What Happens when the Fundraising Stops? Joanna Huddart and Aashni Shah Seven years ago Manchester Mind embarked on a brave new journey, as we started fundraising for the first time. Due to the generous support of so many individuals, local businesses, community clubs, families and faith groups, donations sky rocketed year on year, reaching an annual total of £398,000 by March 2020. We were proud of our large database of inspired donors, with a full calendar of sponsored challenges, seasonal fundraising events, city-centre collections, major celebrations and charity partnerships. For the year ahead, we also wanted to focus on new areas of income generation, including major donors, individual giving and legacy gifts. Our fundraising team had expanded to three people, with high hopes that our aspirations would flourish. As news of the pandemic started to spread, we were forced to stop in our tracks. Charity fundraising came to a standstill, as the devastating impact hit our supporters. We were all facing anxieties and challenges never before anticipated, and Manchester Mind quickly adapted our services to be delivered remotely. Our immediate fundraising response was to let everyone know we were still here for them – regardless of decisions to postpone or entirely cancel fundraising plans. The shockwave then started to hit our fundraising team, first with remote home working and then with the difficult decision to place our two new Annual Review 2020-21
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