‘Feel Good’ Fundraising’ Podcasting Pros

In our ‘Feel Good Fundraising’ series, Bamboo’s digital marketing apprentice, Georgie, follows up on the stories of inspirational volunteer fundraisers to ask them the questions no one’s thought to ask.

Georgie, it’s over to you.

I’m a big fan of podcasts, so I was excited to speak to Sam Thomas, who hosted a 24-hour live podcast on his podcast platform, County Business TALKS to raise money for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity.

After reading about his fundraiser on Charity Today, I reached out to find out he got on.

Was it challenging to host a 24-hour podcast?

It was intense. As a host, you have to listen intently to your guests to ensure you respond properly and keep the conversation flowing.

I often record two episodes in a day and feel mentally drained after that, so I didn’t know how I’d fair over 24 hours.

Luckily, the guests were amazing, so I was okay. I structured the interviews so they ran for approx 45-50 minutes. This enabled me to have a quick breather between guests, but I still managed to lose my voice at the eight-hour mark.

As I’m a bit of a technophobe, I had the amazing H2 Productions on hand to manage that side of things and it all ran smoothly. They were brilliant.

24 guests over 24 hours is a lot. Did you find your powers as an interviewer waned as time went on? 

Surprisingly I felt okay. I had a rough structure for each interview, but each guest brought a different energy and perspective to the conversation so it was easy. One guest, who joined me from Dubai in the early hours, shared a fascinating story, but there was a slight delay on the call. As a result, it became a bit of a monologue (his words not mine), but it didn’t matter as the story was brilliant. However, I had to cut him off as my next guest was waiting to speak to me from Sydney Airport before catching a flight.

How did you navigate losing your voice? 

My voice started to go around 8pm and I still had 16 hours to go. I had some throat lozenges, lots of lemon, ginger, and honey tea, and cracked on. By the end, I sounded like I was auditioning for the Godfather!

How was the live audience?

They were amazing. It was wonderful to have such amazing support. They gave me a massive energy boost.

Any final words?

The tagline for the podcast is 'everyone has a story to tell' and I truly believe that. I felt honoured to have so many incredible guests with brilliant stories to share. If I had to choose one, it would be Carole Gilling Smith, founder of the Agora Clinic. It was a very emotional episode. The fertility clinic she founded is where my wife and I conceived our twins through IVF. It was the first time I’d seen her since she gave us the news that we were pregnant.

You can check out all of the episodes from Sam’s challenge here. Want to support his fundraising efforts? make a donation on his fundraising page.

If you’re looking for a community fundraiser to inspire volunteers like Sam, get in touch at info@amboofundraising.co.uk.

Simplifying the New Political Activity Guidance from the Charity Commission

The charity sector is about as diverse as it’s possible to be, encompassing everything from local food banks and health to climate change. And these disparate voices all play a vital role in making a positive difference to society.

But there’s confusion about what role charities should play. Some argue that their only legitimate function is to provide services that address the symptoms of society’s problems. However, this view excludes advocacy work that attempts to challenge the root causes that exacerbate the problems in the first place.

The issue was brought to the forefront in 2020 when the National Trust published a report highlighting connections between 93 of its historic places and slavery. The list of sites linked to ‘colonialism and slavery’ included Winston Churchill’s former family home, citing the former prime minister’s role in the Bengal famine and his opposition to Indian independence.

The report prompted accusations of politicisation from MPs, who claimed the trust presented a negative view of Britain that didn’t represent the scholarly consensus.

In response to the furore Baroness Stowell, then-chair of the Charity Commission, suggested that in publishing the report, the organisation had strayed from its charitable objectives.

Following an investigation, it was decided the National Trust acted within the law, undertaking the project in a considered way. But the debacle led the Charity Commission to update its guidance around charities and political campaigning.

What is the updated guidance?

There’s a lot to chew through to get to the meat of the changes. But, as an early Christmas gift, we’ve sifted through the update and pulled together the key points.

Before we jump into the guidance, let’s remind ourselves of the role of the Commission.

The Charity Commission: Who are they and what do they do?

