When I heard I’d been accepted for a placement in Ikorodu, Nigeria. A slightly caffeinated buzz ran though me, It felt like my mind was already boarding the plane. However, I knew I had to keep my feet on the ground! I had some fundraising to do; Up until Christmas, I begged strangers to buy my half baked…bakes and held a rock gig on the 4th of December in which the band and venue were kind enough to perform for free.
Thanks to their kindness, along with a £500 grant through Starbucks UK’s #RedCupCheer. I am now able to safely pack my bags and begin thinking about what kind of impact I can have on Ikorodu.
During the training weekend, I got to meet other members of Team Ikorodu, who have done everything from 5km runs to living on rice and beans for a week, all while also baking far superior cakes to myself. From their experiences and my own I have learnt several facts about fundraising which I hope can benefit other terrible bakers and prevent them turning into Gordon Ramsey!
- Have Fun!
It’s not always easy to think of fundraising ideas on a day to day basis when in University or work, The first thing you need to consider is if you’ll actually enjoy what you are planning; I love rock music and jumping around, therefore a rock gig was the perfect fit for my fundraising.
2) Look into grants and bursaries
Along with damn fine coffee, Starbucks do a lot of caffeinated charity work particularly around Christmas. I got involved with the #RedCupCheer campaign which pledges £500 minimum to certain charities measured on their social media impact, this is also a great way to promote your fundraising while sipping great coffee! There is a wealth of support out there from various charities.
3) Promote yourself!
A lot of my donations came from ex teachers, old friends and well wishers who had simply logged onto their computers to look at pictures of cats! Using Facebook, Twitter etc gives you the opportunity to post a million selfies on your fundraising while reminding your friends of what you are up to.
4) Don’t get discouraged!
Fundraising is just as much a part of the journey as the flight to your placement country, some days you just want to watch Netflix and chill! In fact, some of the best fundraising ideas came to me when I wasn’t thinking of fundraising ideas.
5) Talk to people!
Don’t be afraid to talk to your fundraising officer if you have any questions about the fundraising process and speak with returned volunteers on how they found fundraising. The gig I arranged came from talking to a bartender in my local, costing me absolutely nothing to have an entire evening worth of fundraising!
Charlie Trotman 