Credit If you work for or run your own non-profit organisation, you’ve probably been a part of or attended a fundraising event or two in your time. Whether it’s a simple fun run or an extravagant gala, many non-profits, especially small ones, rely on these events to generate a lot of cash in a short space of time. These events are a lot of fun for attendees, but, when it’s up to you to plan one, there’s a lot more work involved. To help you organise a successful event, here are six tips. Start To Plan Early Organising a fundraising event requires a lot of work. You need to choose ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: The Do-Gooder
And we're back! With the most irregular regular blog feature ever - Ladybird Tuesday. Now, keeping in with the theme of all my other recent blog posts here, I'm doing something a little bit different again this week and I'm going to be talking about another new Ladybird title. This time it's The Ladybird Book of the Do-Gooder. Just in case you haven't worked it out by now I should probably explain that this special title has been released to coincide with this year's Comic Relief, and at least £2 from the sale of the book go to Comic Relief. As with the other modern day Ladybird titles ... read more
Seeing how Comic Relief Support the New Horizons Youth Centre
Let's be totally honest. Fundraising can be a bit of a funny thing. You do something to raise money for charity, and you get a bit of a glow as you see the donations stack up on a webpage, but then what happens next? Your personal challenge is over and you might get an email from the donations site you've used telling you how much you raised. And that might be followed up by an email from the charity itself saying thank you, and giving you some examples of how money is spent in general. I guess it can leave you at times feeling a bit flat. But the truth is that behind all that money you ... read more
The Honk Line: 10 miles, a purple unicorn onesie and afternoon tea
When I first started writing in my little corner of the internet I had no idea quite where blogging would take me. The thing that has probably been most surprising though is the amazing blogging community that I now find myself part of. As I sat alone in my flat back in those early days (nearly nine years ago) I wasn't even sure that anyone would read what I wrote, let alone that I would through my blog meet people that became firm (real life) friends and that we'd all come together to do some amazing things. One of the most amazing projects that I've been involved in has to be Team Honk. ... read more
Vlogmas 2016 – Day 8 #vlogmas16
On Day 8 of Vlogmas I talk about the Christmas presents that I've helped collect with my WI for the local women's refuge, the things i find in charity shops and how I like a spot of Make Do and Mend - especially when it comes to my favourite pair of winter boots! ... read more
Challenging myself to Swim the Distance
Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that one of my least favourite times of the week is taking my kids to their weekly swimming lesson. I've always considered swimming a life skill and it's also something that both of them enjoy, but boy, the whole getting them out of the pool, showered and dressed again in a cramped changing cubicle thing can drive me mad! Especially as all three of us are tired and hungry at that point. To make the whole thing somewhat more bearable though I've started using the time that they're in their lessons to try to improve my swimming and have a bit of me ... read more
See the Miracle with a Million Miracles #seethemiracle
What can you see right now? Look around the room you're in and just think for a minute about what you can see around you. There might be people - possibly your family or people you live or work with, or you might be in a cafe somewhere or on public transport. If you're at home you might see familiar possessions. Photos of loved ones, art work your kids have brought home from school, or souvenirs from a family holiday. You might have the book you're currently reading laying nearby, or possibly a favourite magazine. There might be a postcard a friend sent you from her holiday stuck to the ... read more
Getting my running shoes on for Save the Children
It's over a month now since I revealed my plans to get fit and hopefully raise some money for Save the Children at the same time. I had been planning to blog through every week of the Couch to 5k training programme, but with all the blog woes that I've had alongside all the time for the training itself I've struggled to find the time. This morning I completed week 6 of the training so now is definitely the time for a catch up. I started this whole plan as unfit as possible! I walk loads, but that's pretty much the only regular exercise I was doing. Before children I had run a couple ... read more
Honk, honk for Team Honk and Comic Relief!
Blogging is one of those things where some people just don't "get it". They think it a complete waste of time and something that is only done by people that sit at home without enough social skills to go out and interact with the "real" world. Those people who do "get" blogging, and social media more generally, know that it's far more than that and that these days social media really can change the world. Here in the UK there are three particular bloggers who are about to use the power of blogging and social media to help change the world in support ... read more