Charity Link team manager Maurice has an abundance of energy, bounding positivity and definitely he can talk. With such character, it’s no wonder he’s a favourite among fundraisers and in head office alike. We caught up with him at the British Forces Job Fair in Aldershot this February, where he was busy being a human magnet for potential recruits. Enjoy Maurice’s insights on the life of a fundraiser, his role as chief motivator and what gets him out of bed in the morning.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I have over 35 years’ experience in sales management (mostly B2B) and although I have done other things (like own a pub in Somerset), I’ve always come back to sales. I absolutely love to talk which is probably one of the reasons I’ve done pretty well at it!

I’ve been with Charity Link fundraising for 7 years now and I have been lucky enough to manage two different teams within the central region.

My family and I were originally up in the Midlands for the first 4 years, but I wanted to follow my lifelong dream to be by the sea. So 3 years ago we made the move to the Somerset coast and I was invited to take over as manager for the Bristol and South Wales, central team.

My area covers everywhere from Oxford in the East to Pembrokeshire in the West and Tewkesbury in the North to Weston-Super-Mare in the South! Lucky I love driving really!

When I’m not working I love home life.

I have 5 grown up children – four boys and one girl between the ages of 36 and 21.

The youngest just left home so it’s just me and my wife now, with our two dogs Ellie, a 10-year-old Golden Retriever and Dotty, our 2-year-old Cockapoo.    

My passion and greatest love is travel and I like to take long haul holidays with my wife. So far, my absolute favourite places have been Singapore (just stunning), Malaysia and definitely a 14-day cruise in the Caribbean. I never saw myself as the cruising type, but I have to say waking up in a new country every day was just brilliant.

I’d also really love to get back to Australia one day, as I lived near to the Blue Mountains for 18 months when I was a boy and I just remember it being wonderful.

What’s your favourite part of your job as fundraising team manager?

Oh it’s the people – I’m an absolute sucker for people! I just think they’re fascinating – every single person has their story to tell and I find it so interesting.

There is no doubt I’m a people person and I love the challenge of finding someone’s soft spot and bringing out the best in them. It’s great to meet new people all the time.

I really love our fundraisers too. I say to my team – have fun. If we’re not having fun, we’re not doing it right! It’s so important with this job to be passionate about what you’re doing and enjoy it. Otherwise what’s the point right?!

I also love that every day is different; funny that can also be the worst bit!

I think it depends on the week you’ve had - but you know what, it’s how you look at it. Say you’ve had a rubbish week. You either look at the next week and go ‘Oh no, it’s another Monday’ or you can say ‘Yes! A chance to start afresh and get it right’.  Attitude is everything in this job.

What’s the hardest part of the job?

(Laughs) People! You know, constantly trying to motivate my team and keep the role exciting for them… Trying to get them to see the positives and look for them on the tough days.

Even if it’s really challenging, there’s always opportunity to learn and to start again. And there are such great rewards in this role too.

I think sometimes in our culture there’s a stigma attached to door to door – even just being a salesperson. We tend to think of sales as being sleazy somehow but without sales, where would we be?

I’m so passionate about sales and I want to help change the perception, for people to see sales as a great career choice - because it is!

At the end of the day I always tell my team, ‘You’re not just representing Charity Link (or even our amazing Charity Partners) – you’re representing me and yourself too!’

I want them to love what they’re doing and do it well.

Sometimes I feel like in our culture, we like to knock people who’re doing well – like celebrities or people who’ve climbed to the top… but I say let’s celebrate them! They’ve worked hard and it feels great to have achieved your goals.

Working with fundraisers as I have for so long now, I’ve learned that there’s a clear divide between those with a can-do attitude and those without.

The fundraiser who stays positive and can let the rejection roll off their back are the same ones who end up as a core part of our team - they end up loving the job and staying forever.

And those who don’t? Well they just come and go again as quick as they arrived!

How do you deal with difficult days?

Like everything. You need to step back, take stock. As I said, always look for the positives and hold on to that.

I like to replenish by just being quiet. Because I talk all day my down time is crucial to me and all I want is to do is say nothing and retreat.

I absolutely love living by the sea and taking Ellie and Dotty down to the beach to walk and be alone. That’s where I can just breathe in all that lovely sea air and look out across the sea, it’s wonderful.

I love my dogs so much because they teach me so much about living in the moment and letting go. They’re just so happy over the simplest things and they always lift me up!

I think that’s why I love being able to work for such a great charity as Dogs Trust – When you see their little faces you just want to help them!

What’s your favourite place to fundraise?

