What I learnt as a door-to-door charity fundraiser...

When I told my family and friends that I was going to go out in the field for a week doing door to door fundraising as part of my induction into BRC Promotions, the result was a mixture of expletives, laughter and stunned silence. I should clarify a few things at this point- I loathe inclement weather to the point where I have refused to leave my house if it’s cold or wet, I will whine like a toddler denied their favourite toy when I’m tired and as for physical exercise… well. Let’s put it this way. Up until recently the gym, I’m like a ninja.

You’d never see me there.

So when it came to the 11th of December 2018, 11.15 and I was heading out to meet Joe Pagett, my first coach for the week, and it was hovering around freezing I had some second thoughts. But this was important for me, and for BRC Promotions. We’ve kicked off an intensive hiring drive, and both myself and Mark, our owner and MD, agreed it was important for me to see what it’s like so I can talk about it from first-hand experience. So, in the style of Undercover Boss I was sent out in the field to do a week as a paid professional fundraiser. And the guys had no clue I was their new recruitment manager. I met Joe and Somtee Okeke, Training Manager, my orientation meeting. They briefed me on what my first week would look like, taught me how to examine the maps for coordinating and managing my area, taught me how to keep track of the houses we were approaching so we didn’t irritate the heck out of the occupants. They also taught me about Macmillan, the charity I would be representing and the amazing work it did. Somtee took great pains to reiterate the level of effort that would be required- we’d be knocking a minimum of 150 doors, aiming to have contact with 90 people, have a quality conversation with 30 of them about why we were out and we will be signing up between 5-10 people to the cause.

The first thing that hit me- we’re going to hear “no” an awful lot. I’m a recruiter, so this isn’t an uncommon word for me, but even with this the thought of 70 “no thanks” didn’t fill me with great enthusiasm. But what did was the undeniable passion for the job that Joe and Somtee displayed. Regardless of the profession; when you meet someone who so evidently loves and cares for their job you want to see if you can get in on that and share the joy. The second was that for the entirety of Day 1, I was going to be shadowing Joe and learning the basics. Joe has had a phenomenal career with us- in less than 12 weeks he was identified as an absolute star and someone who would be a great mentor, so they promoted him to show our newbies how to represent our charities correctly and how to engage with people and talk about the charities. I would get to watch him in action and he would discuss each knock with me to assess my understanding and hear my thoughts for a solid 6 hours before I would even be allowed to speak to a prospective sign up.

So, off we went. We were out from 1pm until around 8pm and it wasn’t until around 4 that we started to get some positive responses and sign ups. By this point, I’d walked 5.5 miles, caught an incredibly beautiful winter sunburn and the cold wind had chapped my lips. But I was hooked. Joe was buzzing along, keeping us both positive and motivated and me giggling away. By this point, two more rules had been learned. Skincare is more vital than you think, and you’d better be good at keeping yourself entertained because if not, - so we’d started rating Christmas decorations. What was never tedious was watching Joe at work.

There are very few words for how great Joe was at his job. But I'll try.

He was knowledgeable about our services, engaging and extremely empathetic. It could also get strangely emotional- we met people who had been affected by cancer, either themselves personally or someone they loved. Sometimes they got quite upset about it, and Joe was incredible with them. So by 7:45 when we were signing off for the day having, I was freezing, exhausted and elated. We’d really made a difference today, by not only signing people up but by making people aware of what Macmillan did for people.

Day 2 dawned, and much to my chagrin it was even colder. It was set to be minus 5, and when I read this from the comfort of my super cosy bed and wistfully thought of my warm office with unlimited brews and cracking banter, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t quite as excited as I was the night before. But, a cup of coffee later (thank you, Nespresso) and some rehearsals of my "pitch" in the mirror I was waiting to meet Joe. That day, I was going to get to talk to people after watching Joe for a bit, before switching back. I was pumped- I love speaking to people. My first attempt was a bust, so was the second, but by the third I had someone listening and BANG. Signed up. I was elated, and trying to hide it... terribly. Once we’d thanked my donor and the door was closed, I literally was skipping down the pavement and was awarded with heaps of praise. We had another solid day, and despite the cold and the biting wind, I finished the day completely psyched for Day 3.

