Three fundraising legacies that are certain to inspire

The story of Great Ormond Street and Peter Pan

JM Barrie will always be remembered for the magic that was Peter Pan – a fiction of childhood fancy inspired by his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family and their boys, George, Jack, Peter, Michael and Nico. A long-time supporter of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, in 1929 he was asked to help buy the land they needed to build a new wing at the hospital. It might surprise you to hear that he said no. But that wasn’t the end of it. Never one to think inside the box, Barrie returned with a counter-proposal. He wanted to donate the royalties of his beloved Peter Pan to the hospital. That was almost 100 years ago. For those of you that are up on your copyright law, you might also know that UK protection only lasts 70 years after the author’s death. This isn’t the case with Peter Pan, with an amendment to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act of 1988, giving Great Ormond Street Hospital the unique right to royalties ‘in perpetuity’. Or in other words, JM Barrie’s legacy gift is one that will last forever.

A lesson to remember: There is more than one way to give. Open yourself up to new ideas and innovations, and don’t be afraid to engage your donors in the process. Fundraising is a conversation. You never know what ideas might come your way!

As we say goodbye to Pan’s Neverland, we invite you to…

Enjoy a cup of coffee and slice of cake with Macmillan

Who doesn’t love a cup of coffee? Especially when it’s accompanied by a very weighty slice of cake. It’s a simple recipe, but it inspired one of the UK’s most well-known fundraising events. The Macmillan coffee morning. This story has a humble beginning. In 1990, a local fundraising committee decided to hold a coffee morning and donate the cost of each cup sold to Macmillan. The idea inspired, and the following year it went national, with 2,600 people taking part from all over the country. In 2014, the event raised a whopping £25 million, with its cumulative total now coming in at over £290 million. Of course, the format has grown too. With this year’s event set for September 24^th the Macmillan coffee morning is no longer a home-grown affair. It’s the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. With its own brand, microsite, social media handles, fundraising tools and toolkits, this is one event that has kept up with the times. There’s even a line of themed products to help give your event a bit of extra sparkle (think aprons, bunting and mugs). Add corporate partnerships with M&S, Betty Croker, and Nescafe, a dash of celebrity participation, and you’ve baked a PR dream.

But as you browse the poster downloads, school assembly resources, make-your-own bunting and workplace raffle kits, it is clear to see that the event hasn’t lost its heart. Loved by supporters, coffee drinkers and cake eaters alike, this is fundraising at its best.

A lesson to remember: Fundraising isn’t all about bagging major gifts. Every pound counts. Supporting community fundraisers and stewarding local fundraising events is a great way to spread the word, bring in new donors, engage existing ones, and encourage people to get to know your organisation.  

And finally, if you’ve still got room why not…

Go shopping and help change the world

No one knows exactly where the idea for the first charity shop came from, but if Wikipedia has got it right, one of the earliest known stores dates all the way back to 1899 (with the Wolverhampton Society for the Blind). It wasn’t until the Second World War, however, that the idea really took off, with the Red Cross opening its first official charity shop in 1941. The next few years saw more than 350 temporary and permanent stores open up. There were just two conditions. First, that all goods offered for sale were gifts, and secondly, that proceeds were donated either to the Duke of Gloucester’s Red Cross, or the St John Fund. It really was the start of something beautiful, and today that concept lives on. Not only are charity shops a great way of making money, they also have a huge social value and environmental impact. Today, there are more than 11,200 shops up and down the country, raising millions of pounds for great causes. Of course, we’ve missed them during COVID-19, but as the lockdown measures ease and charity shops open their doors once more, supply and demand is surging. In fact, a recent survey conducted by the British Heart Foundation shows 29% of UK adults to believe that charity shops will be more important to society in the aftermath of the pandemic – providing volunteering and job opportunities, a place to buy quality items at low prices, and a vital source of funding at a time when service demand is particularly high.

A lesson to remember: Echoing the words of IWITOT’s Jennifer Ruthe, charity shops reinforce the fact that fundraising is about more than just asking for money. It is about inspiring gifts of every kind, from time to goods, to transactions and donations. 

So there you have it. Three different stories. Three different charity fundraising ideas – each with its own unique legacy. As fundraisers, it is so easy to get swept up in the here and now that we forget about tomorrow. As tempting as it is to only focus on short-term targets, it’s important to keep sight of the bigger picture. And that’s our final take away. Each of these ideas has grown over time. They have built momentum and lifetime value. So when you’re trying to save the day, remember to put some time aside to think about tomorrow. It isn’t always about finding the next silver bullet. It is about polishing the ones you already have and making sure they have time to shine.