Working life: Lisa-Nicole Dunne of CMRF Crumlin

Lisa-Nicole Dunne, CEO, Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF) Crumlin, talks about her typical day

7am: I have two kids, Daniel, eight, and Sadie, almost three, so there’s a bit of divide and conquer in the morning. My husband does the drop-offs as he works locally, running his own business. My work journey takes me from home in Swords to the M50.

8.30am: At our office in Drimnagh, I prepare for a management meeting where our latest fundraising campaign, Shop4Crumlin, is high on the agenda.

Monies raised towards our Giggle Fund helps fund play, parties and distraction therapies for children who spend long periods in hospital, brightening their day.

11am: With all our teams well briefed on Shop4Crumlin and plenty of activity across social media, I meet with Straight Ahead, one of our larger fundraising partners, devoted to funding time-critical surgery for children with major orthopaedic problems.

We help with the financial management and planning of their fund-raising programmes. We have different fundraising teams, including community, corporate, philanthropy and special events.

Lunch: Usually on the hoof or in the hospital canteen.

2pm: I have some prep work in relation to our annual report and financial statements. As a charity, it’s important donors can see where their money is going. We need to be clear on how children and families are benefiting. One key priority is saving young lives by funding critical research. Last year, we spent €3.2m and this year, we’re aiming for over €5m on research to find answers.

3pm: I meet with the CEO of the National Children’s Research Centre (NCRC), the largest children’s research centre in the country, which is entirely dependent on donations. We review the current funding initiatives which are so inspiring. NCRC research has made important discoveries about many childhood diseases including Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, allergies and recently vaccines.

5pm: I head back to the M50 and home to the kids for quality playtime. We go for a walk, and once they’re bedded down for the night, I have more work to do, preparing for an event that I am speaking at, or prepping for a board meeting or committee work.

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