Jemma's Getty's career path to becoming a fundraising manager for RSPB Scotland. Jemma talks about switching careers and how her transferrable skills have given her an edge. Current Job Tell us about your current role I am a fundraising manager for RSPB Scotland, focussing mainly on large statutory grants, but also supporting corporate findraising. Career Beginnings When you were 15, what job did you want and who did you ask for advice?I wanted to be a lawyer and mainly asked teachers at school for advice.What were your first steps in starting your career? My first step was changing career in my early 30s and looking for a job where I felt like I was helping either women's issues or the environment. I found an entry level position at RSPB Scotland doing community engagement & membership that suited my transferrable skills and applied and got the job. Career path and skills What does your career path look like? I had bounced around different sales jobs, and then ran a ladies only fitness centre, so I would say it's very non-linear.What skills were important for you to develop in your career? Being confident, open, personable and able to build rapport with all types of people. I come from Scotland's Travelling Showman community, so I would say that we are definitely underrepresented in the conservation sector. Many of my colleagues come from the same kind of background - white, middle class, often from England - so being someone from a genuinely working class Glasgwegian background has been a bit of a point of difference. Within my team I am often the one who is asked to present, or facilitate events because I have transferrable skills in terms of communication and relationship building that they perhaps don't. This article was published on Monday 19 October 2026
