Embarking on a fundraiser can be scary - what to do and how? Vicki Hayes decided to hold a fundraiser at her local Curry House and she raised an impressive £340 for the baboons! Furthermore, along with some online donations Vicki has raised £700! Thank you SO much Vicki!

Here's a few words on her event and how she went about it;

I (Vicki Hayes) was inspired to hold a fundraiser for C.A.R.E. because I am passionate about all primates, but having heard about the great work that C.A.R.E. does and the threats facing the baboons in South Africa I decided that I had to help. I will be going in September this year and I thought I would challenge myself to try and fund-raise some money! I set up a Just Giving page to get myself started, please feel free to continue adding to the total through making an online donation.

Being Nervous

It is natural to be nervous! I was nervous about whether people would turn up! The curry house had said to me for the evening to be worthwhile I needed at least 25 people to come in order to make profits, which is what they were donating to C.A.R.E.

I was thankful to all those people that did come - there were 26 of us altogether, so I had enough! Just! I am also extremely grateful to all the family and friends who donated raffle prizes and to the local businesses in my area who donated too.

Tips On How to Plan

A friend told me about one of our local curry houses who held charity nights - where after their expenses - ie staff wages, stock etc they donated the profits from the evening to the charity of my choice. I would suggest researching local restaurants and see if any do this or are willing to do this. But this is not essential, as I made the most money from selling raffle tickets! So the key thing I think is to get as many prizes as possible. Ask friends and family, email and write to as many local businesses as you can - explaining the event you are holding, the charity you are fundraising for and that the businesses will be thanked and acknowledged on the evening for any donations they have given - so you are raising awareness of the business, which is a big bonus to them.

More Tips on Planning

In terms of getting the raffle prizes, just be persistent. It is highly likely that you will not hear back from some businesses, so just follow up with a phone call 1 week or 2 weeks after you originally contacted them - this worked for me. Emails can easily be overlooked as they must get so many per day or just forgotten about. It can also take a while so give yourself plenty of time before your event to get the prizes. I managed it whilst working full time so it is possible and I ended up with far more prizes than I imagined I would get. I created a event on Facebook, so this is definitely the best way to invite your friends/family and friends of friends can be invited too. I also designed a poster and put it up where I work. Just spread the word as much as possible.

Definitely do a talk on C.A.R.E. - people really enjoyed this when I did it and it shows where the money will be going and how it will be helping - will make your guests feel good. A few people gave me extra donations after my talk, so it was well worth it!

Success!

The event was a huge success, everyone really enjoyed it, there were some fantastic raffle prizes, the food was really nice and a bargain at £15.00 all you can eat buffet

And we raised £340!! Yey! :)

Thank You

I'd like to thank Sarah Chilvers for giving me advice on how to make the event a success and for suggesting the idea in the first place and my mum Tina Blackler for being a big help on the night too.

In addition to the Curry-Night the JustGiving donations have totaled £700 so far!

- Vicki Hays

C.A.R.E. would like to say a HUGE thank you to Vicki, her friends and family and the Curry House! For Vicki to take the time and effort to do this is such an inspiration to others and we really hope that other people will follow Vicki's example. C.A.R.E. relies solely on donations as a non-profit organization and the costs to feed, house and give veterinary treatment to our baboons and offer sanctuary and help to those in need is a mammoth task. With help from people like Vicki and yourselves we can achieve! We can make a difference. You can make a difference! Please consider fundraising, donating or volunteering like Vicki!