What is street fundraising?
Put simply, street fundraising means stopping people on the street, telling them all about a charity and inspiring them to become a supporter through regular donations by direct debit or standing order.
It might sound straightforward, but it’s not always as easy as it sounds. In the street, people are busy, preoccupied, and you often have to work hard to get a smile. The secret to successful street fundraising is the ability to create an instant connection that turns into a lasting relationship with the charity.
If you can nail that, then this is a role you can really make your own. There are some ground rules. The basic one is to be yourself and always talk to people in a polite and friendly way. But there’s also a strict code of conduct on acceptable behaviour which you can read more about on the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association website 
.
There’ll always be some people who’ll blank you, a few may even be rude to you, but you’ll be surprised at just how many people are happy to stop and chat to a friendly face. That’s never truer if they can tell you have bags of personality and a genuine passion for the charity you represent. Even if people are a bit frosty at first, there’s nothing better than finding a way to help them crack a smile – do that and the chances are they’ll become an engaged donor.
Where do we work?
Anywhere, everywhere, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere. Usually, we work in locations like town centres, shopping centres and railway stations, places where there are lots of people – and potential donors. Sometimes we also attend events like music festivals too. You’ll get the opportunity to travel but you’ll always find that everything is well planned and organised. Join us on the road and we’ll put you up overnight in a hotel/B&B with your team mates – but we don’t guarantee you’ll get an early night!
Locations
Our offices are in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Nottingham – but we regularly travel to other towns and cities from these bases.
The team
You might be talking one-on-one with people but your team leader and colleagues will always be close at hand wherever you’re working. Because the fact is, when you join Gift, you’re never really on your own. You’ll be working as part of a close-knit team of around six, so you’ll always have plenty of advice, encouragement or support – whenever you need it. Often, you’ll meet centrally to travel to the day’s destination together. And – we should really clear this up right now, so there’s no confusion later down the line – we really can’t accept any responsibility if you find that these people, your colleagues, become more like best friends.
Induction and training
We’ll make sure you have everything you need to make brilliant first impressions from the off.
Over your first two days with us we’ll put you through a very comprehensive induction and training programme. We’ll bring you up to speed with the rules and regulations that relate to street fundraising, and give you tips and training on how to best engage people. And before each job, you’ll always get a thorough introduction to the charity you’re representing.
That should be everything you need to hit the streets, and then some. And, from this point on, you’ll receive training on an ongoing basis – especially when it comes to really understanding the different focuses of our clients.
We think it’s vital that you gain a good insight into the charities we collect for, so you can really convey their cause and their passion to the people you meet on the streets. That’s why we make sure that we maintain regular visits to, and from, our charity clients.
Hours
In general you’ll work full time, 5 days a week – from 10am to 6pm each day including every other Saturday, (with a Monday off on the week that you work Saturday).
Part-time hours are sometimes available. You’ll need to discuss this with your local office.
Wages
In London, you start on a wage of at least £8.50 per hour, which could rise to £13.50 per hour if you really have what it takes.
Outside London the salary is still extremely competitive – starting at £7.50 per hour rising to £12.50 per hour.
On top of the salary, we make sure that teams who do well get a little extra by way of an attractive performance bonus, though we DON’T pay commission on the money you raise. Please feel free to tell that to anyone who questions you.
Your pay is reviewed every three months.
You’ll be amazed at how nice the public can be. That could be because we’re all so adorable, but it may also have something to do with just how much they appreciate the good work we are doing. Take a look at our videos about fundraising on the street, and you’ll discover just a few of the more heart-warming encounters we’ve experienced.
Managers
The FRM’s role (Fund Raising Manager) is looking after, coaching and leading Team Leaders and Fundraisers. They are the best of the best and are like the Yoda of the fundraising world, knowing everything about the sites we visit, skills we use and charities we work for.
You’ve been there, done it, and know how to inspire the Team Leaders and Fundraisers; how to push their buttons and get the best out of them which, in turn, gets the best for all the brilliant charities we’re working for.
You’ve got the stories to tell about those difficult members of the public that you managed to turn into donors and, most importantly, how you did it! You’ve the kind of personality that can engage with your team and the public alike and that’s why we want you to join us!
Go on, pick up the phone, dial 020 7561 6071 and have a chat with Charlotte Forrest, our Head of Regional Fundraising, who’s waiting for your call. (Actually she’s quite busy and isn’t literally just sitting there waiting for your call, but she does really want to speak to you!). You could also email her at charlotte@gift-fundraising.com
Team Leaders
They are responsible for looking after and motivating a team of Fundraisers on the street. They get to work with a different team each day and will coach the basic skills of fundraising. This is a very nice step into management, as you have the reasonability of the team but don’t lose touch with fundraising and donors.
If you already have street fundraising experience, you can join us as a Team Leader, heading up and motivating a team of up to five fundraisers.
The starting wage is £9 p/h, rising to £13 p/h.
Fundraisers
Their role is to meet lovely people on the street and inspire them to donate to charities for a long time. They work as a team on the same charity but always in a different site.
Fundraisers’ starting wage is £7.50 p/h regions and £8.50 p/h in London
Please go to the Get Applying page to find a list of phone numbers or to complete a short online form. If you complete the form, please type Team Leader after your name, and give brief details of your fundraising experience in the ‘Why do you feel you would make a good fundraiser’ section.