It started on the street - in conversation with Seanna Fallon - from street fundraising to Senior Partnerships Manager

Seanna and I have been trying to speak for several months and I finally had the chance to talk to her earlier this year. It was a privilege to hear her thoughtful and insightful story.

1. On tying personal worth to charity performance:> "There can be a point where caring can be a detriment if you are tying your performance into other people's wellbeing — then it's not healthy for anyone."

2. On the power of listening over pitching:> "To be a good fundraiser, you're gonna do well if you listen more than you speak. When I started face-to-face fundraising, the assumption would be like, I'm here to pitch, but actually understanding the person standing in front of you and what makes them tick is what matters."

3. On street fundraising as a rite of passage:> "I feel like face-to-face fundraising could almost be a rite of passage, like some cultures do military service, for people to do, whether it's a summer or just to get the skills. It's so good for resilience. So many of us are not good at taking rejection."