Grit Meets Purpose in a Mission-led, Small Team
With a mission that directly impacts young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, MyBigCareer needed a hiring process that was fair, inclusive, and ethically designed.
MyBigCareer is a small charity — and this was only their fifth hire. With a limited budget and a mission that impacts young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, they needed a hiring process that was fair, inclusive, and ethically designed — but also challenging enough to find someone who could thrive in a demanding fundraising role.
Because fundraising isn’t just about passion. It’s about targets, prospecting, and building real relationships in a competitive landscape where every corporate sponsor can shape the long-term health of the charity.
Working closely with the Head of Fundraising and CEO, Pollen designed a values-led, role-realistic assessment that asked candidates to think through how they would identify and approach potential corporate partners — testing not just motivation, but commercial thinking, creativity, and pragmatism in equal measure.
The process surfaced candidates who combined belief in the mission with the grit to deliver results in a small, fast-moving team. And this shortlist didn’t just meet the brief — it exceeded expectations. The CEO, who has recruited for hundreds of roles in previous careers, described it as the strongest shortlist she’d ever seen.
Laura Littlehales, CEO, MyBigCareer
How did you find your experience working with Pollen?
Working with Pollen Careers has been an absolute joy! I have previously been involved in recruiting for hundreds of roles, and the process with Pollen has been by far the most effective, and enjoyable. Pollen clearly and quickly understood what we wanted in a candidate, drawing out our clear priorities with ease. Within a week of that initial conversation we were sent profiles of potential candidates. All 4 of the candidates were not only appointable but were incredible! The only hard part about the whole process was choosing who to appoint.