From the 22nd to the 29th of April, Coetir Anian took part in the Green Match Fund campaign, a fundraising event run by the Big Give trust. Match funding campaigns are fundraising efforts where donations from the public are matched by sponsors, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution. The sponsors are wealthy individuals, foundations, philanthropists, trusts, statutory bodies, companies and others. This incentivises giving by making donors feel their money goes further. These are valuable opportunities for charities, and also present a chance to increase reach, as a high output of social media and other communications content is needed to ensure fundraising goals are reached.
This year, we were given a goal of £3500 for our campaign, meaning that donations up to £1750 would be matched with an equal amount. Thankfully, we reached this target with two days to go, and even received £251 in donations beyond the target. In truth, we would have liked a bigger target, as we felt we were able to raise more than this. But the target for each charity is decided by the Big Give trust, based on the match funds available and the priorities of the sponsors. Unfortunately, funding in the charity sector is in very high demand at the moment, and so there’s less money to go around.
But £3751 is certainly not to be sniffed at, and is a significant, valuable and very much appreciated support to our work. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of everyone who donated, and thankful to everyone who shared or interacted with our social media posts during the week, bringing our campaign to the attention of potential supporters who wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.
So, mawr ddiolch – a big thank you from us, and from some of the people we work with (and from a familiar face on a faraway island!)…