7.00 AM
I roll out of bed and onto my bike. I like to cycle or catch the free shuttle bus from Caulfield to the Monash University Clayton Campus. There’s lockers and showers for cyclists at work, so I’ll change there.
8.30 AM
I’ve already heated up my breakfast and said hello to my co-workers as I check through my inbox, making sure to read the relevant news for both Higher Education and philanthropy news. I forward an article of mutual interest on to the CASE Graduate at University of Melbourne – “keen to chat about this when I see you next!”.
9.30 AM
Time for my weekly 1:1 with my manager, we discuss my current rotation with Donor Relations as well as starting next week with the Alumni Relations team.
10.00 AM
Prospect meeting. It’s one of the first face to face meetings I’ve secured, so I’m pretty nervous! Luckily, the Senior Development Manager with me has some excellent tips and is very supportive throughout the meeting.
11.30 AM
After coffee, we show the prospect around the beautiful Clayton campus. They are particularly interested in the new Law Moot Court, so we make a special stop there.
12.00 PM
I’m starving, so I grab a quick bite from one of the many restaurants on campus and go for a quick walk (it’s the 10 000 steps challenge in the office!)
12.30 PM
I follow up on some more emails, then get started on drafting a ‘Case for Support’ for a new Human Rights initiative being run at Monash. It’s a fascinating project and I enjoy thinking about how best to position the paper to attract philanthropic support.
2.00 PM
Time to switch up projects. I spend one day a week with the Development Manager at ClimateWorks Australia, an organisation co-founded by Monash University and the Myer Foundation in order to bridge the gap between climate change research and action. I spend an hour doing some research and planning on a new giving program I’ve been asked to design.
3.00 PM
I have a meeting with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to discuss my Secondment Proposal to spend a month at CETYS Universidad in Mexicali, Mexico. He really likes my proposal and it is approved for me to go!
4.30 PM
Normally home time, but there is a Pioneers (first ever graduates of Monash) event on tonight which I will go along to help out with, meaning I’ll get some time in lieu tomorrow morning and a sleep in!