The Charity Commission is a non-ministerial arm of the government, responsible for registering and regulating charities in England and Wales. They ensure charities stay on the right side of the law, and take action against those that don’t.

What are the amended rules around political activity?

• Charities can only be established for charitable purposes. An organisation that exists to further the interests of a political party cannot be registered as a charity.

• Political activity is acceptable, providing it’s undertaken in the interest of supporting a charity’s purpose.

• When working within the political arena, charities must emphasise their independence.

• A charity must not provide support or funding to any political party, candidate, or politician. However, they can support specific policies endorsed by political parties if it helps the charity achieve its purpose.

• Trustees must not allow their charities to be used as a vehicle for the expression of political views.

• Charities must comply with charity laws and any other applicable civil and criminal laws when campaigning.

• Political campaigns may use emotive or controversial material, where lawful and justifiable in the context of the campaign. But it must be factually accurate and backed up by evidence.

What is political activity?

Political activity is defined as any activity designed to change or influence policies or decisions taken by governments. For example, an ocean conservation charity campaigning for a government to change fishing laws to ensure sustainable levels of marine life.

Charities getting political, successfully.

That’s the definition. Now let’s look at a few examples of charities that have nailed political campaigning.

Pregnant Then Screwed

One of the many restrictions put in place during COVID was a blanket ban on partners attending the birth of their newborns.

However, Pregnant Then Screwed came to the rescue.

The charity, which works to end pregnancy and maternity discrimination, launched a peaceful protest dubbed March of the Mummies, to campaign for action from the UK Government to overcome the disadvantages mothers experience during labour.

The campaign resulted in a change in legislation, that helped get partners back on maternity wards.

Shelter

With lockdowns, furloughs, and redundancies, the impact of the pandemic on private rental tenants was significant. Thousands were left at risk of eviction due to their inability to pay their rent.

This was not something that Shelter, a charity that campaigns for tenant’s rights, could stand by and let happen. The organisation drummed up support on social media and put pressure on the government to protect tenants from the threat of eviction. This led to the introduction of a temporary ban on landlords evicting tenants and changes to the notice period they’re required to serve.

Final Word

As ‘Pregnant then Screwed’ and ‘Shelter’ have shown, it’s possible to incorporate political activity into your fundraising campaigns, providing you do so respectfully and lawfully.

If you need a talented fundraising talent to help you do it, give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.

‘Feel Good’ Fundraising - There’s Always Gonna be Another Mountain

Today, I’m excited to take us over the hill and far away…to Yorkshire (okay not that far), to join Tom Chettle. Tom and his colleagues from Buckinghamshire Council took on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge to raise some funds for Talkback UK. Tom undertook the challenge in memory of Andy Leach; a great friend and colleague, and a passionate advocate for people with learning difficulties who tragically passed away in 2021. You can read the original article here.

I was itching to follow-up with Tom to get his thoughts and experiences on a challenge of 24 miles of walking and over 1,700 metres of ascension!

I read in the Charity Today article about your challenge that one of your favourite things was the social aspect, the opportunity to meet and speak with people you wouldn’t otherwise. Were there any moments of connection that stood out to you?

“The previous year I had completed the national 3 peaks with friends but didn’t fundraise, I knew that any future walking challenge would bring a group of people together with a strong sense of a single goal. The build-up for our walk was fun, I was the tie between friends, colleagues and family and we did a decent amount of practice walking together. This meant that a strong bond between the team was already starting as individuals trained for a shared purpose, 1. To remember Andy who had sadly died 2. To raise a decent amount of money for charity 3. To climb 3 big mountains in a day!! The strongest moment of connection was likely to be the second peak, some of the team were really feeling the physical effects of the walk and together we got up that second mountain.

Our group leader was Chris form Getoutdoors. Chris is great at his job and is a great motivator! Just before the last Mountain I was feeling tired and a bit sick – Chris was able to get me up on my feet, get some sugar in me and inspire me to carry on.

