In conversation with sector leaders
I started talking to sector leaders in early 2025 and decided many of their career stories made inspirational talking points for people entering the sector. Many of the people in this series, started in face to face fundraising and now find themselves in leadership positions in the charity and education sector.
It started on the street - in conversation with Gökhan Uç - a self described extrovert fundraising across Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.
Gökhan Uç is a Turkish fundraising professional based in Istanbul who began his career in face-to-face fundraising with UNICEF in 2009 — initially just to fill time before mandatory military service. He proved a natural, getting four sign-ups on his first day, and quickly rose to team leader within three months. He went on to spend nearly a decade at WWF Turkey before moving into his current regional role at WWF Central and Eastern Europe, where he leads individual fundraising strategy across Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and emerging markets. A self-described extrovert who used to have a short fuse, he credits street fundraising with teaching him patience, empathy, and how to listen — skills he now uses daily to coach and develop fundraising teams across the region.