Meet Ashliegh, a dedicated volunteer who raised an amazing £3,000 for FoodCycle.
From hosting a bring-and-share lunch in her workplace, to a quiz night and an afternoon tea, Ashliegh got creative with ideas and brought her community together to support a cause close to her heart.
She is one of many incredible volunteers across the country who are stepping up to fundraise for FoodCycle. These efforts are vital to supporting our mission to tackle food insecurity, loneliness and food waste through nourishing community meals.
Whether you’re just getting started fundraising or looking to boost your efforts, read on for some tips to help you plan a successful fundraiser.
“It feels incredible. It’s the biggest sense of achievement I’ve had in a long time.”
Ashliegh was motivated to fundraise after coming along to a FoodCycle volunteer celebration day, as part of the team at FoodCycle Salford Angel. She said: “I absolutely loved the workshops. I felt really energised, really motivated, and inspired.”
TIP 1 – Set up a Just Giving page
Ashliegh’s first step was to set up a Just Giving fundraising page. She included a group photo of herself with fellow volunteers in their FoodCycle aprons, and a description about why she is so passionate about FoodCycle community meals:
“Foodcycle is an amazing charity that I am so proud to be a part of. We deliver a three course meal, for free, to our local community not just in Manchester but throughout the nation. We use surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, to create a nutritious and comforting feast for anyone and everyone who comes along. We love nothing more than a good chat and a cup of tea whether you’re feeling lonely and just want someone to talk to, or you don’t have a home at all and need a safe space, we are always there for everyone.”
You can set up your JustGiving page here.
TIP 2: Spread the word
Ashliegh says: “I sent the link to the JustGiving page out to, literally every single person I knew. By the end of the week, I’d already raised £250 which is just incredible, without even doing any activities. I think because I’m so passionate about FoodCycle, it’s hard for anyone who gets in a conversation with me about it to not feel the same way!”
“My tactic was to tell everybody I know about FoodCycle. I’ve gone on nights out and spoken to people, and they’ve donated. People have donated as gifts for my birthday, for Christmas, all sorts.”
TIP 3: Use social media
“We made a fundraising video and I posted that in lots of different local Facebook groups – one group I’m in has a thread all about volunteering, and I posted it in there,” says Ashliegh. “So lots of people saw it on social media – some people got in touch asking about volunteering too, so I told them how to sign up.”
TIP 3: Host an event
Ashliegh organised three events over the year:
A Christmas quiz – “We put it on as an extra event at the FoodCycle venue,” says Ashliegh. “We invited all the staff from the centre, the volunteers came, my family came, and it was open to the public too. We had lots of party food donated like biscuits and cakes. About 25 people come along and it raised about £100.”
Bring and Share lunch at work – “Everyone bought something to eat and we all shared it, and enjoyed eating and chatting – it was basically a big indoor picnic. I made posters to put up around my workplace to let people know about it, and put the QR code of the JustGiving page on it so people could easily donate.”
Afternoon Tea – “That was awesome,” says Ashliegh. “FoodCycle kindly sent an email round from me asking north west volunteers if anyone might be able to help. I was inundated with responses! About 30 volunteers offered to make something or help on the day, we had loads of gorgeous food. Some people donated china, and I bought some cute tablecloths and napkins, and bunting, so it all looked really bright and lovely.
We had about 40 people who came, a lot of people were just passing through on the day, as we went out on the street to invite them in to share some food. There was no pressure to donate, but people did, and we got some new volunteers too!”
TIP 4: Make it a team effort:
“The best thing I did was reaching out to other volunteers, says Ashliegh. “It was really exciting to see how many people wanted to get involved. It was a real team effort.
“It’s been incredible how many people have helped. One of our other cooking leaders raised £250. One of the volunteers sent the appeal to her work, and they donated £200.”
TIP 5: Celebrate your achievements
Throughout her challenge Ashliegh took photos and posted them on social media. After the afternoon tea she made a Facebook Reel of photos and even put together a TikTok video, to keep the momentum going.
On reaching her £3,000 target, Ashliegh said: “It feels incredible. It’s the biggest sense of achievement I’ve had in a long time.”
