Ronnis shared a mantra that defined her professional career – “Be of Service – Be a vessel of positivity”. Ronnis was motivated by a strong NGO passion providing boundaries as she championed causes. The topic of her talk – “My Journey through the NGO sector – an incredible enlightening experience” provided the framework for her talk.
Ronnis went to Livingstone High School, further studied Public Relations Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
She holds a Public Relations qualification and shared her journey that led her to the NGO sector. Her studies happened eight years after working in the corporate financial industry, and her first PR role was at the Children’s Hospital Trust, the fundraising arm of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Here she had the opportunity to hone her skill set that spanned all the aspects of PR from social media and newsletters, to events and media liaison; her experience shaped her career and left a lasting impact that would keep her hooked in the NGO sector.
After six years in the communications department, connecting communities of donors to young patients and families’ stories, managing media relations and copy writing for various platforms, she took a leap of faith and was successfully recruited as the marketing manager of the Carel du Toit Trust, a non-profit entity supporting children with hearing impairments.
Commuting daily from Blouberg to the Northern Suburbs took its toll and she found herself back in the recruitment space, seeking a cause that was quite literally closer to home, and found her skills in both marketing and fundraising were a perfect match for a role at SANCCOB, an NGO dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of seabirds, just five minutes from home. At SANCCOB, Ronnis was in awe of the commitment of the team, the community of volunteers and the support from donors all over the world. Fast forward seven years, her path led her to the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation in 2024, where she now manages donor relations and mutually beneficial collaborations, as well as community engagement to create an intentional and formalised programme that amalgamates existing community groups that can be mobilised to take action for ocean positive initiatives.
There is little doubt that with Ronnis’s skills set, she will help Rotary Club of Waterfront traverse the technology road of PR and marketing ahead in a fast changing world.
