A Nottinghamshire funeral firm has appointed its first-ever dedicated charity donation administrator to help it deal with the growing number of families asking mourners to give money to good causes.
Gillotts Funeral Directors says that it has taken on new-starter Jodie Wardle to oversee the increasingly complex task of handing on the more than £100,000 worth of donations it receives on the charities’ behalf each year.
An estimated £80m is donated to charities in memory of loved ones in the UK each year and although the number of mourners attending funerals was restricted over the past year due to social distancing, Gillotts handled an increase in donations made online.
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Jodie Wardle, who has joined Nottinghamshire funeral firm Gillotts Funeral Directors as a charity donation administrator and funeral arranger.
With restrictions gradually being lifted, Gillotts is predicting a return to pre-COVID levels, with Jodie splitting her time between handling the donations at the company’s headquarters in Nottingham Road, Eastwood, as well as looking after the production of service sheets and spending two days working as a funeral arranger at its office in Derby Road, Stapleford.
Joanne Hutsby, a partner in Gillotts, which also operates offices in Selston, Kimberley and across the Derbyshire border in Heanor, welcomed Jodie to the firm, saying that her appointment comes at a good time.
She said: “Handling the very many donations that we receive and process on behalf of our families has become a significant undertaking and although the level of donations did drop over the past year, we decided that we needed a dedicated person to fulfil the role.
“Starting a job at a funeral firm during the tail-end of a pandemic has been a memorable experience for Jodie but very quickly her people skills and organisational ability have made her a welcome addition to our team.”
Jodie, who has previously worked in administration roles for the NHS and the British Army military police, said she is enjoying her new position.
She said: “So many families ask for donations to help charities and organisations in memory of their loved ones and so making sure that every penny gets through to them is a very important part of what we do.
“I’m really enjoying it. I had never thought of working at a funeral firm before but Gillotts looked after my dad’s funeral three years ago and they were so caring and professional that when I saw this job advertised, I knew that I wanted to work here.”
