The controversy surrounding charity fundraising is, for me, not about how charities ask for money or who they ask but about the culture within telephone fundraising agencies: it is vicious, target-driven and has no place in the charity sector.
I used to work as a caller at GoGen – the telephone fundraising agency at the centre of the Daily Mail’s investigation into fundraising cold-calling – and was shocked by the pressure to meet daily targets and ultimately how they operated as a representative of the third sector.
The problem with third-party telephone fundraising is that it is a huge money-making industry that does not embody the sincerity and kindness of charity. GoGen always reminded us that we were fundraising and definitely not selling. Yet, sometimes the place would look like some old footage of the New York stock exchange. Everyone would be on their feet trying their hardest to squeeze out a deal on the phone, even if it’s just getting someone to add £1 to their monthly donation.
If you hit your target you were applauded. If you were under-performing it would probably result in being told off in the hallway or taken into a room where you would be given a serious talking to.
My fellow callers – those on the front line of the company – were some of the most creative, educated, interesting and wonderful people I have met. You could find yourself sitting between a DJ and a PhD student one day and between a photographer and a West End actor the next. I am privileged to have met and worked with such a calibre of people and, in my opinion, the organisation failed them. They were all made redundant when GoGen closed – almost 500 employees in total.
I know that my former colleagues may blame the Daily Mail for their redundancy, but instead they should be blaming the culture and attitude at GoGen. In my opinion GoGen would still be fundraising today if supervisors had said something similar to “unlucky, good attempt, just be more direct when telling them about the cause”, rather than, as they were recorded by the Mail, saying “you’ve got to clearly make them understand that their objection means nothing”, and “given the reason why we’re calling, they have no reason to say no”.
GoGen failed its callers, but more tragically, GoGen failed the men, women, children and animals who need the help of these outstanding charities. Charity fundraising is a vital industry that vulnerable people depend on. It is a noble job that all members of the public should support, however the practice and culture of the industry needs reform. GoGen is gone, but hopefully this will be a lesson to other fundraising organisations that they will not get away with treating their staff and the charitable British public with such contempt.
Confessions of a charity professional is the Guardian Voluntary Sector Network’s anonymous series where charity workers tell it how it is. If you would like to pitch us an idea, click here.
