The Winter Fundraiser
Planned and ran the charity's winter fundraising evening: the venue, the programme, the volunteers on the night, and the appeal that followed.
Problem
Energy costs were about to eat the winter budget, and the charity had never run a fundraising event bigger than a bake sale.
What I built
The whole evening: venue negotiation, a programme of member performances, a volunteer crew brief, ticketing, and the written appeal that went out the week after.
My contribution
Led it end to end with a committee of three, and wrote every word of the appeal myself.
Process
Priced the real need
Set the target from the actual heating bills, and said so on the posters, because a specific number gets believed.
Made the night about members
Programme was members performing, not speeches, so the room was full of their families.
Followed up while it was warm
The appeal went out five days later to everyone who came, and that is where the regular donors came from.
Outcome
Covered the winter heating costs and signed up thirty new regular donors from one evening.