Start Fundraising

Fundraising for Global Volunteer Network: Suzanne’s Experience

We’re happy to announce a new feature on our blog where we’ll be interviewing successful fundraisers who will share their fundraising ideas, experience and more.   Our first interview is with Suzanne Finn. What makes her fundraiser extra special is that she’s the first fundraiser from Global Volunteer Network, our founding partner, to raise over 100% of […]

Oct 30, 2012 Financial assistance

We’re happy to announce a new feature on our blog where we’ll be interviewing successful fundraisers who will share their fundraising ideas, experience and more.

 

Our first interview is with Suzanne Finn. What makes her fundraiser extra special is that she’s the first fundraiser from Global Volunteer Network, our founding partner, to raise over 100% of her fundraising target.

 

She was kind enough to share her thoughts about the volunteering program and how to raise the money you need in this interview:

 

— Start of interview

 

Hi Suzanne, thanks for participating in the first interview of this kind! Please tell us a bit about yourself.

 

My name is Suzanne Finn and I’m an organizing specialist for an international labor union in Washington DC. I have an amazing 4 year-old daughter Rory and a very supportive husband Bobby. Bob the Cat also lives with us. I try to spend one week per year volunteering. My current volunteer efforts include working on the campaign to re-elect President Obama.

 

Since hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, I’ve traveled to New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana to fix houses, work with an all-female roofing crew, work in a free medical clinic and handle food distribution. This year, I’ll be participating in my first international volunteer effort in Uganda.

 

Tell us what attracted you to the Global Volunteer Network (GVN) and the program you’ve chosen?

GVN is an amazing organization that places people who want to volunteer throughout the world – Africa, Costa Rica, Nepal, Peru, and Vietnam.  While the organization is based in New Zealand, it was a seamless process for me to sign up.  There are so many projects to choose from!  I picked the ten-day Uganda Tour because it offered a little bit of everything.

 

We will be spending time with the people of Uganda while we help a local construction crew finish a much needed medical clinic for the Hope for Africa Children’s Village that was started by a team of construction workers and volunteers earlier in the year.  The tour ends with a three-day safari to Murchison Falls National Park.

 

One aspect of the Uganda Tour was that the volunteers were asked to raise funds for the building project.  Fundraising is easy for some, and not so easy for others. I have never had to do it before, but was convinced I could raise $1,000 for the build.  The fundraising allowed my friends and family to be able to participate in the building project. It’s great that while they can’t be in Uganda, they can still financially support the project!

 

What tips do you have for future GVN fundraisers?

 

Once my funding page went “live” – I emailed my friends, family and co-workers and posted the site link on Facebook. My husband sent out an email too!  People were amazingly generous and I reached my goal in less than two weeks!  I suggest that anyone raising money should use any means of communication necessary – email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Send the link out to everyone and have him or her send it out to his or her friends.

 

The more people that know you are trying to raise money for a good cause, the better!  While I was willing to take cash donations, everyone used the GoGetFunding page.

 

Can you tell us a bit about your fundraising experience?

 

Fundraising with GoGetFunding was really easy.  The step-by-step process to get your page set-up couldn’t be simpler.  All you need to do is decide how much you want/need to raise, write up your story and add a few pictures.  The money is collected via PayPal, and the person donating doesn’t even need a PayPal account.

A fun thing that occurred is that I got an email from GoGetFunding and PayPal every time someone sent a donation or message and I got excited every time I got closer to reaching my goal!

 

Even after I reached my goal, people continued to donate, which is a great option you can set up on your GoGetFunding page and great for GVN! Now, all I have to do is wait for November 29th to begin my adventure to Uganda!

 

GoGetFunding makes fundraising easy.  Global Volunteer Network makes international volunteering easy.  What an awesome partnership!!

 

— End of interview

 

Suzanne, thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing your experience. We wish you the best in your amazing ongoing volunteering efforts.

 

If you’re thinking of volunteering abroad, we highly recommend you check out the various programs offered by GVN. If you need to fundraise for the costs of travel, go ahead and start a fundraiser with us in minutes. We’ve hosted many volunteer fundraising campaigns and you might be surprised at just how many family and friends are willing to donate when you’re doing something special like volunteering abroad.

 

If you’ve successfully raised money on our site and would like to participate in a written interview like this, we welcome you to get in touch.

 

Visit GoGetFunding & Start Your Own Campaign >
Сomments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have an account? Login

Recent posts

Mar 11, 2024 Crowdfunding
You Can Now Fundraise With Bitcoin on GoGetFunding!

Embrace the Future of Personal Fundraising: Introducing Bitcoin on...

Read more
Crowdfund Your Wedding – A Guide to Fundraising for Your Big Day

Crowdfunding a wedding is becoming an increasingly popular way for couples to...

Read more
Sep 27, 2022 Crowdfunding
GoGetFunding vs GoFundMe vs Fundly – What’s Best for You?

Want to know which crowdfunding platform is best for you? We compare...

Read more

Join Our Email List & GoGetFunding Community

Discover the GoGetFunding story, get crowdfunding tips and see the latest inspirational fundraising campaigns.