Wendy Kirwan is a phenomenon at Kars4Kids for all she accomplishes and for how she does it, too. Ms. Kirwan manages two Kars4Kids work teams: SEO and Marketing, and she also serves as the Kars4Kids public relations point person. Kirwan is incisive and diplomatic and is competent at juggling a multitude of tasks at once.
We thought you’d like to get to know Wendy Kirwan. That’s why we set out to see if we could snag this busy woman for just a few minutes to tell us a bit more about who she is and why and how she does what she does. We think you’ll enjoy the results.
When did you begin working at Kars4Kids and why?
Wendy Kirwan: I’ve been working here since February 2012. My first job title here was PR writer – my job has changed quite a bit over the years though I’m still in PR. This was my first full-time job after graduating college – I have a BA in business journalism from Baruch College (CUNY). I wasn’t one of those kids who always knew what I would be when I grew up, other than that it wouldn’t be in medicine or math-related. A degree in journalism allowed me to pursue a bit of a more flexible career path.
How has Kars4Kids changed since you joined the team?
Wendy Kirwan: We’ve grown quite a bit in 5+ years but we’re still the same friendly, warm team I joined back then.
Describe a typical workday for you at Kars4Kids.
Wendy Kirwan: There’s no typical workday for me. I wear a few hats as manager of the SEO and marketing teams (not to be confused with the advertising peeps – my team covers design (print and web), multimedia, creative, marketing development, writing, media outreach and more but we don’t do the media purchasing or PPC) and PR point person. So on any given day, my job might be more focused on managing the people, handling a PR issue, dealing with the media, brainstorming and developing a campaign or who-knows-what-else. I’ve gone from “doing” more to overseeing and managing, which is a very different skillset and I can’t say I’ve totally mastered it yet…
How do you manage home and work? Your top tip to readers?
Wendy Kirwan: Umm. I have 4 kids, aged 6-16 months. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to confidently say that I “manage” home and work. I’ll just mention a couple of things here. One is that I grew up with a working mother who is an incredible role model. I get a lot of inspiration from her. The other is that we have an amazing on-site daycare here which makes a big difference. We have a work culture that is very understanding of and accommodating to working parents in general. Just knowing that many of your colleagues are in the same boat as you makes it easier.
What do you see as the future of Kars4Kids?
Wendy Kirwan: In the past decade or so, Kars4Kids grew tremendously on both the donation/operation side and the charity work. and in brand recognition generally. So I’m looking forward to seeing it continue that upward trajectory and continue to impact even more children and families.
