In this series, we introduce you to a member of our CharityWise community and highlight their incredible work. We profile the member and their charity, giving you insights into their mission, impact, and the challenges they face.
This time we caught up Rosie Baker, Head of Brand and Marketing at the charity NHS Charities Together.
What has been your background/previous experience within the sector?
I started my career as a media planner at a London agency, working on a number of corporate accounts. I loved the pace and variation, but after a few years I knew I wanted to do something with more purpose, so I made the jump to client side and bagged my first role at Comic Relief.
Comic Relief was a whirlwind four years and I had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and passionate people I’d ever met, as well as immersing myself in the unique challenges and opportunities that the charity sector faces.
Since then, I have worked in marketing, comms and brand roles for a number of high-profile national campaigns and charities, including Soccer Aid for UNICEF, This Girl Can and now at NHS Charities Together.
What is your role at your charity?
I head up the Brand and Marketing team here at NHS Charities Together, leading a small but fantastic team who are responsible for managing our brand, providing marketing support across the organisation and the day to day running of our website and social channels.
What is the mission of your charity?
Our mission is to mobilise the collective power of NHS Charities and the nation to help the NHS go further for patients, staff and communities – ensuring that extra support goes where it’s most needed and enabling the NHS to advance in a rapidly changing world. We will do this by transforming patient experience and outcomes, supporting workforce wellbeing through caring for NHS staff and volunteers, and supporting people to live well by preventing ill health and holistic management of long term health conditions.
Who does your charity help?
Everyone! The NHS is something that touches everyone’s lives at some point – and we’re here to ensure that it is able to deliver the very best healthcare for everyone, even in the face of enormous challenge. Whether you’re a patient, the family of someone in hospital, someone struggling with their mental health or even an NHS worker – NHS Charities Together provides vital support to ensure our healthcare is the very best it can be.
What are your charity’s biggest challenges?
Although NHS charities have been around for decades, it is a commonly misunderstood sector, with many people not realising we exist, or understanding the important role of charitable giving within the NHS.
Our role in the Covid-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the sector, and has given us a valuable opportunity to raise awareness and support for the vital work that we do, but with the NHS being such a political topic for many people, it can be challenging!
That’s why our website and social channels are so important, as they are a valuable place for people to find out more about what we and our members do.
What are your charity’s proudest accomplishments?
In 2020 we launched our emergency Covid-19 appeal in response to the pandemic and the extraordinary pressure that the NHS was facing, and it went on to raise £160million in less than a year.
Our organisation had never delivered a national appeal before and we only had about four employees at the time, so it was an incredible achievement and one that made an enormous difference to the NHS at a time when they needed support more than ever.
What is your charity’s vision for the future?
Our vision is for a future with a thriving NHS, where everyone has access to the health and care they need, whenever they need it.
Thank you Rosie!
If you’re interested in learning more about NHS Charities Together, then please visit their website.
If you’re a CharityWise member and would like to be featured (or even nominate a colleague), then please get in touch.
