After her Uganda Volunteer Project was deferred due to COVID-19, Play Therapy Masters student, Amy Hewitt found herself unmotivated to fundraise post-pandemic. But with the world opening back up, and confirmation of 2022 trips going ahead, she booked in a meeting with the Fundraising team for advice and motivation. Amy came away excited to relight the spark she had once before, so much so she almost tripled her fundraising in less than a week!
“I really put my mind into fundraising”
– Amy
Amy’s fundraising went from £517, to £1,447 in just one week – a true fundraising champion. But how did she do it?
Jess Poole, Fundraising Officer at Play Action said, “Amy came to me, concerned she may not even be able to make it out to Uganda this Summer, feeling her fundraising was falling behind. One-to-one meetings are always really helpful because not only can we rationalise timelines and make the task of fundraising do-able, but face-to-face interaction is what makes this charity personal, supportive and unique.”
We chatted about what and when is manageable for her, especially when undertaking a masters degree. We worked out pockets of time she had free and cracked on with event planning. Being realistic when planning is key to success. It’s more realistic to expect that some fundraisers might take a while to get going and some will surpass your beliefs. It’s all about trial and error and finding what works for each fundraiser.”
Play in Action
Amy is a Nanny and had already planned an afternoon full of fun, pool parties and cake for the children she looks after. The childcare was going to be free, and, she was just asking for a small donation to contribute to her fundraising.
Jess had a chat with Amy and said, “We spoke about getting those first few donations onto the page through online sharing, sweepstakes, or scratch cards. Seeing your total increase, even by a few pounds creates excitement and gets your motivation back. We discussed t-shirt sponsorship from businesses and upcoming events she wanted to do, but didn’t know how. By the end of the meeting, bucket collections were booked, ideas to raise further funds through her upcoming half marathon were sorted and her smile was back”
Jess continued, “Post-pandemic, motivation was expected to be low, but even just speaking to one of our team is sure to perk you up again. Amy is evidence of this! I can’t tell you how proud I was chatting to her Monday morning, to not only to find out she had raised so much, but that she had raised more to go on the 4-week adventure, instead of 2!”
After reaching her initial target, Amy wrote on Facebook “I can’t thank those of you who have donated enough and also can’t believe the kindness and generosity of those of you who are anonymous THANK YOU!! I really do appreciate it and I will pass this kindness forward to the children in Uganda”
With Amy’s background, she is looking forward to assisting with some play therapy interventions during the creative play sessions we offer in Uganda. She said, “I am looking forward to getting to Uganda, meeting the other volunteers and seeing the smiles of the children when as a team we build them a playground! I am also so excited to do the horse riding and become a part of the Ugandan culture for a month!”
Although Amy has hit her initial £1,250 target, that is not stopping her continuing to fundraise beyond the next target of £1,500. Amy is looking forward to doing a half marathon this month, a bucket collection in Guilford high street next month, and a cake sale near Christmas – she is unstoppable! To help this motivated mover continue the brilliant fundraising she’s doing, head to her fundraising page to donate.
It’s Your Turn
Congratulations Amy and we can’t wait to celebrate your amazing fundraising achievements as well as finishing your MA in Play Therapy, with you in Uganda. Inspired by Amy’s story? If you too are feeling unmotivated and want to find your love for fundraising again, book in a one to one meeting with one of our fundraising team, they can’t wait to hear from you!