Day 3 though… the famous Mancunian rain hit. Thank heavens for umbrellas, and that my boots were waterproof. This was what I thought would break me, but actually became my favourite day. People are surprisingly nice when the weather is just rubbish enough they feel sorry for you, but not so rubbish they don’t open the door fully. We were “bunny hopping” doors, and I’m delighted to say it was the best day we’d had in terms of signing people up to the cause. I had agreed with Mark to switch trainers at the end of Day 3, so Joe and I went out separate ways at the end of the day with him wishing me luck, and that he believed in me, and told me I was going to do well. Which only made me feel slightly horrible about having "Undercover Boss'd" him.

For the rest of the week I was with Dean Wombell (cracking name, right?) and it was great to have been out with him. He’s a real salt of the earth guy, born and bred in Doncaster and had been with BRC for a few years. He’s another one of our trainers, and his approach was very different to mine and Joe’s – which caused me to look at how I approached my conversations differently. He also taught me new and different answers to questions, and how to handle objections that I hadn’t quite gotten the hang of discussing.

Much like Joe, he was fascinating to watch.

He was great at “reigning me in;” again, anyone who’s spent more than five minutes in my company will attest to my boundless energy- the words “human Labradoodle” have been used more than once.

When the rain came down so hard it was bouncing off the ground, Dean dragged my (vociferously protesting) self back to the cover of the car for a coffee break, telling me not to push it all the time. The best lesson he taught me was that taking a break was key for your sanity. If the weather is horrific, and you’re facing 25 rejections in a row, stop. “Go ‘ave a brew.” – words to live your life by.

By the end of the week, I’d taken great pride with how many donors I’d signed up, and was well within hitting the numbers for one of our fundraisers to be earning a great commission. I also had two baffled trainers who were threatening to tell Mark to sack me as a recruiter and sign me up as a fundraiser… so I guess it went well!

I can summarise what it takes to do well in this job in a few bullet points, but the story was such a laugh that I hope you don’t mind me taking a wee bit of time to tell you it.

1) There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Unless the rain is going sideways. That’s just plain nasty, but there’s always a brew to be had.

2) You need to be able to stay motivated. Play a game, look at the pretty houses, the layout of a garden, amuse yourself by saying hello to EVERY animal that crosses your path in the street. Whatever keeps you happy and upbeat- if your confidence goes down, the door will close. Remember why you’re there- you’re there to do good.

3) You will come across people with their own experience or story relating to the charity. It will get emotional… Compassion is key here, and understanding we do good things is a major boost for us. And if you wear mascara, make it waterproof. Nobody wants Alice Cooper on their doorstep.

4) Skincare is important. You will need chapstick and sunscreen, irrespective of the season.

5) Know where your nearest (clean!!) public loo is. And always know where you can get a brew and something to eat.

6) Your essential “kit” for the day- pens, plasters, the aforementioned skincare, an umbrella, scarf/gloves.

7) On the topic of gloves- gloves with padding at the knuckles/finger joints is a good shout. You expect your feet to hurt, but nothing can prepare you for the bruises on your hands! But I have a "bobby's knock" apparently so maybe it's just me being ham-fisted.

8) Practice your conversation openers. Immerse yourself in the cause, understand the facts and figures and believe in the cause, and the conversations you have will be more authentic and more likely to succeed.

9) There are going to be people that don’t want to talk to you. You have to, to quote one of my idols Jinkx Monsoon, "let it be water off a ducks back." The people that matter are the ones you speak to.

10) You will be walking 5-8 miles a day, easy. Its great exercise.

11) You feel really pleased and proud of what you’ve achieved by the end of the day.

12) It is the single most honest sales job out there. You’re not selling a product. You’re selling a feeling of doing the right thing- because it is the right thing. Charities need your help.

We’re on a major recruitment drive for door to door fundraisers, and this is a job I would recommend to anyone who is engaging, wants to do some good, likes freedom and autonomy and likes a job that truly is different every day of the week. We're also recruiting for our Venues Based teams- just in case anyone out there reading is a venues based direct sales professional fancying something a bit different.

We offer a good basic salary, and a commission structure that after my third day I was more than on track for achieving. Or, if you fancy being self-employed you can do that too- and no, it's not just commission only, you'll get a daily retainer and commission on top. We have people in our team from all walks of life. Can you see yourself joining us?

Get in touch. Do good. Be great.