Face-to-Face Fundraising

The Fred Hollows Foundation is driven by Fred’s vision to eliminate avoidable blindness around the world. We know the best way to do that is to work with our partners and empower local communities towards long-term, sustainable change. We know how to help, but there’s more work to be done. That’s why we need the help of our supporters to help fund programs such as eye operations, training surgeons and eye health workers, community education and other sustainable initiatives. The "Brighten Your Future" Monthly Donation Program will provide us with a stable income to continue our crucial sight-saving work around the world, changing the lives of those suffering from avoidable blindness.

Across the globe, face-to-face fundraising has been proven to be the most cost-effective and efficient form of fundraising. As a result of face-to-face fundraising, The Fred Hollows Foundation has been able to increase the number of eye operations being performed in the developing world from 50,000 in 2005 to 176,000 in 2008. As a leading Australian charity founded in 1992, The Fred Hollows Foundation has been running face-to-face fundraising in Australia since 2003.

In 2016, we launched face-to-face fundraising in Hong Kong and everyday our ambassadors connect with potential donors to share about The Foundation’s work and to inspire and encourage potential donors to give regularly to The Foundation, enabling us to help more people in the future. Moreover, our face-to-face fundraising ambassadors play an important role in reaching thousands of members of the public every day to spread awareness of the importance of eye health and to increase public understanding of avoidable blindness.

Our ambassadors are readily identifiable in easy-to-recognize uniforms with their organisation and Social Welfare Department permits, ready to play a part in the mission to end avoidable blindness.

In order to ensure the highest level of customer service, our face-to-face ambassadors receive regular training on topics ranging from handling customer privacy to our eye health programs. Our face-to-face ambassadors are part of the Face-to-Face Monthly Giving Alliance, a charity-led self-regulatory membership body that maintains and improves professional standards of face-to-face monthly donor recruitment in Hong Kong. If you would like to provide feedback on our face-to-face ambassadors or want more information, feel free to get in touch with us.

	Anson Ng When I started working with The Fred Hollows Foundation, my hope was to influence more people to learn about the impact that eye diseases can have on a person’s life. The fundraising work that I am doing is very positive and meaningful and the kindness of each supporter has inspired me to keep going. I once met a gentleman on the street whose eyes had been injured and needed to be bandaged for a while, and he told me how much it mattered to him to have good eyesight during this time. Not only did he become a supporter of The Foundation, but he also shared words of encouragement to me. I will always remember this moment. I believe that every bit of support can change someone’s life.
	Gary Li Since working with The Fred Hollows Foundation, members of the public have been my greatest motivation. I remember meeting someone who just had eye surgery and she described the feeling of helplessness before the surgery and how thankful she was after the surgery. She expressed her gratitude for the work that The Foundation is doing to help children with cataract. All these experiences are still vivid in my mind, empowering me to overcome any obstacle.
	Ka Hang Cheung I stay committed to my fundraising work because I hope to show to my daughter that not everyone is fortunate enough to born with good eyesight. I hope that through my work, I can make a difference to people so that they can see the beauty of this world. I once had a supporter tell me: “I want to help even if it means I can’t go to school and not have money for food.” This made me realise that if you stay determined, the future will be full of hope. Thank you to all our supporters for making me realize the power of small acts of kindness to make a huge difference. I will keep working hard!
	Martin Lai I started working with The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2016. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit one of the places we provide our services. After a long 4-hour treacherous journey by car, we arrived to visit an old lady who had cataract. She was not at all woeful because she could not see. Rather, she was so grateful to see the people from The Foundation arrive and she said happily: “My greatest wish is to see my grandson grow up healthy and happy.” I hope to use this opportunity to tell people that every little bit that you give, could transform someone’s life.
	Wong Wai Nam In a blind experience workshop, I learned what life is like for blind people, which inspired me to help them. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of The Fred Hollows Foundation’s fundraising efforts to help more people in need. I would like to acknowledge people who are willing to stop on the street to hear me talk about The Foundation’s sight-saving work.
	Ng Wai Yi I remember one particularly difficult day fundraising on the street, and it started to drizzle. Suddenly, I heard a young lady’s voice asking me about The Foundation and information on how to donate. After learning more about The Foundation, she offered to support and even sent her blessings before she left. This is my greatest motivation to keep my passion for working for the organisation.
	Kelly Chau This job has allowed me to continuously learn and grow. For example, I have gained a lot of communication skills, how to deal with people, and how to adjust my mentality. I learned to be empathetic and listen patiently when communicating. This is something I have not been able to learn in my previous jobs. I also learned the value of teamwork, where everyone supports each other and grows together.