Our Fundraising Heroes: Denise
Time to shine a light on one of our fab fundraising heroes. This time we spoke to Denise, who raised money for AAM as part of her birthday celebrations. Here’s what she had to say.
So, something we always ask our fab fundraisers; what made you want to fundraise for AAM in the first place?
Several years ago, I was a member of Hands & Voices singing and signing choir run by AAM and the charity has always been dear to my heart. I love the aims of AAM and have seen first-hand the positive impact it has on the lives of adults with learning disabilities.
This isn’t your first rodeo; you’ve raised money for us in the past and most recently you raised an incredible £609 as part of your birthday celebrations. We think that’s AAM-azing. Tell us how you went about raising the funds, how did you get the word out?
With my 60th birthday approaching, it wasn’t a hard decision to create a birthday fundraiser for AAM. I asked people to donate to the charity, rather than give me presents. My target was £500, and I was really delighted to exceed that with a final total of over £600.
In reality, I didn’t do much! I created a JustGiving page saying why I wanted to raise money for AAM and told everyone via my Facebook profile. The fact that I was having a big birthday party helped, as I could remind my friends and family attending not to bring presents – only cards – and donate to my chosen charity instead. By the time my birthday came around, we had already reached the target and afterwards, donations kept coming in!
Were many of your supporters aware of Accessible Arts & Media before donating?
Some were as AAM is a well-known charity in York. However, it was great to be able to raise your profile wider and tell more people about the work that you do. In these times of austerity, many charities are struggling to raise the funds they need, and I wouldn’t want to see anything other than great things for AAM.
Do you have any advice for someone who might be interested in creating a birthday fundraiser of their own?
Why do you need all those presents anyway! It couldn't be easier! Just create your JustGiving page and link it to AAM’s profile page – simple! A top tip would be that it’s good to be able to have some personal story to tell for example - I let people know that I used to sing with Hands & Voices.
Timing is also something to think about. I’d suggest setting up your fundraising page about three weeks before your birthday so that people don't forget to donate. Lastly, don’t go too mad pushing it. Nobody likes to feel under pressure so just give people a little bit of a nudge every once and a while and remind your friends that you don’t want “stuff”, just a donation!
We’re so grateful for your support and everything you’ve done for AAM - you rock! What are you looking forward to doing/taking part in the next year?
Thanks – you guys rock too! Becoming 60 is great and I am trying to make the most of my big year with a few nice trips and treats planned. My husband Rich and I had a fabulous joint 60th Birthday trip to Mexico last Christmas where we had a fantastic time exploring the sights, food, weather and music the country had to offer.
One thing I am focussing on this year is keeping fit and healthy for this next stage of my life and my latest hobby is wild swimming in lakes, rivers and swimming ponds!
A massive thank you to Denise for taking the timeout to answer our questions, and most importantly, for being an AAM-azing Fundraising Hero. Could you be our next fundraising hero? Why not get in touch and start your fundraising journey, today?
Looking for more inspiration?
Check out our A-Z of Fundraising Ideas and download our fundraising pack for lots of fun-draising ideas to get you started.
Why not check out Nick’s fundraising journey and read about how he raised over £2,000 for Accessible Arts & Media?
Or do you have a challenge event in mind and don’t know where to start or simply want to chat about your idea? Email us at hello@aamedia.org.ukor call us on 01904 626965 – we’d love to chat!