So we're very aware here at camp GOLD Malawi that our blog will at some point be hunted down by an eager potential future GOLDie or two and so we thought we'd share a few words on fundraising.
To sit in a room at the start of the process and be told you will need to raise up to £2300 is daunting especially when you look around and no-one else is batting an eyelid to what feels like an impossible amount of money. We'll let you into a little secret. Everyone feels the same way at the beginning. We know because we've been there.
We're almost at the end of our fundraising journeys and we thought we'd pass on some of the things we've learned along the way.
1. Start early!
Sounds obvious but we all have very busy lives outside of GOLD. It's very easy to think, oh I'll do that later and the months start to creep by. Plan ahead and take advantage of things like Christmas and Easter. Our own enterprising Emma made £170 handmaking reindeer hot chocolate gifts and selling them to family, friends and work colleagues in the run up to Christmas. Look at your schedule and plan around times you know you will be busy - exams, busy times at work, holidays etc.
2. Tell the World!
Talk to people about your project - really talk about it. Talk about it until people start making jokes like 'Oh are you going to Malawi? You didn't say...' Talk to everyone you meet, tell them why you're doing it, why it's important, what you are hoping to achieve. Even in the beginning when you aren't sure what you will end up training on project - give them generics about GOLD. 'Leadership skills, confidence, advocacy, empowerment' are all buzz words people will identify with. Share success stories of past projects. People will sense your passion and that will inspire them to donate.
3. People will Surprise you with their Generosity!
We have a saying where I'm from...'Shy bairns get nowt' which essentially translates to 'If you don't ask you won't get'. It can be tough going asking for support and receiving rejection letters or worse complete radio silence but keep going. Independent local businesses are often happy to donate a raffle prize in exchange for a bit of advertising. Don't forget your GOLD team will have a blog as well as a social media presence where you can give public 'thank you's' to supporters. National businesses like Tesco, Asda etc can be generous but you will need to write to their head office. Clare raised most of her money by writing letters to anyone and everyone including the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, the Soroptimists all of whom asked her to come in and give a talk in exchange for a donation. It was a great way to spread the message about GOLD and for a time starved student was much less time and labour intensive than organising fundraising events.
4. Work your Contacts!
People say it's not what you know but who you know and when it comes to fundraising that is certainly true! Put out a plea to family and friends, get them to ask their friends. Who do you know that could donate a raffle prize? Who's company has a charity donation fund? Will your place of work donate something? I work for Hilton and not only did they donate a prize for me to raffle off, my hotel manager arranged rooms for us at Hilton Heathrow the night before our flight at a fraction of the usual cost.
5. Play to your strengths!
There's no point trying to organise loads of different events if you are strapped for time and no point making handcrafted items to sell if the idea of spending hours fiddling with a glue gun is your worst nightmare. Look at what you're good at and use it to your advantage! Alannah planned quiz nights, beetle drives and bingo evenings while Emma made and sold a variety of handmade items.
6. Challenge badges...
The Clue is in the name, they're a challenge to make, promote and sell. You will be required to create badges for your trip but whether you order more to sell is up to you. We did and we just about managed to make our money back but they weren't a huge money spinner for us. The Challenge Badge market is pretty saturated right now and you will need to do your research, make your badge and challenge pack distinctive, different and relevant to all of the sections if you want to succeed.
7. A Guider in Need
The Guiding community is a very supportive bunch so don't forget to get them involved. A few of us ran 'Rent a Leader' evenings in exchange for a donation which we tied into our challenge badge which doubled our money. Plan a session, make alterations for each section, make it something that requires little or no resources and then advertise your services on your local facebook groups, twitter, district and division meetings and county newsletters. At least 10% of my fundraising came from these evenings. Also - get your local Trefoil Guide involved, they are a wealth of knowledge and experience and usually love to help. And don't forget to apply to District, Division, County and Region - all of whom should be able to give you something towards your trip!
8. Don't Stress!
It will come together! The GOLD team, your team Leader and your team mates are all there for you. Share your success stories, and your not so success stories and laugh when it goes wrong. The fundraising is a huge part of your GOLD journey don't let it be a negative experience!
Happy Fundraising!
Much Love
Team Malawi
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