Small change / Big difference - a new approach to fund-raising

[Tuumble]

The collection tin method of fund-raising has been around for many years and looks set to remain so for the foreseeable future. It may be that the technique of raising money has to change if the desperately high levels of funding required are to be maintained year-on-year.

One option to consider is to producing a folded credit card sized card which has the charity aims and details plus a list of different monetary amounts and what a donation of that size could pay for. The twist is that each amount is given an alternative value in terms of a daily expense such as a chocolate bar, newspaper or drink.

The aim would be to persuade the card holder to direct money from what are largely unnecessary purchases to a worthwhile cause. By making this process a challenge’ over a 7-day set period or longer it will focus the mind on that time frame and reaching a fund-raising target.

The card could feature information on the charity’s aims for those affected by the medical condition and contact details and telephone numbers on how they can make a donation.

While fund-raising is a primary objective, education on what the cause is and how it affects people is paramount. It is imperative that people understand what it means to those individuals, their families and how their contribution can help.

Would having a credit card sized card in a purse or waller where the holder can actually track unnecessary spending appeal to many people? If it means that the person is more aware of where their money is going on a daily basis that has to be beneficial to the person’s finances long term as well as for the charity.

If it inspires a cut down sugary snacks, the intake of fizzy drinks, alcohol and strong coffee it is also helping create a more healthy lifestyle too. Therefore this campaign could be promoted alongside personal health or money management targets in addition to a person’s community contribution goals. Encouraging the population to eat less junk food and be more aware of everyday expenditure can only be a good thing.

A campaign such as this is not designed to make an individual feel guilty for treating themselves to everyday luxuries. It’s just a case of being aware of what anyone can do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and redirecting some of that money to where it can be used more effectively.

If we did nothing else but skipped just one glass of wine or bottle of beer over the course of a seven day period we would contribute more to charity coffers than most people ever do in their everyday lives. If 100 people make that sacrifice that’s £250. If 1,000 did that it’s £2,500 and that’s out of a UK population of 60 million people.

…and that’s just for ONE sacrifice in seven days…

Imagine if 2,000 people each saved a fiver - that’s 10,000! As I said: “Small Change / Big Difference!”

If you would like to read a longer version of this post you can do so on my blog