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 Ryan Valasapali - a snowy Sheffield surprise after the heat of Amritsar
Ryan Valasapali arrived in Sheffield from India in 2007 to do an MBA, and within two months was knocking on doors in the snow asking strangers to donate to charity. What started as a way to pay his own bills became a career that has spanned the UK and India for nearly two decades.
In this episode, Ryan shares how door-to-door fundraising shaped him far more than any business school could, building the confidence, resilience, and entrepreneurial instinct that took him from Sheffield team leader to managing director and eventually to co-founding his own companies. He talks candidly about his first day on the job, the moment a cancer survivor changed everything, and why he believes face-to-face fundraising is one of the toughest and most transformative jobs in the world.