# Belfast reporter goes undercover as face-to-face fundraiser

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/02/26/belfast-reporter-goes-undercover-facetoface-fundraiser/
- Published: 2005-02-26T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Mary Fitzgerald, a reporter at the Belfast Telegraph, worked undercover as a face-
to-face fundraiser and reports on her experiences, offering a well-balanced article
on this type of fundraising.
Mary Fitzgerald’s feature in The Belfast Telegraph 
is entitled “Irritating? Perhaps, but chugging works and it’s here to stay.” This
sums up her experience of being recruited and trained by and then working (admittedly
just for one day) for Gift, the face-to-face fundraising agency.

She acknowledges the hard work put in by the fundraisers and the fact that the technique
has worked successfully for many charities. At the same time, she notes that most
passers-by do their best to avoid having to talk to the fundraisers.

It is easy to come across newspaper coverage that vilifies face-to-face fundraising,
so it is encouraging to find an accurate account of what is involved both for the
fundraiser and for the charities.

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