There are plenty of ways for young travellers with working visas to make a living, just not all of them are particularly desirable. Yet, working in concert with some of the world’s premier charities as part of a young and committed team of professionals certainly isn’t a bad way to make a buck.
You’ll feel the pinch sooner or later. Living costs in Australia are certainly up there in the global exorbitant stakes and – what with the way the English pound is going at the moment – you’re sterling isn’t going to go as far as it used to, trust us on this.
Don’t despair though, because there are many different ways to skin the metaphorical employment cat. Working as a face-to-face or phone fundraiser for a company like WAYS will not only keep some dollars in your back pocket but, perhaps, also give you a glowing sense of self satisfaction, knowing that you’re doing your part to help ease the world’s sufferings. A feeling you definitely won’t get from working at a pub or bottleshop.
While being a fundraiser can be a great way to have a little temporary work for a couple of months while you find your feet in Australia, or save up to continue your travels, it can also be an excellent way to get yourself a sponsorship. The vast majority of people working in senior positions at WAYS for example all started as face to face or phone fundraisers and have worked their way up in the company hierarchy armed with a good attitude and a mixture of hard work, dedication and perseverance.
WAYS are committed to forging strong working partnerships and bonds with the charities they are approached by. Since founding in 2009, WAYS has formed extremely strong ties with some of the world’s largest not-for-profit organisations and charities including The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Amnesty International and Sydney’s very own Wesley Mission to name but a few.
The powers that be also understand that face-to-face acquisition is the cornerstone of any good charity fundraising campaign as friendly interactions often provide the most regular sources of people willing to donate. Not only does this mean that WAYS are almost always looking for people looking to work as fundraisers but once you’ve begun, you’re seen as an integral and respected member of the wider team from day dot.
As fundraising companies go, WAYS is also very much ahead of the curve in terms of innovative use of technology. Gone is the old-school clipboard, replaced with state-of-the-art iPads armed with WAYS’ very own fundraising app: Waysact. Reducing error rates through real time validation as well as providing face-to-face fundraisers with statistics, demographics and analytics to help you answer the toughest questions as well as meet your targets. As WAYS proudly proclaim on their website; ‘Our vision is to bring fundraising into the 21st Century’.
As mentioned above, a company like WAYS is also a company that will likely sponsor travellers and backpackers if they’re hard working and committed to making a career within the company. As it is quite specialised work, WAYS will often promote from within as opposed to advertising outside for positions, meaning there is also good scope for growth within the company in terms of career trajectory.
WAYS is also a nation-wide fundraiser, so, if you’re lucky, you might wind up getting to go and see Australia while getting paid for it at the same time. With offices and fundraising campaigns running in the capital cities of all the major states and territories (except the Northern Territory) there is plenty of scope within WAYS to get out and explore some of the best things this wide, brown land has to offer both to you and the wider global community.
For more information head to waysfundraising.com
