FUNDRAISING
OPERATING ARCHIVE · 2013–2026
Good fundraising does not pressure people
The job is to find people who want to help and can afford to help, not to sign up everybody who answers.
Our job is not to get everybody. It is to find the people who want to help and can help without being put under pressure.
Listen to what the person is telling you
People rarely announce that a donation would hurt them. They say they may be evicted, a family member is sick, or they may soon be homeless. A good agent hears the meaning and stops trying to produce a result.
A bad sign-up is no result
There is no point signing up somebody who cancels in the first month. In our experience, door-to-door fundraising can lose around 20% in month one. Our cancellation is around 15% after the first year. We would rather build support that lasts than force a number that disappears.
The charity's name remains after the call
Fundraising callers represent the cause as well as the campaign. Even when no donation is made, the person should finish the call feeling respected. The job is not to put people off the charity.