The Brain Charity

Esme is part of our fundraising team, focusing on building strong relationships and securing vital support. As Senior Fundraiser, she plays a crucial role in ensuring that The Brain Charity can continue to deliver life-changing services.

What makes Esme’s role unique is her ability to connect with people and organisations in a way that inspires long-term support for our mission. 

Background and journey 

Esme first joined The Brain Charity as a Fundraising Officer. With a background in fundraising, she quickly took on major responsibilities. From managing partnerships with companies to developing legacy giving, trusts, and foundations work.

Her dedication and skill led to her promotion to Senior Fundraiser, where she now oversees some of the charity’s most important relationships.

Role and responsibilities 

Day-to-day, Esme looks after partnerships with companies that want to support The Brain Charity, whether through fundraising, volunteering, or sharing expertise. She also manages relationships with people who choose to leave a gift in their will, working closely with executors and solicitors to ensure every gift is handled with care.

Her role includes: 

• Leading fundraising campaigns and appeals. 
• Managing relationships with individuals and organisations who support The Brain Charity. 
• Overseeing legacy giving, trust, and foundations work. 
• Helping with events and day-to-day fundraising activities. 
• Ensuring fundraising activities align with our values of inclusion and empowerment. 

Esme describes her approach simply:

“Basically just getting stuck in with whatever’s needed.” 

Impact and highlights 

One of Esme’s proudest achievements has been building the partnership with Malmaison and Hotel du Vin. A partnership that has raised an incredible £100,000 since 2023. This was the very first relationship she developed when she joined the charity, and it has grown into a powerful collaboration.

Innovative initiatives, including the Eco-Clean scheme, optional guest donations, and staff challenges, such as marathons, abseils, and a team hike up Mount Snowdon.

Beyond fundraising, Malmaison staff also took part in neurodiversity awareness training delivered by The Brain Charity, making their venues more inclusive for neurodivergent customers and colleagues. 

This milestone has had an enormous impact: £100,000 could fund our counselling service for nearly two years, giving over 600 people affected by neurological conditions access to free, specialist mental health support. 

Esme says: 

“Their enthusiasm and commitment to raising funds have created this incredible amount that’s had a real impact on our services.”

What she loves about her role 

For Esme, the best part of working at The Brain Charity is being in the building and spending time with clients, volunteers and colleagues.  

She said: 

“The most amazing thing about The Brain Charity is that it really is a community and a family, and getting to be part of that is really, really special.”

Personal insights 

Outside of work, Esme enjoys reading, running (she completed a half-marathon earlier this year), walking her dog, and crocheting – even if she jokes that her scarves and hats are “lumpy” gifts for family at Christmas. 

A fun fact about Esme is that when she got married, her surname changed from Smithson to Smith – a name change she calls “the most embarrassing of all time”, though she and her family now jokingly call themselves the “Smithsmithsons”.

Esme’s work ensures The Brain Charity has the resources and relationships needed to keep supporting people with neurological conditions. You can support our campaigns and learn more about fundraising for The Brain Charity by visiting this link.