As is often said by fundraisers, they didn’t find fundraising, it found them and I’m a proud bearer of that cliché.
My story started when I was moving to Canada, to be with my new true love. I had to enter a lengthy legal process and found myself at a loose end on the ‘wrong’ side of the world waiting out an immigration decision.
My first foray into the sector was as a volunteer for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in Canada. I found myself helping to plan an afternoon tea in a plush Toronto residence which was to be attended by a member of the Royal Family.
Some might say that things went steeply downhill from there when I eventually found my true fundraising groove in community and events after a short stint in corporate partnerships. I know that standing in a field in the pouring rain or willing your fingers to work as you try to cut down signage in a blizzard isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I absolutely loved being in-amongst the energy and enthusiasm of the supporters who were doing something amazing in support of a cause which truly meant something to them.
Fundraising is a career which gives you the gift of perspective. You get to understand people and you appreciate what it is that inspires them and connects them to a cause. (It also gives you pinch-yourself moments and best friends).
The girl who loved to plan and who thought the slow cogs of the Canadian Immigration system were holding her back had no idea that it was all just the start of an incredible journey of discovery and adventure.