Jess's Fundraising Experience So Far

This blog was written by Jess Goddard our Fundraiser of the Month for December. Jess is part of the Derby team and is fundraising for the 2019 Kilimanjaro Challenge. So far Jess has raised over £1145

For my fundraising I decided I wanted to do lots of little events to raise money. I sold handmade decorations and cards leading up to Christmas. My family reached out to our neighbours and family friends for car boot sale donations, they did this through putting notes in letterboxes and Facebook posts. I have also been to two car boot sales, and my Dad has sold larger items on Gumtree. The car boot sales have been our best fundraisers. I made £250 in one sale - you never know what someone might buy from you, so take everything you can fit in the car.

I’ve found my fundraising experience so exciting! I love the feeling of achievement and excitement you get when you empty out the money from a sale, and you count it up to see what you’ve raised! However, I’ve learnt to take any amount as a success and to have patience. Fundraising is sometimes a slow process but I’ve learnt to use my own resources and creativity to succeed. It has been wonderful spending so much time with my family collaborating on ideas. It can be hard to find the time to fundraise around the demands of university but it will be worth it when I reach my target!

I strongly recommend using the strengths of your friends and family during your fundraising. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Working as a team is much more fun and effective. My family have been absolutely amazing and we have enjoyed the shared experience of fundraising. My top tip for car boot sales is to have a rail for clothes and hang them before you go so you can just put them straight on when you get there. If you think something is worth more than the offered price, don’t be afraid to barter or say no. Tell everyone that it’s for charity – they may be persuaded to pay more for an item. Take one or two other people with you to help at sales because they can get very busy! I recommend planning your next event before you’ve had one to keep a chain of fundraising going!

My next step is a water themed quiz night! I already have ten teams signed up. During the quiz we are doing a raffle, ‘blind date with a book’ and selling handmade Mother’s Day cards. For raffle prizes, I contacted local businesses who have donated vouchers etc. I’ve also been in touch with a local boutique shop who have offered to open late and donate 10% of the evening’s profit to my cause. I have a charity football match scheduled for spring and I am also attempting to get in contact with my old secondary school to see if they would like to work together on an event. These are all simple ways of raising money for your cause.

I cannot wait to go back to Africa. It can be hard to forget the end goal when standing in the cold at a car boot sale! But not a day goes by that I do not think about my challenge ahead! Good luck to all the other fundraisers!