospices around the UK each year. This one is fittingly at Rainbows Children’s Hospice in Loughborough. What a lovely thing!

Love the guys at @fundeverywhere.bsky.social role modelling what truly flexible working is: fully remote, pick your hours. Great role, take a look:

A Christmas tree stands indoors on a dark wood floor. The tree is lit with hundreds of lights in red, blue, green, and yellow. It is smothered in decoration of every colour including tinsel garlands.

Where's the tinsel, guys? Lots of lovely tasteful minimal tree devoration going on, but who else is rocking the '80s maximallist look? Can't even buy tinsel in Sainsbury’s, mate!

Love this Sarah! And also YES TO TINSEL.

The North Devon coast doing its thing this morning is the calm before the month to come.

‘Child poverty has got a lot worse’: outgoing charity boss lambasts Tory failures and social media giants Peter Wanless of the NSPCC calls for more preventive action on child poverty, a ban on ‘morally repugnant’ smacking and favours guardrails online rather than bans

I’m entering my last week as Chief Executive at the NSPCC and share some parting thoughts with the Observer today

www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Directors of #Fundraising forecasting down this quarter, don't be tempted by shiny new stuff. Instead focus on doing more of the stuff that's already working. Show existing supporters the impact they're having, deepen those relationships.

When you didn't hear what the meeting ice breaker is and you're desperately trying to work it out from people's answers before it's your turn.

A small brown daschund is dressed in a bright orange carrot costume complete with a green carrot-top hat fastened under his chin. Its long tufty brown ears are sticking out of the sides.

I didn't become a #charity Trustee just to be the person telling the CEO what to do for a change. But if that does motivate you (esp if you're <35, from a minoritised group, or a woman) then do give it a try. Pic represents @vegsoc.bsky.social where I regularly get to legitimately stick my oar in.

A white fluffy toy dog with black eyes and nose sits against some white pillows. It's cuddling a much smaller toy dog who looks a smaller version of himself.

A fluffy toy dog named Nigel has been a loyal and constant companion to my Dad, whose mixed #dementia has done nothing to make him less loving and caring. This week, for Dad's 89th birthday, my Mum got Nigel a teeny fluffy dog of his own, and it's the best thing I've ever seen.

The election result across the pond saw a huge spike in the value of cyptocurrency. There will be people in a position to give their crypto wealth to charity, so it's great to see Justgiving making it was for UK charities to accept crypto donations:

London Marathon places up for grabs🏆 800 orgs can join the new scheme, securing their first guaranteed places from 2026-2029. Get in there! Applications close 26 Nov www.tcslondonmarathon.com/charity-info...

Thank you, this is super helpful for us noobs! I'd be honoured to be added if you're not sick of adding already.

A beautiful sculpture of a fox is painted with a bright countryside scene with green hills and a blue sky. It's legs and tail are adorned with rainbow coloured bands of paint. It stands on green grass in front of a tree dropping its red autumnal leaves.

Here's a beautiful painted fox I met today who almost made up for the fact it takes 7 hours to travel home from meeting one of my favourite charity clients.

Pick me! Srsly on a mega Bluesky learning curve here but hoping to be of some use to the fundfam shortly.