“Blah blah blah blah blah, blah, blah blah blah, blah, blah blah, blah. I’m sure you can support us with just RM1.53 a day?”
The above was my interpretation of a conversation I had with a WWF fundraiser around two years ago at NU Sentral. It was around 8 p.m. and my partner and I were on our way for our favorite ice cream treat, Sangkaya coconut ice cream (if you haven’t tried it, try it!).
We were tired, but I always stop for fundraisers regardless. We do a challenging and important job and I generally sign up if that fundraiser inspires me (yup, keep an eye out, I’m old enough to be a quality donor).
We saw a WWF fundraiser alone at her booth. She looked a little tired, like she had had one too many conversations that had not led anywhere (we have all been there) so I stopped. Her name was Yana, she asked me a few questions – the usual ‘where are you from and what do you do’, and then jumped into her pitch.
All I heard was blah, blah and more blah. Yana just had no feeling in her pitch to me. I was disappointed. I was ready to donate. I only needed that little bit of inspiration.
As I started walking away, I thought about the many times I’ve pitched someone and not been 100% at it. I wondered what those donors thought and said about me? So, it was time to give Yana another shot at glory!
I turned back to Yana. “What’s your background?” I asked her. She replied, “I studied Marine Biology in university.” “Wow!” I said. She continued “I love turtles.” This made me chuckle. So, I told her: Pitch me on turtles and tell me more!
Yana’s face lit up as she told me everything anyone could ever know about turtles. Her energy was contagious, and you could see that she really, REALLY cared. It was inspiring. I signed up!
Why am I telling this story? Well, last week I was going through images provided by WWF for our new digital campaign on turtles, and guess who I saw in the picture? Yup, Yana herself! Yana works on WWF turtle conservation projects now at the nesting beaches and it made me smile to see her.
The reason I remembered her after almost two years was because of her passion and how her face lit up when she talked to me about turtles and the work of WWF. Her voice surged with energy, her tone urgent but hopeful, and most of all, she spoke with feeling.
So, as we all transition to TM, and we fight the good fight for our partners, Yana’s story reminded me of something very important: Have a purpose and a passion and communicate it as much as you can.
This is a challenging time for everyone, with not a lot to cheer or be happy about and being stuck at home with the same routine. Remember this: That phone call from us for WWF, GP, or NCSM could be the highlight of someone’s day. So, make it a good one and make it memorable!
Thank you to our amazing TM team and our F2F heroes, who are about to transition to TM and keep our partners raising the vital funds they need, at what is their most challenging time in recent history. You got this!
