On April 28th our Admin & Events Officer Robin gave a presentation on local community fundraising events at the Findacure Community Fundraising Workshop.
Speaking at the White & Case offices in London, the event had a range of fantastic speakers who gave presentations on a variety of fundraising related topics.After an introduction from Findacure Executive Director Flóra Raffai, the first presentation of the day came from Libbie Read and Mary Rose Roberts from Findacure. They gave an introduction to community fundraising that detailed the stages of event planning, particularly highlighting the work they have done themselves on Findacure events. They gave some brilliant examples of community fundraising events such as skydives, which had been very successful for them in the past.
Robin’s presentation on local community events was up next. Robin’s talk covered a range of community event aspects. Giving examples of past local community events he has put on, he showed examples of AKU Societies’ events such as the Garrod Day Coffee morning and the Stand Up For AKU Comedy Night. He advised attendees to think about their target audience before putting on an event, taking into account who they want to attend their event during their planning phase. He also stressed the importance of event aftercare, making sure event attendees & participants are properly thanked post-event. His key message to take home was that even if you are a small organisation, it does not mean you have to have a small audience.
The next speaker was Callum Appleby from the Bone Cancer Research Trust. Callum introduced the attendees to the world of challenge events. He highlighted how rewarding and engaging challenge events can be. Callum really sold challenge events as an exciting way of drawing in new fundraisers, offering adrenaline filled challenges for thrill seekers and those who prefer physically demanding fundraising events.The final speaker of the day was Sharmila Nikapota from the Sohana Research Fund. Sharmila gave fascinating insights into special events. She shared her experience of putting on large-scale dinners and balls. Her top tip was to ensure you get a return on your investment as these types of events can often demand a great amount of time/money dedicated to their organisation.
With all the speakers finished, a panel discussion was then held with questions open to the audience. Robin shared his thoughts on the best fundraising platforms to use, along with his favourite fundraising activities, and admitting to his biggest fundraising mistakes!
After the speakers were finished there was an afternoon of discussion and sharing of ideas with great participation from attendees and speakers alike. Robin spoke to several small charity founders who were all eager to listen and learn from one another, with many planning their events with other attendees during the afternoon session.
Robin would like to thank Findacure for having him speak at their workshop and would recommend their very informative and enjoyable events to any rare disease patient groups looking to advance their organisation. All workshop presentations and presenter recordings can be found on the Findacure website.