{"contentVo":{"id":566,"contentType":"article","title":"An Insight into a Charitable Career","teaser":"

"Throughout these past few years, people have faced financial challenges and have cut back on spending, yet the demand on our services has only increased," says alumna Salma Daneshmand, who joined UK charity Comic Relief in 2019. "It's a tough time for the charity sector and for the wider community alike but despite these challenges, we remain focused on the opportunities for new and exciting innovations that will help us continue driving positive change." Join us to find out how, as head of legal, Salma plays a part in helping the organization support the lives of millions in the UK and across the globe.

","text":"

Upon completing her training in the London office, Salma qualified into the Real Estate practice in 2013 before later joining the Corporate and Securities team. "Mayer Brown is unique in that it allows junior associates to work on so many different matters and identify where your strengths and passions lie," says Salma. "I was very grateful to have a lot of opportunities there, including a secondment to Unilever which helped me a lot with thinking about branding, marketing and reputational issues." After five years with the firm Salma moved in-house, taking on roles in the tech industry, including with a data company before deciding to pursue a more ethical role and ultimately joining Comic Relief.

Set up in 1985, the vision of the charity is of a just world, free from poverty. Comic Relief raises money which is awarded to other charities—funded partners—who then decide how the money would be best spent, keeping collaboration and teamwork in tackling the big issues collectively front of mind. "It's a really friendly industry and I feel I can bring my whole self to work. Each day, I'm inspired by my colleagues, many of whom feel strongly about the causes we support and who are also trustees of other charities," Salma reflects. "Since joining the charity sector, I've learnt so much about injustice as well as diversity, equity and inclusion issues, and the importance of staying open-minded and being open to challenging your perceptions and views about difficult subjects."

Initially joining as a legal business partner, Salma was promoted to head of legal earlier this year, where she now leads a close-knit team and finds herself involved in everything from the implementation of policies and procedures to facilitating strategic projects as and when they arise. "I think there is an assumption that being a lawyer in the charity sector is an ‘easy’ job but like any in-house legal role, it does have its challenges and no day is the same—the queries we receive cover a very wide range," she explains. "I enjoy working closely with my colleagues and getting involved with both the legal and the strategic side of the organization to ensure the message we communicate is in keeping with our brand, and I learn so much by working on so many different projects."

Though the pandemic was a challenging time for everyone in one way or another, it also saw many acts of kindness, gratitude and selflessness and people pulled together. In 2020, Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need came together to create The Big Night In, a telethon to support those affected by COVID-19—something Salma describes as one of her most challenging but most rewarding projects. "Within three weeks we had welcomed a number of corporate partners on board and organized the television show and the campaign, which raised over £70 million for charity," she explains. That same year, Salma also supported colleagues with the launch of The Global Majority Fund, a project with National Emergencies Trust, The Clothworkers’ Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Health Foundation, set up to support communities experiencing racial inequality during the pandemic. "It's rewarding and humbling to feel like you're in the right place at the right time and to know you're helping those that need it most," she reflects.

With the current cost-of-living crisis putting more and more people in precarious financial situations, the charity, launched an emergency Christmas appeal "On the Breadline", in partnership with UK newspapers The Evening Standard and The Independent. "We are working hard to overcome the challenges we face in today's climate and look at different ways to fundraise, and this campaign demonstrates exactly that. We are keen to implement new ideas outside of Red Nose Day—our biggest campaign of the year that we run every March," Salma explains. The funding raised through this initiative will help support people struggling with the crisis, from working with food banks to providing vouchers to spend with utilities providers.

The charity is also working to help vulnerable children and young people, those who are homeless, living in insecure housing or who have been forced to flee their homes, people at risk of domestic abuse and those struggling with mental health conditions. "Organizations apply to us for funding and we work closely with internal & external assessors who review applications and make funding decisions. These individuals are what Comic Relief calls "experts by experience", people who bring lived experience and expertise of the issues we are seeking to fund to the table, to ensure our work is grounded in best practice," Salma says. "While our vision for a just world free from poverty drives our work, we are agile and responsive to emerging issues prevalent at the time, such as our response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis."

Looking to the year ahead, Salma is focused on empowering her team and streamlining processes to ensure that time is being spent in the right areas. From organizing regular one-to-ones with direct reports and fortnightly team meetings and maintaining an open line of communication, she acknowledges the importance of prioritizing the team's resources. "I try to focus on strategic issues, contracts and projects where possible and when the team feels stretched, I will support with more Business as Usual contracts. We also have outside counsel supporting us on certain matters, including pro bono advice, which we are immensely grateful for." She concludes, "Our areas of focus vary from reviewing fundraising and media materials to supporting key strategic partnerships and our funded partners, to legal compliance and making sure we're protecting the charity's brand and reputation. There are so many different initiatives and it's important to know where our efforts should lie to ensure we are helping those who require our support the most."

Recommended links

","attachments":[{"type":"photos","link":"https://alumni.mayerbrown.com/custom/mayerbrown/imgcache/f365102cc2ff1572c61479f4bbe31e2d.png","height":850,"width":850,"description":""}],"mainDate":"2022-12-05T11:00:00.000-06:00","featured":false,"active":true,"published":true,"meta":{"COMMON:EXTSHARE_ENABLED":false,"DISPLAY_READERS_LINK":false,"USER_MANAGER":false,"COMMON:COMMENTS_READ":false,"COMMON:LIKES_READ":false},"community":74,"creator":{"id":63,"name":"Hidden profile","fullname":"Hidden profile","profilePicture":{"imageUrl":"https://alumni.mayerbrown.com/custom/mayerbrown/imgcache/a11ef17d3d2228ac0bef1d36a4aa70b9a0b848409bb14c128f77a3e6a0fb5ebe.png","initials":"","isFakeImage":true},"image":"https://alumni.mayerbrown.com/custom/mayerbrown/imgcache/a11ef17d3d2228ac0bef1d36a4aa70b9a0b848409bb14c128f77a3e6a0fb5ebe.png","meta":{"ANONYMOUS":false,"ACTIVE":true,"IS_DELETED":false,"USER-VISIBLE_MEMBER_DETAIL":false,"USER-VISIBLE":false,"COMMUNICATION_ENABLED":true,"USER-WRITE_MESSAGE_ANY":false,"USER-VISIBLE_ADMIN_DETAIL":false,"USER-VISIBLE_IN_CURRENT_TREE":false}}},"contentType":"article","publicPageHashOrToken":"tw15JXPEjs6onSI0adDZBcGc0vy8YyfS"}

Loading ...