When you’re walking for over 12 hours you talk about all sorts. It was great sharing some of our past experiences, when I was 20 I drove from London to Mongolia – it was great sharing this with some colleagues. There was also a lot of humour about ‘wild wees’ flying around on the day.”

I imagine each of the mountains has its own personality, how do you feel about each of them?

• “Pen-y-ghent: Spikey

• Whernside: the gentle giant

• Ingleborough: Beautiful

I reached the top of Ingleborough late in the evening just in time for a sun set, the sense of achievement was immense.

It was a long walk to Whernside and once you got there it was a slow gradual climb, for this reason it was definitely my least favourite, on the flip side though this was the best Mountain for team spirit – we all pulled in together!

If I had to rate the mountains in order of difficulty:

• Ingleborough: it was on the home straight and very steep

• Pen-y-ghent: some rock climbing and very steep, but with fresh legs and first thing in the morning it was good fun.

• Whernside: a gentle climb but wow, the descent was very steep!!”

I read that you hadn’t done any hiking or mountaineering before your last two three peaks challenges. Have you caught the bug and can we expect to see more from you in the future?

“Yes, I definitely do have the bug, I have not yet chosen the next climb though!! In terms of other fundraising challenges, I’ve no big plans yet, I am doing some half marathon running at the moment and have my eye on a future marathon.” 

Any final thoughts?

“The walk was a great experience and completed in memory of my friend and colleague Andy Leach. Throughout the day Andy was with us all and that really spurred on the team 😊.”

What a wonderful achievement Tom, well done! Check out Tom’s JustGiving page to donate or read his recent blog!

If you want to read more content like this, as well as keep an eye on the latest roles we’re recruiting for, follow our company page on LinkedIn.

Or, if you’re in the market for event and community fundraisers who can inspire volunteers like Tom, then get in touch on iinfo@amboofundraising.co.uk to find out how we can help.

Four cracking Christmas fundraising campaigns

Christmas is a time for giving, and we’re not just talking about gifts for loved ones.

52.6% of households in the UK donate to charity in December, making it one of the biggest events in the fundraising calendar.

If you haven’t launched a festive fundraising campaign, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

Here are four Christmas crackers to inspire you and spread a little festive cheer.

Christmas Dinner Game: RNID

The game was designed to tackle ‘dinner table syndrome’, a phenomenon where deaf people struggle to follow conversations around the dinner table, particularly if they’re loud and several people are talking at once.

In return for a donation of £10, people received their Christmas Dinner Game, which consisted of three sets of cards, a centrepiece for the table that reminded guests how to communicate inclusively, and place name cards with conversational ice breakers.

The game itself combined three family favourites with a deaf-aware twist:

1. Do you see what I see? Players take turns to draw a card. The picture on the card represents a phrase. Players have to guess the phrase, write it down, and hand it over to the dealer. The first person to guess correctly wins. No shouting is allowed.

2. Read my lips: Players form teams of two. Player one mouths the phrase on their card and Player two has to guess what they’re trying to say. Then they swap over.

3. Charades: Players take turns to act out Christmas-themed phrases. The first person to write down the correct answer and put up their hand up wins. There’s a penalty for anyone who shouts.

Opinion: A fun way to earn money, whilst raising awareness of the difficulties deaf people face at this time of year.

Heart Research UK: Sing for your heart

Fancy flexing your vocal cords for a good cause this Christmas? Get involved with Heart Research UK’s Sing for Your Heart campaign, and you can show off your skills whilst raising money for an important cause.

The premise is simple: Members of the public are invited to ‘sing, donate and nominate’ by uploading a video of themselves singing to social media (tagging #singforyourheart) donating £3, and nominating three others to do the same.

The campaign launched in 2017, and was headed up by 6-year-old Jaxon Green-Moore, who was born with a condition called LEOPARD Syndrome. This video tells Jaxon’s story.

Jaxon was invited to spearhead the campaign as the charity has supported him since he was a baby, and he wanted to give back.

Little did he know how popular the campaign would become.

The campaign went viral after Pixie Lott, Boyzone, Alesha Dixon, and Piers Morgan got behind it.

