Charitable requests have become a part of our everyday lives. Historically fundraising has taken very traditional routes such as selling raffle tickets for relatively small causes, through simple fundraising ideas.
However more recently, thanks to the evolution of the internet, both the scale and complexity of fundraising has increased. The most recent obvious example has been the ALS ice bucket challenge, which has become a global phenomenon in a very short period of time. By the end of August the challenge had raised more than $22.9 million demonstrating the power of new media if it captures the imagination through innovative ideas. This is the most recent example, with many new concepts in fundraising following hot on the heels of ‘Movember’and ‘Sober for October’.
For many of the more long established charities such as Cancer Research UK and Macmillan, the internet is both a risk and an opportunity. Much as the above charities are moving with the times, they are still very reliant on conventional fundraising means. They rely on a great number of generous individuals who are prepared to give up their time to provide the corner stone of their efforts. However it is important for them to keep attracting new donors to ensure the funds continue to flow.
Here at The Queen’s School, like many places, there are so many demands on our time and our individual and collective fundraising efforts. We are delighted, however, to support many of these worthwhile charities, one of the most recent being‘Macmillan’. I know from personal experience what a wonderful service the Macmillan nurses provide, and this is certainly one charity that I am personally determined to support in the future. Recently we held our annual Macmillan Bake Sale where The Queen’s School raised more than £600 for the charity. Congratulations to everybody involved. I’m sure many of the pupils would be happy to support this again in the future, particularly if it means an extended break time and cake!