Virtual fundraising: Tips and tricks from RadioHud!

Through various virtual fundraising activities, the students at RadioHud raised £403 which is a record breaking sum in the history of the 24-hour broadcast! Now, the station manager, Jamie Downie, is sharing his experiences, tips and tricks to inspire others to fundraise online for Forget Me Not during these challenging times.

“One of the most memorable moments was when our Head of Charities, Aaron Chandler, volunteered himself to listen to Baby Shark for 1 hour straight on repeat.” Jamie said, reflecting on the 24-hour broadcast. “Every £1 donated while he was listening added an extra minute to his ‘torture’.”

Simple, effective and a good laugh, this idea of listening to a song (particularly a very annoying one!) on repeat is a great example of how we can get creative with virtual fundraising. Aaron used the RadioHud Facebook page to live-stream himself listening to the song and ultimately ended up raising a great amount of money with his efforts. “He expected to be in there for around 90 minutes,” Jamie said, “but it ended up being closer to 5 hours! While hilarious to watch, he singlehandedly raised £239 which is a fantastic amount for Forget Me Not.”

Live streaming opens up a ton of opportunities for virtual fundraising whilst staying at home or practising social distancing. Why not follow Aaron’s lead and do your own Baby Shark live-stream? Or maybe you could do a live dance-a-thon? Or a live cooking show? The possibilities are endless – but each one allows you to gain sponsorship and raise funds at a time when we need them more than ever.

Furthermore, if you love gaming, why not take Jamie’s next piece of advice and do a sponsored gaming marathon? “For all the gamers out there, live gaming is another great idea for virtual fundraising,” he said, “If you have the appropriate equipment, platforms like Twitch or UStream offer a great place to stream your game and raise funds at the same time.”

Consoles and handsets at the ready!

Finally, Jamie stressed the importance of social media for virtual fundraising and how we should be using it to maximise our efforts. “Many people will be using social media much more frequently during these lockdown periods, so you’ve got to make the most of it,” he said, “Get people to share your event on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, shout about your event wherever you can and make sure to post regularly to keep people engaged.”

We think this is some sound advice!

As the guys at RadioHud have proved, there are so many different ways to fundraise online – no matter what your interests or abilities. So don’t hesitate to press play on your livestream, pick up your Xbox controller or post to your social media channels –

even though we’re in lockdown, that doesn’t mean our fundraising has to be as well!

Get vocal, get active and get creative for Forget Me Not today – we couldn’t be more grateful for any funds you can raise during these difficult times.

If you’re planning your own virtual fundraiser and would like to get help or advice, please contact fundraising@forgetmenotchild.co.uk