Inspired thinking with the amazing Home-Start…
For anyone who hasn’t heard of Home-Start, the charity works with a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through their challenging times. They are there for parents “because childhood can’t wait”.
I was drawn to working with Home-Start (Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre) because I absolutely love what they stand for – they’re giving parents who are struggling to cope the support and routine that is vital for their children’s future, right from the crucial early years. Obviously having a four-year-old myself makes the experience and challenges of parenting well, and the responsibility for nurturing a new generation, very relevant and real.
For the not-for-profit sector, as with any commercial business, building a business that is sustainable and future-ready, with the right mindset, values and behaviours, is essential.
So, we opened up conversations and agreed that the time was right, taking a strategic long-term approach to fundraising, to recruit a Fundraiser to help with this, as well as supporting ad hoc fundraising events.
Our Community Fundraiser was recruited for her skills, and was a great ‘fit’ with the charity, and the benefits of this are strikingly clear just a month into the job, with around £3k being raised. This is an outstanding achievement, a huge credit to the drive, passion and enthusiasm of new Community Fundraiser and is also testament to the respect for the work the charity is achieving in the community and amongst young families.
Despite John Lewis choosing Home-Start as one of its Christmas charities this year, one thing that has struck me about this group is that they are so quietly going about the fantastic work they do and they don’t shout loud enough at all about the incredible difference they are making.
Why not check out Home-Start and find out more about what they do and the support they need?
We’re also just coming to the end of our Christmas count-down fundraiser, with just a little more to raise to reach our £1k target, so, if you can, please take a look and donate whatever you can… Thank you!