The potential of lifestyle fundraising
Using your hobbies for good
When a rented building in Nigeria housing 51 children was in danger of being sold, leaving the children homeless, a GoFundMe campaign was set up to buy the building. The orphanage, which receives no government support and relies on local donors, needed to raise the equivalent of €125,000 – but the fundraising campaign floundered.
This was a problem that needed a creative solution. Lifestyle fundraising is on the rise, and more people are beginning to realise they don’t have to jump out of a plane or climb a mountain to support the causes they care about. To support the orphanage, UN speaker and founder of Africa Rising – Women in Innovation Jeanette Uddoh turned two of her hobbies – fashion and social media – to fundraising, launching a #ShopWithPurpose campaign, modelling clothes, sharing the photos online, and campaigning for people to buy. The campaign was a success, with 100% of the proceeds transferred to the orphanage.