Miles apart

By Diane Baxendine, Account Manager

Having worked in the commercial sector for over two decades, I am frequently reminded that the charity and the commercial sectors are miles apart.

In the charity sector, you are not making rich and profitable companies even richer and more profitable. You are instead helping people to make a real difference in the world.

Often, as an account manager, I will organise interviews with case studies and charity projects workers, to enable the copywriter to write a powerful and engaging pack. Earlier this week, myself and a colleague interviewed a charity project worker, who had worked for a health charity for over ten years. He talked about his work, and how the project literally turns people’s lives around.

At the end of the call, the project worker went silent. I thought we had been cut off, but no: he was actually in tears. Still, after all this time working for this particular charity, this was for him clearly so much more than just a job. He was clearly someone who was so passionate about his work – and the results of that work are beyond belief.

When we hung up, I too had tears streaming down my face.

I’ll say it again: the charity and commercial sectors are miles apart.