The Fundraising Trap: Is Your Hard Work Funding the Lifestyle of your Owners and their Owners?
Let’s have a genuine conversation about the “Devil Corp” Fundraising trap.
Is this you?
If you’ve been in the field for more than a year, you know the type. You see them on social media: Agency owners posting from tropical beaches, driving cars that cost more than your annual OTE, and “grinding” from the comfort of a luxury office.
Meanwhile, you’re on the doors or the high street. You’re hitting 10, 12, 15+ sign-ups a week. You’re training the new starters, managing the team’s energy, and dealing with the rain, the rejections, and the road trips.
Then payday hits.
Despite the “massive numbers” you’ve produced and the hype around you in morning meetings, your bank account doesn’t reflect your effort. Between weak commission-only structures, “administrative deductions,” and broken promises about future ownership, overrides and team growth, you’re left wondering: What the “hell” am I even doing”
The “Mugged Off” Cycle
In many agencies, the business model is simple: recruit as many people as possible, pay them as little as possible, and keep the “overrides” at the top. It’s a structure built on high turnover and low loyalty.
If you are a Team Leader or a Campaign Manager in this system, you aren’t a partner—you’re an unpaid intern with a fancy title. You carry all the risk, you pay for your own fuel (maybe even your teams as well), and you get “mugged off” every time the owner decides they need a new watch.
At The 25:40 Initiative, We’re Breaking the Script.
We didn’t start The 25:40 Initiative to be another “churn and burn” agency. We started it to build a meritocracy. If you are the one in the field making it happen, you should be the one getting paid.
We’ve replaced “broken promises” with a legal, documented path to success.
1. A Real Floor, Not Just a Ceiling: We offer a professional PAYE base rate (up to £17/hr for managers with overrides). No more “zero” weeks, just trackable growth. You deserve the security of a salary whilst you raise funds and hunt for the big bonuses.
2. We Pick Up the Tab: Our roaming teams go to the best sites in the UK with 100% of expenses paid. We cover travel and accommodation, meaning your earnings stay in your pocket, not your fuel tank.
3. The Path to Ownership is Real: We don’t just talk about “owning your own business” one day. We have it in our contracts. If you can lead a team of 12 to a 2.0 average for 8 weeks, you graduate. You become the Owner. We provide recruitment, contracts, and the training materials – you take the flat-fee commission.
Is It Time to Move?
If you are currently managing a team and you’ve realised that you’ve hit their ceiling—or if you’re just tired of funding someone else’s lifestyle while you struggle to hit your own goals—let’s talk.
We are looking for established leaders who are ready for a professional environment. If you bring a proven team, we aren’t just offering a job; we’re offering a negotiation. Everything is on the table for the right hitters.
Stop building someone else’s empire, It’s time to start building yours. Obviously this is partly satire as they aren’t the actual devil, but one thing is for sure, they don’t have your best interests in mind!
P.s. The 25:40 Initiative is not the only “Donor Acquisition” agency that pays above “the living wage” – There are others like Ideal Fundraising, Family First Professionals, Zen Fundraising that do as well.
Disclosure: This article is the work of The 25:40 Initiative only. The other agencies mentioned above did not sponsor or contribute to this article.
Leave a Reply