Abbey Ward is the Development Services Manager at the University of Hull. Joining in 2019, Abbey was new to advancement and the many operations development services encompasses. Prior to working in Higher Education, Abbey held an external relations role at an education charity where she managed partnerships across Yorkshire and Humberside. Her current remit is varied, typical of those working in smaller DAROs, covering insights, gift management, stewardship, reporting, compliance and of course the database. Recent projects have included developing provision to better adapt to EDI objectives, enhancing caseload reporting for fundraisers and taking on various data validation projects. Currently in its second year, Abbey also established a small network of peers working in development services roles within small operations. This was designed to be a supportive and practical network for those working in small teams with finite resources.