Recruiting a Team with Declan

What has been your favourite fundraiser so far?

My favourite fundraiser would probably be the pub quiz that myself and another team member did in February. It was great as we raised a fair amount and it was an amazing way to get your friends involved. Our team is also currently doing a virtual challenge where we are walking, running and cycling 5895km (in metres, this is the height of Kilimanjaro!). This has been fantastic as it allows us to fundraise despite the pandemic, it has also been great for us getting to know each other as we share our distance weekly.

What has been your biggest challenge with fundraising/recruitment this year?

I am stating the obvious a bit here, but coronavirus has been hard-hitting. A lot of the charity sector has been hit hard by the pandemic, our fundraising has been no different. Dig Deep have been amazing in helping us though, and our team has been able to be quite resilient and still crack on. There are many ways to fundraise and if you put the work in and play to your strengths, it is not as difficult as you think.

My biggest challenge with recruitment was probably accepting that not everybody you talk to about the challenge is going to sign up. This sounds obvious, but it can be a bit demoralising if you let it be. That being said, when you sign somebody up for your team it is an amazing feeling. You are one of the reasons someone is going to have an amazing life experience and help lives in Kenya; the challenge, both fundraising and recruitment wise, is so worth it.

What have you learned from the experience?

I have learned a few things from being a team leader. From a 'CV' point of view, I have gained and improved a lot of transferable skills like organisational skills and working in a team. I have also became a lot more confident in myself through talking at fresher fairs for example – these are things I will be able to say to future employers.

On a personal note, I’ve learned that the role of team leader is so rewarding. It is a bit of a cliché, but you are making a difference; every penny that is fund-raised and every team member who joins up is making a huge difference in Kenya.

Do you have any tips that you would give to those who are thinking about signing up to the challenge?

It is not as difficult as you think! £2600 is obviously a lot of money to fundraise but if you break it down into a few different fundraisers, it is not as big as you think it is. I would also suggest playing to your strengths. For example, I play and watch a lot of football as do my friends, so I’m doing a lot of charity football matches and tournaments and FIFA tournaments. There is also a vast amount of resources on the DigDeep page that will give you lots of inspiration. And if that isn't enough, all the lovely folk at Dig Deep will be able to help you as well as your local team leader!

It genuinely is not as hard as you think it will be, as long as you put the work in. It is a very doable figure and it is going to be very worth it, you are changing lives and you're going to get the experience of a life-time!

What has been your favourite moment?

There is a few! But overall, I would say my favourite moment was getting all my friends involved - knowing I am going to be taking on Kilimanjaro with all my friends is amazing. I have also met some amazing people through being team leader and hopefully will meet a few more along the way!

Thank you so much for talking to us Declan and for being an amazing Team Leader. We cannot wait to see you all reach the summit of Kilimanjaro next year.

Has Declan inspired you to get fundraising? Learn about the different ways you can fundraise for and support Dig Deep: www.digdeep.org.uk/get-involved

If you would like to feature on our Confessions of a Fundraiser series then get in touch by dropping us an email (support@digdeep.org.uk)