There are countless reasons why you, as an individual, company or organisation, should consider hosting or taking part in fundraisers throughout the year. From team building, to smashing personal goals or wanting to feel a sense of engagement with your local communities, there are plenty of benefits to fundraising.
At Aspire, we don’t generate income through a product or sales. Our service is completely free to the schools we work with and the young people on the Aspire programme.
Therefore, we rely entirely on partnerships and funding. Funding a significant source of income for us and comes from things like trusts, government and funds created by companies to support local communities. Equally as important is our partnerships, we partner with local businesses, churches and organisations, many of which support us financially and practically with resources like space, professional services and volunteers. Partnerships is where fundraising comes in.
Throughout the year, our partners will host fundraisers and take part in events to raise money for Aspire. We want to make it as easy as possible for those who want to get involved in fundraising.
Coming up with the concept to a fundraiser can sometimes be tricky and can often lead people frozen and they get caught in a state of analysis paralysis, being unable to make a decision for fear of making a mistake. Don’t let the spark to fundraise and make a difference in your community get snuffed out at this stage. Trust your gut and pick something you would enjoy taking part in, chances are if you think it’s a good idea, many other like-minded people will fieel the same. Here’s some ideas to spark your imagination.
Don’t forget, the point of any food fundraiser is to raise... funds! This is an often overlooked part, but think early on about how you are going to collect donations. The easiest way to do this is to set-up an online giving portal through tools like gofundme.com, or justgiving.com. See an example below of a form we built using donorbox.com to build a donation form to a recent fundraiser.
You have spent the time to come up with a great fundraising ideas, you’ve thought about how you are going to collect donations, now for the fun part. Let’s tell the world. Or at least, your local community or workplace. Think about who you think would enjoy taking part in this fundraiser and make sure you tell them all about your fantastic idea and how you want to raise vital funds for a local charity like Aspire. If you are running an event for Aspire we can help you create a flyer and social media graphics to spread the word, check out the example from a recent fundraiser we hosted.
An important piece to the puzzle, that many simply aren’t aware of is the aftermath of the fundraiser. Use this is as a great opporutnoity to tell the story of your fundraiser. Share thoughts on why you did it, the impact these funds can have encourage more people to get involved and host their own fundraiser. Local press can sometimes pick these stories up and charities like Aspire can get exposed to an even wider set of eyes.
For those who are Free School Meals Eligible, their achievement rate of five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C is 49.5%. Their peers, who are Non Free School Meals Eligible, have an achievement rate that is 24% higher. This is a significant gap, and it’s why Aspire exists today, we believe all children should have an equal chance at achievement in education, regardless of their economic background. As of the most recent GCSE results in August 2024, the achievement rate for those on the Aspire programme was 87% bringing those young people back in line with the achievement rate of their peers from more well-off
We would love to hear from you if you are keen to get started with your very own fundraiser for Aspire. Our team are on hand to support you to ensure you get the most out of your fundraiser. Use the button below to get started.
If you are still unsure or not quite ready, access our free fundraising guide below for more information.
