As director of regional and high value fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support, Claire Singlehurst runs, cycles and climbs along with the charity’s supporters. She shares what she’s learned from getting involved

When I joined Macmillan Cancer Support in 2012 as director of regional fundraising, I resolved never to ask our supporters to do anything I wouldn’t be prepared to do myself. And so, in the three years I’ve been in this job, I’ve joined our supporters in taking part in swims, runs, cycles and climbs for Macmillan.

Most recently, I spent ten days climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Physically, it was a real test of strength and endurance, and at times I felt like I would have given anything to be airlifted off the mountain! Reaching the top felt like an amazing achievement, but the thing that meant the most to me was sharing the experience with 27 wonderful supporters, all of whom had their own personal reasons for supporting Macmillan, all of whom had their own stories to tell.

Being inspired

It’s always deeply humbling to hear about what a supporter has been through - whether they’ve lost someone close to them to cancer or have overcome cancer themselves - and incredibly inspiring to see how passionate and dedicated they are to raising money for Macmillan to help ensure no one faces cancer alone.

Often I find myself reflecting on their stories long after the trip has ended. Last year, for example, I did the Inca Trail challenge, and there I met a young supporter who just six months before had lost her husband to cancer. They had not long been married, and were supposed to do the trek for their honeymoon. With the support of Macmillan, she turned that trip into a fundraising event in memory of her husband and raised vital funds for people affected by cancer.

Sharing the supporter experience

I think it’s crucial that as fundraisers, we take the time to see things from the perspective of our supporters, and to experience what they are experiencing when they’re out there raising money for us - especially when this involves putting themselves through things that are mentally and physically very tough. That’s why I always encourage my teams to get out and take part in challenge events whenever they can.

It’s also why at Macmillan we allow every member of our fundraising team paid time off every two years to go and do an overseas challenge, so they can experience the reality of having to raise all that money, and also so they can spend time with our supporters and really get to know them and understand their motivations for supporting us. Because as fundraisers, understanding what drives our supporters is what enables us to do the best possible job for people affected by cancer.

Claire Singlehurst is director of regional and high value fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support. You can find more information on how to fundraise for Macmillan here.