A year's Fantastic Fundraising at Leeds People & Planet Group
Leeds group have had an amazing year of fundraising, donating a massive £943.89 to the national network. Read Jess's inspiring story about how they did it (and had fun at the same time!).
Leeds People & Planet group with their giant and generous cheque from a year’s fundraising
Jess Woodall from Leeds People & Planet group writes below to let you know how they reached this amazing total….
Its fun and easy to raise money for People & Planet!
Here at Leeds Uni People & Planet we’ve come to the end of the year to find we managed a fair bit of fundraising. This came as rather a surprise as it hasn’t been a massive push or focus for the group this year, so it goes to show what keeping fundraising in mind can achieve.
Here is a handy breakdown of what we did, what worked,what should be avoided and how best to make fundraising fun!
Garbage Fashion Show : £350
The highlight of the Redress Fashion campaign at Leeds Uni this year was a night of catwalks and campaigning, with the added bonus of raising some cash for P&P. The evening was a spectacular showcase of the varied alternatives to highstreet brands, from fairtrade cotton clothing borrowed from local shops to homemade recycled umbrella skirts. There were also some amazing speakers to drive the message home, stalls from local ethically sound retailers, and fantastic live music.
Some of the Garabage Fashion Show team celebrate a great show backstage
One of the great things about this evening is that it involved a lot of people that might not have otherwise got involved with campaigning. Rather than preaching to the converted we managed to reach a new audience that were forced to think about fashion’s impact on the environment. Fundraising wise this is also great, a good rule is that the more people you have involved in an evening (models, bands etc.), the more people you can get along, and the more money you can raise!
Nanda and Louise model dresses made from plastic bags at Garbage Fashion Show
RAG: £443
Building a relationship with RAG is always a great idea as these guys really know how to fundraise. Collection tins placed at union check outs got £1,800 worth of coppers over the past year. We spoke to our friends at RAG and the committee choose P&P as one of the charities to receive a share of this income. Talk to RAG or your union’s commercial services manager about a similar arrangement as its definitely a winner!
Music To Campaign To: gig night with Stop Climate Chaos Leeds : £115
Making links with other groups is definitely a good idea. Not only does it half the work load but it means more people are likely to come along. Gig nights are relatively easy to put on and lots of fun, all you need is a venue, bands, sound engineer and some publicity. This sounds like a lot but with a core crew of organisers it’s easy with enough time. The main thing to remember is to keep costs down so anything you make on the evening goes straight to P&P. Lots of venues offer free hire without a minimum bar spend midweek. Start asking around and you might realise you have some friends of friends who will be happy to play and entertain you for free when its for a good cause.
Cycling to Shared Planet : £50
Getting friends and family to sponsor you to do something different is a great way to raise money and push yourself. In the past we’ve had sponsored half marathons, busking in French and (attempting) to learn to ride a bike aged 21. This year Sarah Walpole was one of the people in the network to take on the challenge of cycling to shared planet, raising £50 through sponsorship.
Festival Collection Tins : £28
Not only are festivals amazing fun and perfect for new committee bonding over summer, they are also a great way of spreading your campaigns message and recruiting new members. Lots of smaller festivals offer free tickets for groups to come and campaign. Send them an email about the cool stuff you could bring to their festival and you’re likely to get a positive response. Simply remembering to add a small fundraising twist can make a contribution. Sell tetrapack purses, make a game or quiz and ask for a small donation, every little helps!
P&P team up with Stop Climate Chaos Leeds to hold a stall at Ikley Moor Music Festival
If you’re thinking about running a fundraising event get in touch with Louise at the Support office on 01865 245678 or email for advice and encouragement.
Also check out the fundraising webpages for more fundraising tips.