Occupation: Fund Development Manager
Age: 30
E-Mail address: hmckeever@communityfoundationni.org
Place of Birth: Belfast
Where you live: Belfast
First Job: Waitress and chambermaid
What it taught me: How to shine taps properly when cleaning a bathroom and to think twice before ever opening a Bed & Breakfast – your home is not your own and it’s extremely hard work
Family/Status: Single
Best advice anyone ever gave you: My Dad once said that different stages in life are just like chapters in a book; they all come together to create the story but alone they won’t necessarily make sense. When I’ve felt sad about leaving a part of my life behind, such as university, or if I’ve struggled with something in my life, his words always come back to me and have really helped
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Work hard, treat everyone you meet the way you would like to be treated and give yourself time to settle into a role. No-one expects you to know everything straight away. Finally, life is short and you spend a lot of it working so find a role you enjoy and make the most of your gifts and talents
One of seven children, Helen was born in Belfast before moving to Portstewart in 1991. In 1999 she went to Leeds University where, alongside studying for her degree, she was involved with the student radio station and the Stage Musical Society. Her third year was spent working in industry with BT in a marketing communications role in London. After completing her degree, Helen moved to London and saved for a 10 month trip around the world, returning to London to work for a small children’s charity in 2006.
Following that she worked for four years with the NSPCC in their Legacy and Major Gift Fundraising team and is now back in Belfast as Fund Development Manager at the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.
A fervent advocate of the development of philanthropy, Helen describes her role at the Foundation as; “An amazing opportunity to help local people make a real and tangible difference to the place in which they live through more effective charitable giving.”
