With their HQ in Leamington Spa, 1st Warwick Gates Brownies are one of more than 7,000 girlguiding units raising free funds with easyfundraising. To date, they have raised more than £330 thanks to supporters shopping online. We spoke to unit leader Trish to find out more about their Brownie unit and their fundraising efforts.
Tell us all about 1st Warwick Gates Brownies
Brownies are the Girlguiding division for 7-10 year olds. We meet on a weekly basis during term time and provide a safe space for the girls of all backgrounds to learn new skills & develop their confidence. Our mission is to enable them to reach their full potential in life. The group has been in existence for just over 7 years and we have 21 girls attending.
What does the unit need funding for?
Many families are struggling financially and we are proud to be able to keep our subscriptions low to ensure we are accessible to all families. We hire our local community centre who have had to increase our rent hugely following the pandemic and rising utility bills. We fundraise so that we can stay open here and give all of the children in our community access to guiding. Many children can no longer attend extra-curricular clubs due to finances and we are committed to ensuring we remain accessible to them.
Why did you join easyfundraising?
Easyfundraising helps us to prevent passing our increased running costs on to already struggling families, and avoids us having to ask them to donate to us directly out of their own pocket. It’s really easy to use and it doesn’t cost parents anything extra when they do their shopping. I cannot tell you how grateful we are – it’s already made a difference.
How has the money raised so far helped?
Families near us are struggling with the cost of living crisis. This puts a lot of pressure on young children. Easyfundraising donations have helped us cover our core costs without having to ask parents for more money. We make a huge difference to the lives of our young members, which is especially vital in the present climate.
What are you currently raising towards?
We continue to fight to stay open, so that we can continue to offer our young members the life-enhancing activities that the Girlguiding programme offers. Every penny we raise is being invested into the running costs and hopefully when we have some surplus we will invest in further trips and experiences for the girls.
How do you promote easyfundraising to parents/leaders?
We speak to all the Brownies’ parents/carers regularly via whatsapp messaging and use our social media pages to provide them with the link to our cause page, reminding them how to sign up and how we are doing so far. I’m always ensuring they know that it doesn’t cost anything extra to shop in this way, which helps us to sign people up. We have 14 active supporters so far.
What would be your top tip for causes on easyfundraising?
The most important thing when recruiting supporters is to be clear what you are raising towards and what a difference the funding will make. Our message is simple – we need to fundraise to be able to offer our guiding program for generations to come.
You can support 1st Warwick Brownies
Girlguiding presents so much opportunity for girls and plays such an important role in their social and personal development. But the cost of living crisis is a big issue for groups as they fight to stay open and offer the program. To help 1st Warwick Brownies raise funds with every online shop, sign up to support them here.
Are you a guiding or scout leader looking to raise funds for your unit or group? Register your cause here.
