My name is Iva and I am the Project Assistant at Emmaus SLC.
Joining Emmaus
Before I worked at Emmaus, I was self-employed. I had my own business on Amazon doing online
sales. I did this for about 4 years, and it was very successful, but I decided I needed a change. I found
out about Emmaus through an online job listing, and after doing some research I knew it was the
type of organisation I wanted to work for. Their mission statement to help end homelessness was
really admirable, and I knew I had a lot of skills to offer that would be helpful to their social
enterprise.
As an Online Sales Assistant
I joined Emmaus in October 2020 as an Online Sales Person. Emmaus had just started doing online
sales when I joined, so much of my prior knowledge was put into utilising that. My colleague Tamaki
and I helped set up and run the eBay shop, which is available on this link : emmauslambethcharity on
eBay.
Although I enjoyed working in online sales, when the opportunity to apply for the Projects Assistant
arose, I decided to take it. I saw it as an opportunity to advance and learn new skills, and take me
out of my comfort zone.
My Responsibilities as Project Assistant
As the Project Assistant I have a lot of varied responsibilities. These range from fundraising
applications, to liaising with contractors on existing projects, assisting with research when required
etc. Another part of my job is keeping on top of our Wishlist. With this I can establish what our
current needs are, and then subsequently research grant-making trusts and donors that could
provide those relevant funds. From there, I am able to make the fundraising applications, ensuring
that they meet the criteria set out by the relevant trust or donor.
What I enjoy most about Emmaus
I like working at Emmaus because I think it is important to work somewhere that has an important
purpose and mission. It is more fulfilling, and gives you more self-motivation. My job has a lot of
responsibilities, and it is the challenge that makes it so enjoyable. I get the opportunity to meet and
work with so many interesting people across the organisation and externally.