This week we feature Fundraising Superstar and Raleigh International ICS volunteer Claudia Eusebi who managed to smash her fundraising target by putting on a night at her cricket club.
To reach your fundraising target you’re going to need to have a variety of events and ideas in place, whether they’re small or big.
As Claudia, found out, having a big central event can be a huge boost to your fundraising. Claudia held a night at her cricket club, where she charged 100 friends and family £3 a night.
“From asking around and explaining the cause, I managed to get a DJ to play and food provided free of charge," said Claudia.
She also held a raffle, finding prizes by sending 50-100 emails to nearby shops and services, as well as asking friends and family if they knew anyone that could donate a prize.
As a result, she ended up with around 30 prizes and vouchers, selling raffle tickets at £5 a strip.
She also held an auction, selling a signed football shirt and a perfume set.
Claudia said: “I really enjoyed my night as it gave me a chance to talk to a large group of people about what I'll be doing in Tanzania and explaining the difficulties that some people face from different countries.”
As well as being “blown away by the generosity and kindness of my guests”, Claudia also really enjoyed the opportunity to raise awareness about her placement.
As she mentioned, involving a large number of people meant that while some were able to help out with her fundraising “those who couldn't donate as much were still able to learn a lot about ICS and Raleigh International.”
Remember, while raising funds is obviously a vital part of your fundraising, getting people involved in your placement and raising awareness of ICS can also be a really rewarding aspect!
Organising a big event can be a challenge, so it’s important to make sure you’ve got the time to plan and set it up, as well as guaranteeing enough people can come to make it worthwhile.
Claudia recommends it: “You are able to reach and connect with a large group of people, who are willing to help if they know what you are doing and where their money is going.”
Another key point from Claudia’s fundraising is the importance of simply putting yourself out there and asking for things.
Whenever you’re contacting people, you may not always have the response you want, but persistence is key.
As Claudia said, it’s important to be brave and ask people for donations and raffle prizes. "Although I got many companies saying they couldn't donate, I still ended up with loads of raffle prizes that helped make my guests happy.”
Another thing that Claudia learned was how useful it was being able to involve people with your placement, and not simply push your fundraising as your need to raise funds.
"Use the training weekend and all the other information on Raleigh's website to tell people what you will be helping with - this really helped me with my donations.
"If people feel like they have a bit more information on what ICS is, and why you’re motivated to do it, invariably they’ll feel more up for getting involved with your fundraising.”
That’s a wrap guys! Thank you to Claudia for her story. Keep up the good work and if you need help with anything remember to get in touch with your Fundraising Support Officer – we hope to see you featured here in the future!
