Laura Savory feels back on home territory as East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ (EACH) new Director of Fundraising.
Having grown up in Suffolk, the 46-year-old has spent much of her career in the capital, working for Sue Ryder, Maggie’s, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), King’s College London and Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals.
Now, 20 years after taking her first steps in the sector, she is back in her native East Anglia and loving every moment of her first few weeks with EACH.
“It feels a bit like coming home,” said Laura. “After so many years working with London-based charities, reconnecting with my community here is incredibly meaningful. Most of my career has been in paediatric fundraising, so this feels like a natural continuation – only this time in the area where I grew up.
“I only joined a few weeks ago but already feel settled and part of the team. It’s clear we’re an organisation full of people who care deeply about what they do. Whether delivering care, running the most loved charity shop in town or supporting behind the scenes, there’s a real sense of pride, dedication and determination.”
Laura started as Running and Challenge Events Co-ordinator at Sue Ryder, progressing to Manager. She was there from August 2005 to May 2010, and, among the highlights, she launched a national challenge events programme, swelling the charity’s database and helping raise an extra £500,000 annually.
Looking back, two decades after starting out, she believes it was always in her blood to work in fundraising – albeit not her initial career choice.
“When I was at school, I was always the charity champion and remember running collections for things like Poppy Day,” remembers Laura. “I think that interest in raising money to help others was probably always there, although it wasn’t my first career choice. Initially, I wanted to work in international development. However, it can be a very academic route, and that’s not best suited to me. I’m more of a practical individual.
“So, to avoid making a decision about my career, I went travelling in my early 20s. I eventually came back to the UK without a job and ended up living in London. I started working in sales but didn’t enjoy making money for some abstract boardroom, making somebody else richer. Quite frankly, it wasn’t of interest to me, so I quit my job and started volunteering for Sue Ryder. After six months, a job eventually came up and I went for it. It gave me a foot in the door, and that’s how I got started.”
After Sue Ryder, Laura spent 12 years working for GOSH, starting as Challenge Events Fundraising Manager, then taking on many roles and finally leaving as one of the charity’s Deputy Directors. In her time there she was responsible for and contributed to several multi-million-pound fundraising relationships, also launching and delivering multiple virtual mass participation events. She helped annual income from virtual events shoot from £90,000 to over £2m and tripled the annual challenge events income from £1m to £3m. She also delivered growth on the charity’s flagship event, RBC Race for the Kids, seeing participation rocket from 1,500 to 10,000 and gross income from £305,000 to over £1m annually.
Subsequent roles included Interim Head of Mass Fundraising at Maggie’s, followed by senior leadership roles at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ – culminating in her appointment as Interim Director of Fundraising.
“Most of my career has been with healthcare charities, where the impact of fundraising is tangible,” said Laura. “You see and feel the difference the money makes and, often, supporters are people who’ve directly benefited from the services. Fundraising becomes part of their healing or way of giving back.”
In Laura’s view, fundraising isn’t just a financial driver – it’s a deeply human connection.
“Whether it’s in-memory giving or regular donations, people are often expressing love, gratitude or remembrance. That’s a real motivator, and it’s something I’ve been fortunate to witness throughout my career. Fundraising can be a powerful tool for families and is also true in our context here at EACH. Families who experience our services here are among our closest fundraising supporters.”
Laura thrives on building campaigns and events that bring people together.
“I love developing activities from scratch – watching an idea become a campaign, then an event, then a community,” she explains. “The best moments are when you step back on the day and see it all come to life. Everything clicks into place – the people, the purpose, the planning – and it’s incredibly rewarding.”
As a director, Laura is directly responsible for overseeing EACH’s fundraising operation, which includes the fields of Individual Giving, Community, Corporate, Events, Philanthropy, Major Donors and Trusts. She is enjoying bringing her leadership and expertise to the role – but sees herself as very much part of a team.
“I’ve worked in some amazing organisations and learnt a lot from my previous roles,” she said. “To be a director is a culmination of that experience, but ultimately I’m just one member of a truly fantastic team – one full of passion and drive.”
To broaden her knowledge of EACH, and gain more insight into the charity’s retail operation, Laura recently spent an afternoon volunteering in its Hadleigh shop. It proved the ultimate homecoming, given she grew up in the Suffolk town.
“As a retail model, it’s a machine and quite a complicated one at that,” she said. “People may not give much thought to how a charity shop is managed, but I quickly learned it’s a slick operation that left me genuinely impressed. The shop team of staff and volunteers are brilliant, and they clearly know what they’re doing, which is fantastic.”
During her shift, Laura had a go at doing some merchandising – something that proved a challenge.
“It’s not like working for a branded High Street retailer, where curated, seasonal stock arrives,” she said. “Our shops are completely different. You have to make a beautiful display from whatever comes through the door – and it’s hard! It showed me how skilled and creative our shop teams are.”
As she looks ahead, Laura is excited about what’s to come.
“This role brings together everything I care about – community, children’s health, meaningful relationships and making a difference. I’m so glad to be here and can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together.”
