Continuing with our new āMeet the clientā series, weād love to introduce you to Wendy Martin. Chief marketing officer at For Good Causes, Wendy is one of the most recent additions to the Little Red š tech division. We joined forces earlier this year in preparation for the brandās launch in April.
For Good Causes allows consumers to donate their loyalty points to charity, taking advantage of the UKās Ā£7 billion of unused loyalty points. A fantastic initiative that everyone at the coop was eager to supportā¦
Hello, Wendy! Welcome to āMeet the clientā. What are your main responsibilities at For Good Causes?
I am the chief marketing officer. So, my work is very much focused on our brand, marketing, PR, digital presence and our partnerships with the brands, retailers and charities that make up our ecosystem.
In reality, there are the four founding directors and a couple of additional colleagues right now. Therefore, we all play an active role in sales,Ā product development and the operationalĀ aspects of running our business. We are lucky that whilst the four of us have distinct areas of expertise, we all have extensive corporate experience having worked for companies like Visa, Shell, Accenture and Experian. It means we are a well-rounded founding team.
How did you come to work in your current role?
I had a great 28-year career at Visa, where I worked in a variety of marketing, sales and digital roles, latterly heading up a large team focused on innovating Visa’s online payment experience. But in 2016, I lost my husband very unexpectedly. Overnight it became clear to me that I would not return to a career that involved a daily commute into London and extensive international travel. I took some time out, set up a small social media business with a great friend and then joined up with some ex-Visa colleagues who had founded For Good Causes. I joined as we began our first crowd-funding campaign to raise the money to build the platform and develop the service.
What is a typical working day for you?
Usually, I am in London 2-3 days per week for client meetings. Either with some of the major brandsĀ and retailers we are workingĀ with, or actively selling our vision to. Or, I’m visiting some of our bigger charity partners.
It often means I’m zigzagging across town between the city, the east of London and the west end. We haven’t taken an office in London yet, which means I’m typically working from coffee shops, hotel lobbies or the odd bar between meetings! Obviously during lockdown these have been replaced with conference calls and Zoom briefings, but the pace definitely hasnāt slowed.
What is your most memorable career moment?
For me I don’t think there are one or two defining career moments that spring to mind. When I think about my career I tend to think about the amazing people I’veĀ worked with, the teams I’ve been privileged to be part of or manage, and the huge number of places my career has enabled me to visit, even if some of those trips were very fleeting!
What is your favourite part of working at For Good Causes?
We’re on a mission to raise Ā£5bn for charities, much of which is by tapping into unused values and putting it to work, as a force for good. It doesn’t get much more inspiring than that, does it!
Beyond realising our vision, it’s great just being able to “get stuff done” and do theĀ “day job”. You realise, once you step out of a leadership role in a big organisation, just how much of your time is spent on management, team leadership, budgets and the like! All essential stuff, but not necessarily fulfilling.
Of course, life in a start-up comes with other challenges like raising investment, which can be a major distraction, but most months we can look at what we’ve achieved and know we are gaining momentum.
Which is your favourite element of the For Good Causes platform and why?
Charity of Choice! I love that we have over 20,000 UK charities for people to choose from. And we’re focused on growing that. We all care about different things, and our choices change over time based on our life experiences and those of our loved ones.
Some charities that I now chooseĀ to support – likeĀ Daisy’s Dream who provide amazing bereavement counselling to children who have sadly lost a parent or sibling –Ā simply weren’t on my radar five years ago and now I like to support them when I can. The fact that we can empower people to donate without having to put their hand in their pocket is really important to me.
What piece of advice would you give to yourself, if you could, on your very first day at work?Ā
Value your opinions and ability! Appreciate and value what you do know and can do, rather than worry about what you don’t and can’t – “Imposter Syndrome” is alive and kicking in many of us, particularly women.
Whatās your favourite magazine? Do you subscribe to any?
I love to flick through Conde NasteĀ Traveller or Wanderlust for some travel inspiration. Rather than subscribe to a magazine I use Readly on my phone which enables you to get access to lots of different titles for a monthly subscription.
Who are your three to follow on Instagram/Twitter?
I’m a big fan of Instagram and Twitter, for different reasons. I love the fast pace of Twitter yet value the aesthetics and personal stories on Instagram.
Picking my favourite accounts is tough. On Instagram a few favourites would be @bowelbabe, @mother_pukka and @secretlondon, whilst on Twitter I enjoy following @TedX,Ā @BBCr4Today andĀ @Sherylsandberg.
What do you think makes a great PR team?
Passion. Vision. Honesty. Personality. Tenacity.
The passion to understand and represent our business to the best to their ability. The vision to see the big picture and the context within which we operate. The honesty to call it – tell us how it is, even if we might not like it. And the personality to win hearts with the tenacity to win minds.
It’s been great to see the speed at which the Little Red šteam has understood our business and championed our vision. And thus far we are delighted with the results!
Your go-to location for a breakfast meeting / business lunch / after work tipple?
How long have you got? I’m a bigĀ fan of Jason Atherton’s restaurants – Berners Tavern, City Social and perhaps my favourite Social Eating House in Poland Street, with the great cocktail bar The Blind Pig on the first floor. I adore old buildings with a modern edge, so I enjoy the German Gymnasium at Kings Cross. I also have a weakness for bars with a view like Radio Rooftop (ME London), Rumpus Room (Sea Containers) or Madison’s with views of St Paulās.Ā Closer to home, you can’t beat the Coppa Club in Sonning for a drink in the sunshine.
