Lynne's Loveliest Coffee Morning

Last month, Lynne arranged the most epic coffee morning together with her daughter Sarah (who is one of our amazing volunteers) to raise funds for Juvenile Arthritis Research. 

Lynne planned ahead and let us know the resources she needed from us to help raise awareness of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. 

She also set up an online giving page to enable those who couldn't make it in person to her coffee morning to donate. 

Lynne wrote so eloquently on her Just Giving page saying: 

"I am thrilled to be fundraising for the Juvenile Arthritis Research cause through a coffee morning event. I will be hosting this charity appeal to raise funds and awareness for children like my granddaughter Chloe who are suffering from juvenile arthritis.

Juvenile arthritis is a condition that affects thousands of young lives, causing pain, inflammation, and limitations in mobility. These children deserve a chance at a pain-free childhood and a future filled with possibilities.

By supporting my fundraising efforts, you can make a real difference in the lives of these brave children. Your donation will go directly to the charity, ensuring that it reaches those who need it most. Together, we can provide vital resources for research, treatment, and support services.

I am truly grateful for any contribution you can make towards my target amount of £500. Every pound brings us closer to our goal and gives hope to those affected by juvenile arthritis.

Please join me in making a positive impact on the lives of these young people. Your generosity will not only change their lives but also inspire others to support this important cause.

Together, let's create a brighter future for children living with juvenile arthritis."

She used the bunting and other resources from our Fundraising pack to decorate her house ready for the coffee morning along with the most incredible cakes for her friends to enjoy. 

Lynne raised an absolutely phenomenal £1,034 in total from the proceeds of the coffee morning and Just Giving page along with the gift aid from donations (totally smashing her target!) We are incredibly grateful to Lynne and Sarah for their amazing effort. You can read about Lynne's granddaughter, Chloe, on our JIA stories page at  www.jarproject.org/stories/chloe

After the event Lynne told us:

"I’m delighted with the amount. Everyone was so interested in the charity and so generous. My daughter Sarah helped too. Chloe sent me a lovely Thank You card bless her."

There is so much we can learn from Lynne's fundraising coffee morning when planning a fundraising event. We'll share a few tips here but would love to hear other tips and ideas too: 

• Plan well in advance of your event to give yourself time to request any information and resources you need from Juvenile Arthritis Research. Requesting one of our Fundraising Packs is a great place to start. 

• If you are planning a larger event and need to borrow a collection bucket or banner from us, please email us to let us know the details and date of your event. As a small charity, we only have a limited number of these but our volunteers will do all they can to accomodate your request and ensure you receive the collection bucket and/or banner in time for your event. 

• Planning in advance will also give you plenty of time to let all your friends and family know about your event. It's really important to get the word out there to everyone who will want to support you. 

• Think about having an online donation page in addition to the fundraising you will do on the day. This allows people to donate and support your event even if they can't make it there in person on the day. 

• If you're able to send us any photos in advance (this can be of you rather than the event beforehand), we'd love to wish you good luck and give you a shout-out on social media. We also love to see photos of your event - just make sure you have permission from anyone appearing in the photos! You can email photos to kipo@jarproject.org and let us know if you're happy for us to share on our social media channels and elsewhere. 

• Think about whether the local press or radio stations would like to hear about what you are doing. If it's a community event that is open to everyone to attend, they may be able to help publicise it. If it is a sponsored challenge, they may be able to give you a shout-out on radio which also helps to raise awareness of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and the work of Juvenile Arthritis Research at the same time. 

• Ask for help. It can be easier and more fun to arrange a fundraising event if you have a team of friends involved. 

• Share your story! By explaining the reason why Juvenile Arthritis Research is a cause close to your heart, you'll be helping others to understand why their donations and support is so vital. If you have JIA yourself, you might wish to share a little about your story on your online giving page or on your own social media channels. If you are fundraising because you have a friend or family member with JIA, then with their permission, you can share about why it matters so much as Lynne explained about her granddaughter Chloe. 

• After the event, please send in the donations received as promptly as you can. You can find details of how to do this at https://www.jarproject.org/fundraising/getting-funds-to-us. It saves valuable volunteer time if you are able to be pro-active in getting the funds to us. Please also let us know once you've done this by emailing us so that we can make sure the funds are safely received and we can say thank you for your fundraising. 

• We're here to help every step of the way! If you need anything from us that will help you in your fundraising, please let us know and our volunteers will do their best to help. 

Remember that we can only do the research, awareness and support work that we do thanks to our amazing fundraisers. So a huge thank you to Lynne, Sarah and everyone who has ever fundraised to help make life better for children and young people with JIA. Thank you!