I have worked in the charity sector for over 15 years now. But I have always worked in Fundraising or Communications. Roles often taken for granted, seen as “necessary evils” (genuinely said to me once, out loud, by a colleague, on purpose), or assumed to be relatively straight forward. “Can we make it go viral?” or “Have you thought about asking Jeff Bezos?” are some of my more favourite ‘helpful’ suggestions I have received over the years.

I have come to accept and relish my role as a background, or ‘non-playable’, character and lean into the persona needed to take on these mammoth but often unrecognised tasks.

To quote a very well-known philanthropist at an event I organised, after they asked my job title: “Ah, a fundraiser. I don’t talk to your lot.”

So, how do you build knowledge and connection, and orchestrate meaningful moments whilst playing the role of ‘person best to avoid’?

The perception of fundraising in particular offers a unique experience in a working environment of both being essential and non-essential – somehow at the same time!

In the past I’ve likened this to a ‘non-playable character’ in a video game – ‘a non-player role that is computer generated and follows a set unmovable path’, although a lovely colleague has pointed out that ‘support class’ is a little more generous and accurate: ‘a player role focused on enabling, healing, and protecting teammates rather than dealing direct damage’.

What is life like when you are working as the ‘non-playable character’ of your charity

Here are the specifications I have developed for my particular character sheet over the past 15 years;

Name & Role:

Catriona Sinclair, Fundraiser

Key info:

• Annoys all their colleagues with continuous requests for case studies, input on applications, ideas on how to reach new communities, and generally being a fundraiser version of the Energiser bunny.
• Demoralisation window of sub-2 minutes before moving onto a new idea or approach to reaching goals.
• Enthusiasm for donors and the importance of thanking them loudly and often is unmatched.

BEWARE

Do not introduce to your family, they may ‘accidentally’ ask your mum for a donation.

HOWEVER

When introduced to your family, your mum will sign up as a donor and have a lovely time supporting an amazing cause and learning about the difference her donation makes.

Combat stats

Armor: Inconceivable tolerance for awkwardness.

Weapon: Can talk about money in a direct manner without concern or embarrassment.

Bonus: Has at least 10 well-crafted pitches sitting in their head ready to showcase why donations, and the donors who make them, matter.

Damage: Zero. But they never die!

Weakness: Will talk to your gran on the phone for 45 minutes about her favourite TV shows, no regrets.

How to support your non-playable characters

Remember that we are here for a reason, and it’s the same reason as you!

It’s worth remembering that the support functions of a charity are its lifeblood. As fundraisers and communicators, we are involved in every little thing the charity does – from major strategic planning to responding to social media comments, we do it all.

And the more positively you engage with your support colleagues the better their stories and pitches will be, meaning more funding for your work and ultimately bigger steps forward towards your ultimate goal. Which for us is a world where no animal suffers for science.

So please spare a thought for non-playable and support class characters across the charity sector, and make sure you respond to their case study requests!