Charities that deploy agencies to fundraise on their behalf would do well to go and meet them, says Leon Ward.

I was late to the party in watching the recent 'Undercover Boss' programme on Channel 4 starring Mark Goldring, CEO of Oxfam. Mark disguised himself as a volunteer called Rory with an awful hairpiece to cover his otherwise largely hairless head.

His first task was to descend onto Bishopsgate, outside of London's Liverpool Street station to try and get people to stop and text a number for Oxfam; later, that individual would receive a call. When 'Rory' sat down to talk to his team leader, the first thing he asked was whether those on the street representing British charities, and de facto the British charity sector at large, had actually had any contact with any staff from the organisation they were fundraising for. The answer was no. It was a process of ‘Chinese whispers’ from the charity, to the agency managers, to the team leaders and then to fundraisers. By the end, the fundraiser was three steps removed from the charity.

Most fundraisers will know that this is not unusual. I spent a brief period of time telephone fundraising and in a six-month period worked for over ten charities, but in the same time period met only one. And that was the National Deaf Children's Society; they came in and taught us some sign language and expressed the importance of their work. While I had been in and around the sector for several years, and knew many of these charities, I was in the minority but the NDCS left a group of 12 or so fundraisers inspired, 'sold' on their message and energised to get on those phones and do their best. Most of my colleagues hadn't really a clue about the organisations they were fundraising for, or to put it another way, representing.

As Mark himself said, 'if we do not communicate with our fundraisers, they cannot do their job so well'. I wholeheartedly agree and would urge any fundraiser who is responsible for commissioning face-to-face or telephone fundraising to consider implementing this process more widely. Let's remember that while we are employing them as fundraisers, charities also have the opportunity to turn these people into committed ambassadors. They need not just be cash cows.

Imagine if you were on the street, getting ignored by 90 per cent of the people and then never having any contact with the charities you were working for. How would you feel? Valued? Invested? Committed? Or, more likely, disappointed? Disengaged? Perhaps even, angry.

Let me be absolutely clear - I am not anti-street or anti-telephone fundraising. Rather, that there are some key lessons that charities need to learn from those on the streets or phones in order to prevent alienation of the fundraisers and, further down the line, the public.

On a separate note, bravo to Mark.

And for those feeling a bit bruised by recent press coverage of the sector, I suggest you watch the programme. Focus on Julie (in the Brigg Oxfam shop) and Doug (the Oxfam recycling truck driver). Their efforts and passion for Oxfam are exactly the sort of committed people that are at the core of the charity sector; I want to see that passion reflected across street and telephone fundraisers.

Bravo also to Channel 4 for a balanced and fair approach to Oxfam and, in turn, the charity sector.