EXPERIENCE DAYS CHARITY WRAP UP 2023
It's that time of year again!
At Experience Days, our charity scheme is entrenched in our DNA. Because whilst we are passionate about uniting people with life changing experiences and offering a more meaningful way to gift, we must remember those less fortunate than ourselves. With the cost of living crisis making this Christmas tougher even than before for so many, our commitment to supporting our community remains as steadfast as ever!
So with Christmas over, and as we look ahead to what 2024 might bring, it's important to reflect on the year we leave behind, celebrating the positive impact Experience Days has had this year, and the wonderful causes we've had the privilege of supporting!
As has become a tradition of the last few years, we've reached out to a number of the charities whom we worked with in 2023 for a little catch up. We were keen to hear how their fundraising events had gone since we last got the chance to speak, the impact our donation made and of course, most importantly, how much money the events raised for their cause.
The charities below were kind enough to give up their valuable time to talk to us about how 2023 has been for them, and we hope you enjoy!
South Liverpool Sea Cadets
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
The Winter Ball was a wonderful event! We had 80 people attend and it was an incredible night full of laughter, lots of food and hours of dancing! The live music from RedHouse helped to keep everybody in high spirits throughout and it was an enormous fundraising success.
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Experience Days' donation was a fantastic addition to the charity raffle, which proved very popular on the night. It was one of a generous list of prizes and all of the winners were absolutely delighted with their prizes - we could not be more grateful to the companies such as yourselves who donated prizes.
How much money did your event raise?
A whopping £1,128!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
It is absolutely huge for us. We receive absolutely zero external funding so events like these really have the ability to make or break us as a charity. For all of our cadets, this money will help contribute to our ability to provide them with the highest quality parade nights and training, as well as the general upkeep of our equipment and facilities.
Erskine Veterans Charity
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
In October we held a Golf Day & Dinner as a fundraiser! This prestigious event in the Erskine calendar took place at the Royal Troon Golf Club, home of the 152nd Open Championship. The event included rounds of golf in teams of 4, a pre-dinner drinks reception, 3 course meal followed by prize giving and the charity raffle!
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
An event of this standing needed prizes of matching grandeur - and Experience Days delivered with a generous voucher donation! We are extremely grateful for the donation and its the generosity of people like you that make events like this possible - thank you.
How much money did your event raise?
An absolutely staggering £43,000 was raised across the entire event!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
Erskine's commitment to caring for over 1,000 Veterans and their families each year is unwavering. To meet this mission, we must raise well over £10 million annually. Moreover, we continually assess the evolving needs of the ex-Service community in Scotland, adapting our services accordingly. This event was a huge contributor in making these aims a reality.
WestSpring IT on behalf of Penny Brohn
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
We chose to host an online raffle in aid of Penny Brohn. We operate many charity events throughout the year and this provided a nice and easy opportunity for people to get involved remotely. The raffle was a huge success and we received a lot of prize donations, from both local and national donors!
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Experience Days' voucher donation was huge for our event! It was undeniably one of the most sought-after prizes, increasing participation in the raffle and ultimately more money for this fantastic cause!
How much money did your event raise?
An impressive £603!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
Every penny (pun intended!) from the raffle went to our "charity of the year" Penny Brohn. This fantastic empowers people living with cancer to live the most fulfilling lives they can, and look after their mental wellbeing whilst receiving physical treatment. We are proud to have supported them across numerous events this year!
People Matters Leeds
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
Our event took place on December 7th, and this doubled up as both our AGM and our Christmas Party, bringing people together for one big celebration and ensure maximum attendance to discuss the upcoming year.
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
We wanted to make our raffle bigger than any raffle we have done in the past, and we succeeded in this thanks to the wonderful prizes that were on offer, including Experience Days' £50 voucher donation.
How much money did your event raise?
The raffle raised over £1300, which we were absolutely delighted with!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
As it is well documented, funding for charities are getting squeezed each year and the costs to run our services are getting more expensive so being able to put on events like this to raise unrestricted funding is a key part of ensuring the organisation remains variable and continues to do the important work it does! You cannot underestimate how significant this event was for us.
Ashford & Tenterden Umbrella
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
We held a Christmas lunch where our service users were able to come for a three course Christmas meal. Much fun was had by all! We also drew names for our first ever Christmas raffle. We had many excited winners!
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Your donation was one of our top prizes and many people were hoping they would win it!
How much money did your event raise?
We raised £607 in total from the raffle!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
The money we have raised is a huge help. In addition what we already offer our service users, we are hoping to offer several more activities throughout the year to help improve mental health.
Nasen
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
Held at the Grand Hotel Birmingham on Friday (6th October 2023), our seventh, annual Awards evening saw 16 schools, individuals and organisations recognised for their outstanding work to ensure that children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and learning differences to reach their full potential. Our nominees and a plus 1 were invited to the ceremony free of charge and treated to a three course meal to thank them for their service in the sector.
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Your generous donation was put into a raffle on the evening where guests could buy a ticket for the chance to win! Your generous donation gave us the ability to put on a raffle at the event which helped us to gain some money back for our charity on the evening.
How much money did your event raise?
The raffle raised £350
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
The proceeds from the raffle will be put straight back into nasen’s mission to enhance resources and services, ensuring that classrooms are designed to be accessible and inclusive. Your support is making a meaningful impact on our mission!
Ailsa's Aim
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
Ailsa's Aim ran a Charity Christmas Raffle and the £50 Experience Days voucher was one of the prizes included in the Raffle.
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Your donation was included as a Raffle prize in our Charity Christmas Raffle, which we run each year to boost funds available to support provision of Christmas gifts to patients in hospital over the Christmas period.
How much money did your event raise?
We managed to sell 200 tickets to our Raffle, and the voucher (combined with other prizes in our Raffle) contributed towards us raising £400!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
£400 has helped us to provide 80 wrapped gifts to patients who have spent Christmas in hospital over the Christmas period 2023. Your help has made a big difference to us being able to support our beneficiaries, some of the most vulnerable in society, who either have a diagnosis of Cancer or who have babies in Neonatal care units across the UK.
Unmask Cancer
Can you tell us about your most recent event?
On the day, we had around 150+ people attend and had yet another magical night raising money for charity. We had an incredibly crafted ‘Narnia Inspired’ wardrobe as our entrance piece which really set the tone for such a magical ‘Winter Wonderland’ evening. We had a lovely 3-course meal provided by Surrey National Golf Club and a beautiful performance from our entertainment for the night 'Bellas SoundRealm' who sang some beautiful music. We were led onto a very special speech by our founder – her first EVER speech at an event – as well as an additional speech from our founder’s niece and her partner who then surprised us with a proposal!
How did Experience Days' donation contribute to this event?
Your prize donation had many eyes looking upon it, and the winner was very happy with their win!
How much money did your event raise?
We are absolutely over the moon to say that after covering the last few expenses the total profit made from the winter wonderland ball is £5505.76!
What impact has this money had on your organisation?
Our aims include creating Chemotherapy Kits, help with travel expenses counselling and long-term mental health effects of treatment, funding towards support bras or single/double prosthetic breasts after surgery, Wigs/real Wigs for patients and plan local meetups. All money raised helps massively towards these goals!
That's a wrap!
Thank you for reading our 2023 Charity Wrap Up! It's an absolute privilege to be able to introduce you to a handful of the charities that we had the honour of supporting last year.
In total we donated to 212 causes this year, an admirable number, but here's to beating that in 2024!
