Telethon Take 2!

So this is my second telethon and after an enjoyable and successful year participating on the campaign last year, I was encouraged to work again.

The training days went smoothly, jogging a few old memories and making sure that my rusty remembrance of the running of the campaign, how to process donations, use to access and use the online system, and the general protocol for fundraising. Then our first days of calling took place...the first session was, to be entirely honest, very tricky! I reached answer-machine after answer-machine and spent the first two hours craving a human voice to talk to, wishing that it wasn't just an automated 'You have reached the...please leave a message after the tone' that answered me or, even worse, an ongoing dialing tone that simply continued and continued, ringing and ringing into the looming eternity of an endless telephone line. I had a few parents pick up the phone yet whose children were no longer living at home, some were friendly and helpful, others not so much. Yet after a slightly disheartening start to the campaign, my next two shifts went well. I had several really interesting and insightful conversations, several techniques and offers of advice for jobs, and even a few regular and single donations - always a bonus! I'm not honestly sure if I relish the success of a donation purely for the joy of fundraising, or for the Cadbury's Creme Egg that we receive as a reward, or for the sense of triumph of being able to proudly move the bottle of wine (which we pass round the room to successful callers) over to my desk! The sense of success is great, yet whether or not people are donating, fantastic conversations are going on all over the call room, and even when we do meet answer-machines and endless dialling tones, the atmosphere and fun environment in the calling room is enough to spur us on! Playing games as we go - including call-bingo, battleships, toss-the-kitten... - and having encouragement from James, Emma, and each other, each evening is filled with a happy, friendly vibe!

No matter the donation, no matter the conversation, the call-room is filled with great motivation and, after the first few days, we're all spurred on to continue with the rest of the campaign and our calling mission to 'fund ourselves'!