It doesn’t matter! Anywhere! (laughs). When I was first in sales, I was literally given a car key and told to get going. I had to cover the whole of the South West doing cold calling - it was a real baptism of fire!

But you know, the door-to-door stuff is such a brilliant challenge.

The person opens the door and you’ve got your opportunity. There is something really nice about talking to someone who is in their own home, getting to know them and hearing what you’ve got to say.

When someone gives you their time it’s like a gift and you’ve got to use it well.

So although I do like private sites too, door to door is probably my preference because those are my roots.

What 3 qualities do you think a fundraiser needs to have to do the job well?

Confidence.. you know a bit of personality (you have to be outgoing. I mean you can be more introverted, but the job is much easier if you’re more extrovert).

You HAVE to be resilient too. Rejection is what people find the hardest thing in fundraising I think, especially at the beginning. People take it personally and it’s really not personal.

Also, as you get more experience you learn not to spend all your energy on every single person. You learn that sometimes you just aren’t going to get that ‘yes’ that you’re looking for and if you keep giving full wattage you’ll burn out quick.

I remember when I first started at Charity Link on venues all those years ago and I’d be chatting away to someone and my boss would be in the background and I’d hear ‘Jog on!’ to tell me to stop going on! My boss had the experience to spot when someone wasn’t going to be a sale, but I’d just be happily chatting!

But a no isn’t always a no either. Learning to recognise those little signals – like when we’re raising money for Dogs Trust I always just ask for 30 seconds so I can tell them about what we’re doing. If they agree and I show them the cards with our dogs in need on, I see instantly if they’re a dog lover because you get the ‘ahhh’ sound of sympathy. Then I think, there’s hope here!

Persuasion is my third skill.. It’s not about being ‘salesy’ or pushing anyone, it’s just about giving them the right information that they need to decide to help. 

Describe the most frequently asked question you get from the public?

‘Are you paid?’ – I think there’s a real misconception that everyone that works in charity or for charities should be doing it for free! I just explain that ‘We are full time fundraisers and we work for 40 hours a week!’ and they see what I mean.

Sometimes people want to know all the details about what happens to the dogs who can’t be rescued. They really care that they’ll be looked after. That’s why it’s so great that Dogs Trust never put a healthy dog down. Of course, that’s why we need to give them help so they can carry on doing such great work.

What’s your overall motivation for doing this job?

I just like doing a good job. Charity Link really is a lovely organisation and that makes you want to do well too. I’ve worked with a lot of different organisations now and I know a good one when I see them! Not to be taken for granted!

I love the flexibility of my role and that I have the freedom to choose where I go and what I do day to day. I love travelling and my car and every day is different, meeting different people and being in different places – that’s what keeps it fresh for me.

If you could choose a new charity for us to support, which would you love the most?

A mental health charity like Mind. Someone I really love struggles a lot with that and it can be really challenging to witness because you feel so helpless. I’ve been told the best thing you can do is just ‘be there’ but that doesn’t seem like it’s enough.

Mental health is a bit of a buzz word at the moment. I’m glad people are talking about it and it’s been normalised. Having lived through the experience with a loved one it’s like an invisible enemy which they describe as ‘walking in treacle’ – some days are just really difficult. I’d really like to work with charities that make a difference for people with mental health and for people who work in that area too.

I honestly think anyone that works in the care profession, particularly with dementia is just amazing. They have my absolute respect. I wish I was patient like that but I’m just not that guy!

What’s your best memory of working with Charity Link?

Ooo… I’ll have to say my very first sponsor. And then every one since then! There is such a buzz of someone saying yes.

Whether you’ve persuaded, convinced, sold to a person – it doesn’t matter – the truth is, if you’re not excited by that ‘yes’, then you’re not in the right job.

What do you love most about working for Charity Link?

Some of the long-standing fundraisers sometimes talk about how things have changed – about the ‘good old days’, but I know from experience that things have to change, they have to move forwards. That’s how we learn, and we get better!

I can see Charity Link is always looking for ways they can make things work better, look after people better, be more efficient and just be a great place to work. Charity Link really has a lot of great people and I think that’s really what makes a great company!

Thanks to Maurice for his words of wisdom and we hope you’re feeling the enthusiasm and energy too! It’s pretty infectious!

Maurice and his team would all agree that you’re the master of your own destiny when it comes to fundraising and every person has the potential to make a difference.

If you’re inspired and would love to learn more about how to be a professional fundraiser that helps raise essential funds for our charity partners, why not reach out to our friendly recruitment team?

We’re always looking for positive, passionate, and hard-working people to join our team and offer some excellent perks and benefits. You might just find the job of your dreams is waiting right here for you!