Summary
Raffle:
The books with raffle tickets were distributed among the LPK staff, volunteers and board members to take away with them and sell to individuals, churches and corporates at a price of 500 Kshs per ticket. 10 books were printed and each book contained 100 tickets.
Cake sale:
The team bought 100 pieces of cake from cake vendors. The vendors sold a full cake at 100 shillings but the team divided the cake into four pieces, each piece costing 100 shillings. The team and volunteers visited the 6 churches and sold the cakes to members of the congregation after the Sunday service.
Social media:
An appeal was posted on Facebook and the organisational website. People responded to the appeal globally. The social media campaign was the most successful of the 3 fundraising events.
Corporate double match:
The team targeted the banks to double match the amount that was collected through the raffle. 7 banks within the community were targeted. 4 of them replied, but explained that they had already exhausted their budget for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Tips and lessons learned
1. Local fundraising requires adequate time. During fundraising preparations the team needed more time for putting ideas together, before the actual activities were started.
2. Fundraising is teamwork. You need a committee to make a plan and volunteers to implement it.
3. A pitch should be precise and to the point and adapted to the target group. LPK's fundraising team learned that their pitch was too long and the targeted group was unable to capture the real point. The next pitch will be short, simple and direct.
4. Convincing language and tone should be applied. When selling the cakes and raffle tickets the team learned how to make an extra effort to convince people to buy the cakes or raffle tickets.
5. Match your interest with that of the donor. The team learned that it is best to approach donors who have the same interest as the organisation.
Review by Wilde Ganzen Foundation
Living Positive Kenya was among the first organisations to contribute an example of local fundraising activities to the Change the Game Academy. In the meantime they have followed the Local Fundraising classroom course, organised by national partner in Kenya KCDF (Kenya Community Development Foundation). When afterwards they organised their next local fundraising action, they decided to share what they had learned. If you want to compare, their first example is called 'Fundraising Dinner'.
Details
Short description of the organisation the funds were raised for
Living Positive Kenya (LPK) is a community based organisation currently operating in Kajiado County, Ngong Division, a county in the great Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its mission is to alleviate the suffering of women and children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. The programme seeks to provide women with healthcare, education, income generating activities and counselling to ensure that they are independent, healthier, happier and stronger citizens who can face the daily challenges of life. The organisation also fights stigmatisation of those with HIV/AIDS and encourages a change of attitude towards this global pandemic. LPK believes that HIV/AIDS must no longer be isolated as a health problem but should rather be considered as a social and economic burden to all members of the affected families. In 2009 over 2.5 million Kenyans were already affected by HIV. This translates to over 16% of the adult population. Women account for 41% of the infected persons. In the area where LPK works HIV/AIDS has also spread at an alarming rate. There are currently 100 HIV infected members in the support groups, with 20 cases calling in every month for social and economic support. Since 2011, LPK has empowered 40 women graduates of the WEEP class (Women Economic Empowerment Programme) giving them skills in beadwork, dressmaking, candle making and catering. This will go a long way in alleviating the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS in the communities in which LPK works. The support groups are also centres of information, where trainings/workshops are organised for the target group, including home-based care, stigma control and management of antiretroviral drugs.
LPK seeks to increase support to people living with HIV, in partnership with other organisations and friends of good will. The local fundraising capacity enhancement support by Change the Game Academy partner KCDF is an example of such a relationship which will further the achievement of the LPK overall goal.
Short description of the project or programme the funds were raised for
Living Positive Kenya has been running the Ngong day care school since 2007 and has impacted 800 children since then. The aim of starting a day care school by LPK was to protect the children's welfare by creating a child friendly space and provide early childhood education and food. The HIV/AIDS infected and affected mothers supported by LPK are the parents of most of the children attending the day care in the school. Children from the local Mathare slums community-Ngong, where the school is situated, are also beneficiaries. The unique aspect of this project is its dual approach: empowering the mothers of these children and providing their children with a safe place during the day where they are cared for, receive a meal and attend creative learning. In order to enhance the welfare of the children, there is need for building a permanent classroom to replace the temporary classrooms. The indirect impact of this project on the women in the programme is that they will be able to concentrate on their skills, knowing that the children are in a safe and healthy educational facility.
Objectives
1. To market the organisation's activities to the 7 local banks, 6 churches and 4 local supermarkets by January 15, 2017.
2. To raise KES 450.000 for the completion of the classroom by January 15, 2017.
3. To raise at least half of that amount through social media.
4. To reach over 1.000 people in the community with LPK's message about HIV/AIDS, how to protect oneself and positive living.
Targeted donors
Churches, banks and supermarkets, local community, local and international sponsors through Facebook and LPK website.
Results
| Cost/benefit |
National currency (Kshs |
Euro |
| Total amount raised |
380,000 |
3,374 |
| (-) Total amount invested |
10,000 |
89 |
| Net amount raised |
370,000 |
3,285 |
Accounting details
|
Activity
|
Cost
|
Income
|
|
Raffle
|
1.500
|
50.000
|
|
Cake sale
|
7.000
|
20.000
|
|
Social media appeal
|
…
|
310.000
|
|
Transport & miscellaneous
|
1.500
|
|
Result comments
By asking people from the community to buy raffle tickets the team managed to create more awareness about Living Positive Kenya and its mission.
During the cake selling period in different churches LPK recruited new members for the women support group and several new pupils for the day care.
After the social media appeal LPK managed to get more contacts and more page likes. Others promised to donate in the future.
Description of preparatory work
1. Identifying and analysing the churches, corporates and individuals to approach.
2. Looking for the lottery club that would fit LPK's preference.
3. Selecting suppliers of cakes and raffle tickets.
4. Preparing a pitch and the social media appeal.
5. Training the volunteers.
Description of implementation
1. The team prepared introduction letters for churches and corporates and conducted visits.
2. The team, after having made enquiries, organised a meeting with the lottery club so as to see whether they would fit LPK's preference and would be able to reach the targeted group.
3. Calling and visiting the cake production sites and confirming the prices.
4. The responsibilities were shared among the team members, Velicina and Naomi developed a concrete pitch, while Felicity and Laura of the Local Fundraising team came up with the email database for emailing, website and Facebook.
5. The team went to the community and talked to the members about LPK's vision towards raising funds for classroom construction and later on conducted a 3 day training for the volunteers.
Follow up: Donor appreciation and acknowledgement
Donors were approached through mails, letters and thank you cards.
Although the banks could not support the project, LPK is keeping in touch with them for future partnership.
Plans to repeat the action
LPK has made it their organisational culture to organise local fundraising activities.
