Working for Aberlour Children’s Charity presents some real challenges to a fundraiser at the best of times. There is a great deal of judgment, misunderstanding and often ignorance as to why families find themselves in the situations they do, and why they need our support. That makes raising money to help them and their children challenging. 

Poverty lies at the heart of much of the family crisis we are seeing. It creates untold emotional stress for parents when they are facing job loss, refused or delayed benefits, mounting debt, lack of access to transport for shopping, lack of food for their children – the list goes on. This pandemic is far from a leveler. We are not all in this together. My annoyance at not being able get my preferred tonic brand for a G&T is not the same as needing to take my kids to a neighbour for a bath because my gas has been cut off. 

We knew that Coronavirus restrictions would have a direct and devastating impact on the most vulnerable children and families. We’ve been helping families via our Urgent Assistance Fund for five years already, giving small, cash grants to families (with children under 21) to help with the very basics. We figured that if we put an appeal together, we could boost funds available and support the hundreds of families we knew would be facing the most desperate times.  

The main challenge was the need for speed. 

Within a day, and in-house, we created and launched our Coronavirus Urgent Assistance Fund Appeal, ensuring the whole organisation was focussed around one strong, simple, urgent ask that went out to all our warm contacts.   

We launched on 16 March, some time ahead of other charities, and that stood us in good stead.

Every team member was mobilised with clear goals in the tightest of timescales. We found skill and expertise within the team to design and create all digital, online and social media collateral. There was no time for agencies. Likewise, we designed and created our own DM campaign and brought forward the release of our spring newsletter, combining the two in one mailing. Some of our early stewardship had different team members hand writing Post it notes to stick on thank you letters – logistics of getting them to one team member’s house to post was almost farcical – but we did it. 

Most importantly we put out strong and swift communications to partner organisations, other children’s charities and key stakeholders that meant that families with children in urgent need were aware of how we could help. And not just families that Aberlour was already working with, we wanted to help any families, anywhere in Scotland, that needed us. And we have done just that.

At time of writing and in just six weeks we have raised £346,288. Plus 19 new Direct Debit donors. A wonderful achievement by a phenomenal, flexible and dedicated team of fundraisers. 

More importantly however, we have already granted over £130,000 to over 450 families with over 1,000 children between them. Applications from families to our fund have increase by 1,137% with no sign of slowing.

We are now focused on maintaining our momentum and planning on how we flex our services, and our ask, to answer the needs of families and children in their own communities once we emerge on the other side of this extraordinary time. Watch this space! 

Pippa Johnston, Director of Marketing and Fundraising

Aberlour Children’s Charity