It reached more than 16 million people and raised thousands for the charity.

Still going strong today, it’s become a key annual Christmas fundraiser.

You can join in the fun here.

Opinion: We love this campaign as it’s fun, easy to take part in, and has proven health benefits. On the sign-up page, the charity says; ‘research has shown that singing exercises your lungs, increases blood flow, and reduces stress. That’s why, for over a decade, we have asked people to Sing for Your Heart during the festive period and raise money for pioneering research into the prevention, treatment, and cure of heart disease’.

Blood Cancer UK: Movie Watch Party

Everyone loves a Christmas movie, which is why Blood Cancer UK’s ‘Movie Watch Party’ is inspired.

On Sunday 11 December at 3pm, people across the UK will be switching on their TV sets to watch the Christmas classic, Home Alone, to help people with blood cancer.

The charity is asking participants to donate what they would normally spend on a night at the cinema ( they suggest £15 for a single ticket, £25 for a family ticket, and, an extra £10 for popcorn and an oversized drink).

The charity has set up a Facebook group with the hashtag #HomeButNotAlone where they’re sharing Home Alone content in the lead-up to the event. They’re also setting participants fun challenges.

Want to join in? You can sign up here.

Opinion: This is a simple, but effective way to raise funds and awareness. Home Alone is a classic feel-good movie - perfect for a cold, dreary Sunday afternoon. And participants don’t have to get off the sofa to take part.

TrustFord: The Grinch ‘steals’ donations

This one is not charity-driven, but we’re including it as it’s fun, festive, and a great example of corporate generosity.

In December 2021, a series of car dealerships in East London were ‘robbed’ by a familiar Christmas character.

The Grinch crept into three Ford dealerships and ‘stole’ 40 bags of food, four large shopping trays, and three boxes of food.

He then delivered them to a local food bank in Dagenham.

The dealership has donated to the food bank each Christmas since 2019, but this year, it got creative with its drive, branding the campaign as ‘The Grinch that stole Christmas’.

Opinion: Hats off to TrustFord. They came up with a creative way to raise awareness of their donation (incidentally, the stunt got them coverage in the local press) while doing a good deed.

Final Word

These are four of our favourite Christmas fundraising ideas. What would you add?

Don’t forget, we’re here to support you with your fundraising talent requirements, at Christmas, or any other time of the year.

Call us to get the conversation started on 0203 750 3111.

‘Feel Good’ Fundraising - From a Tiny Acorn…

In our ‘Feel Good Fundraising’ series, Bamboo’s digital marketing apprentice, Georgie, follows up on the stories of inspirational volunteer fundraisers to ask them the questions no one’s thought to ask.

Georgie, it’s over to you.

This week, I was enthralled by the story of Rob Duncombe, Chief Pharmacist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who ran the London marathon dressed as an oak tree.

I was dying to know how Rob got on, but couldn’t find any follow-up articles, so I reached out to ask.

Rob, how did the run go?

“I completed the marathon, my 40th, in 4 hours and 40 minutes. Sadly, I didn’t break the World Record for running a marathon dressed as a tree, (I missed out by around 35 minutes), but I had a great day. It was incredibly hot though, so staying hydrated was tricky.”

What’s the story behind the costume?

“The tree came about because we are building a new cancer unit at the Marsden called the oak unit. Sol, running as an oak tree seemed like a good way to raise awareness and do something different.

We initially checked whether one of our volunteers would be able to make the costume, but it was a big undertaking, so we went with a professional company, Rainbow Productions, which makes mascots. They make most of the football club mascots.”

Was there any costume camaraderie?

“I met a number of fellow costume wearers at the start, as we were all placed in the same pen, but we separated out quite quickly. I ran with a police officer in full uniform for a while, but I overtook and finished ahead of her in the end!”

Fantastic work, Rob! An amazing achievement for an incredible cause.

If you want to hear about more of his antics, why not follow Rob on Twitter?

Want to donate? Check out his JustGiving page.

Looking for a community fundraiser to inspire volunteers like Rob? Drop us a line at info@amboofundraising.co.uk.