Well, since you ask, let me tell you. I've found myself thrust into the world of fundraising. In this post austerity, Covid-ravaged and unequal as hell UK society we live in, there is a LOT of hardship.
A rock and a hard place
Certainly that's the case for my friend Jo. Imagine having cancer, no income, two kids, an abusive family, and then getting an eviction notice from your landlord.
Well, that's what she's facing. Government safety nets are threadbare (Universal Credit is an insult). So, on the advice of several people, we launched a crowdfunder at the start of the year to stop her sliding into utter destitution. And it was a success - £10k raised. But when your flat costs £1500 a month and childcare over £2000 that doesn't last long.
So, now what?
Enter...The Love Raffle! The problem with crowdfunding is that, once people have heard a sad story more than once, the effect is lessened. And the generous types that probably give a lot to charity have already donated. There are SO many people out there needing help after all.
A joyful way to fundraise
Me and my good friend Elsa Beckmann came up with the idea of a charity raffle. She knows some ritzy types we thought would throw in a good prize. She's also a social media queen, so we knew we could make some noise on Instagram.
Most of all, it felt like we'd be pushing at an open door by creating a competition where people can enter, feel good and just maybe win a cool prize. Self-interested altruism, if you will. Our goal is £10k, but really we want to smash that.
The wonderful byproduct of getting our teeth into this has been the joy of working together. My sister Joey Tulej, a very sporting art director, has created the branding (thanks also to Solenne Pagès at Mother Design). Between the three of us we have hustled about 25 prizes. And they are proper good ones too.
We've come up with the concept, prizes, branding, content plan in the space of a week. Not bad!
How do I win a prize?
Thanks for asking! All you need to do is head over to The Love Raffle Instagram profile to check out the prizes from Friday (give us a follow and a share while you're there). Then buy a ticket (or five) for £10 each. Cross your fingers and wait for the winners to be announced in a few weeks' time.
Here's a taster of what's up for grabs:
Tickets to see a Romesh Ranganeethan comedy show
A signed copy of Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
A tarot reading by Pink Moon Fortunes
An original ceramic piece by Laura Bird
A six month supply of macarons by Oh La La
A place on the UPFRONT confidence course
A £50 voucher for Birdsong
I am very excited about the whole thing. It's totally different from my usual line of work. And my goodness, does it show what some creativity and a network of talented and connected folk can (potentially) achieve. The prize givers have been so generous and jumped on board with the idea straight away.
What next?
We launch the raffle on Friday 18 June. We hope that our prize givers share the posts with their gazillions of followers. And that loads of people (like you! do it!) enter.
And, above all, that Jo can get a break from the worry and stress of money while she heals from cancer and gets strong enough to return to work.
Wish us luck. And please hit share :)
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