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Agatha and Victor’s story: Christlike servanthood

Charities tend to outsource their on the street fundraising to agencies. At Wesley Mission, we decided to do things differently. Why? Our in-house fundraising team are advocates for our Word and deed mission: they support each other and the wider organisation, and they believe in the impact of our services and programs to help those in need.

Being an on the street fundraiser requires more than courage and compassion. Victor and Agatha have been with our on the street fundraising team since its launch in January 2017. They started with just four members and over the past six months, they have helped build a team of fifteen and have also been put to the test through leadership training, intensive coaching and team building. As they strive daily to hone their pitches and achieve their targets, Agatha constantly encourages her team to dig deeper.

“How can we show that our faith is not blind?” she said. “Coming from a Christian background with a strong desire to act, fundraising with Wesley Mission has really given me a way to live out my faith by serving those in need. I ask my team to find their own convictions to serve too.”

For Victor, true Christlike servanthood is supporting those less fortunate than himself. While on the street fundraising agencies often pay their fundraisers on a commission basis, Victor finds that working in-house allows him to focus on why he joined Wesley Mission in the first place: his faith and commitment to serving others.

“Wesley Mission gives people hope by providing support services that help them at all stages of their lives,” he said. “It really is a personal decision that each of us on the team has made. We’re here to advocate and shine a light on these social issues.”

On the street fundraisers experience rejection on a regular basis, which can be disheartening. Victor points out that this experience can actually be a way for him and his team to cultivate greater resilience, compassion, empathy and selflessness. He reminds us that in order to advocate for the most vulnerable in our communities, his team members have to look beyond themselves. It is their mission to be a voice for the voiceless.

Each day, all over the world, people need practical support and ongoing guidance. As Agatha discovered, knowing where to begin can be overwhelming. She describes how her journey with Wesley Mission led her to realise that while social challenges can happen to anyone, anywhere, helping those close to home is a good place to start.

“I used to work with international organisations, so I think it is something that I hadn’t really considered before,” she said. “But working with Wesley Mission has been a real eye-opener for me. I can see the fruits of my actions. I can see the amazing transformations that are taking place in the lives of all those who are touched by the services for which we fundraise.”

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