Changing my life and saving those of many others...

GiveItBack

JV - bag packing - a good idea, if you can get the place booked. Again if you can't manage to arrange this yourself (it can be tricky) then GOSH should be able to help

GiveItBack

right, (FYI. I have a bad connection today, so responses are slow)

It may be a good thing that you haven't booked it, it changes my approach to trying to help.

I think it's great that you want to help GOSH, but this is the kind of situation where I think you really need to contact them first to see the best way forward.

It may be that you could get involved in some kind of fundraising towards the trek through them. Or that they might be looking for people to volunteer at fundraising initiatives that could count towards it. It really depends on how they run it though, but at the very least, they'd be able to give you some pointers. They won't expect you to just come to them with the funds without having spoken to them first. In fact if you have the justgiving page and they don't know about it, then they wouldn't necessarily realise you wanted the funds to count towards the treks as they'd simply appear in their bank account.

I hope I haven't discouraged you, as you seem so determined, so keen and so excited to do this. I'm sure you'll manage it, but o speak to them first to help form a solid plan for the way forward!

Good luck.

ThinkingOfLinking

Thanks for that post. I've been trying to raise money for 5 years to be honest but never manage to; I don't know how to. Nothing will discourage me from this task but it's just so much harder than I thought it would be.

zebedy

HI,

I would definitely contact whoever you book the treks through (I know you haven't booked them yet but contact them and say you're planning to book and want some advice on fundraising so that it will enable you to book). These set-ups always have a booklet with ideas and suggestions on how to fundraise.

However, you are going to have to be really proactive and you may need some start-up costs for fundraising.
Some ideas are to declutter your house and pay for a pitch at a car boot sale. Any profits go towards your trip. You could even make a sign to say this which might make it easier to wheedle more money out of buyers.

Do some baking and have a cupcake sale in the places where you do casual work. Even if the other employees aren't really friends they would be more likely to make a donation towards the trip if they are getting a cupcake. You could have a minimum proce but hint strongly that additional domnations are welcome as they are funding the trip which is for charity.

There are loads of ideas like this that you could do. (Carwashing, garden tidying etc)

You could go for something on a bigger sale. Arrange a quiz night at a local pub/social club. You'd have to publicise it.

Contact your local newspaper and try and get them to write an article about the treks and your fundraising (you may have to write the article for them)

Go round local organisations to see if you can get them to donate (would help if you could promise them a public acknowledgement in the newspaper article) - e.g. scouts, brownies, local businesses even. Maybe even get the local paper to donate too.

It will be hard work but the only way to do it is to abandon any shyness or embarassment and get out there and fundraise. You're going to have to do the legwork

Good luck

vikki_louise

Good luck with it I know a lady who did it last year for GOSH as one of her daughters is treated there, she is currently at Aldery Hey hospital with her other daughter (who has cancer). If you have a minute spare would you mind dropping her a line to make her smile and send some support please. You can contact her via Alices page (her sister Milly is the one who is treated at GOSH) http://www.postpals.co.uk/pals/Alice+P