Poppy's fundraising story: Keeping fit whilst raising money

Poppy set herself a huge physical challenge as part of her fundraising goal. Read on to learn all about her fundraising journey so far and the lessons she’s learnt.

Why I signed up…

I wanted to sign up for the expedition as it is an opportunity to help the local people in Kenya and to improve their quality of life. It’s a good experience for me and I will be able to use my experiences in interviews for future jobs and opportunities where I can talk about the work that I have done on expedition which will help me to stand out from other candidates. Furthermore, it would be a great chance to gain more confidence and make new friends.

Camps International helped me get started

Camps International were great at sharing some ideas to get us started on our fundraising journey and when we were at school, we had a meeting and we came up with plenty of ideas. This helped me to choose and pick out my own ideas that I knew I could achieve and that I would enjoy the most. By hearing other students’ stories, it made me feel like I could achieve my target of raising the whole amount. I felt excited to get started on my fundraising journey.

I wanted to set myself a challenge for my first fundraiser

My first idea was cycling virtually for a distance of 1,513km. I originally thought about doing a cycle of the distance from my home to Kenya but this was unrealistic and so I opted for a shorter distance that was still a challenge but more achievable. I got the idea from talking to friends and family and they thought it was a great challenge for me.

I already had access to an exercise bike at home, so I planned to cycle around 10K or more every day and I managed to work out the time it would take to complete the challenge. I set up a fundraising site on JustGiving which I shared on social media and with friends and family and so far, I have raised around $1700 from this. I am almost halfway and I am hoping to complete the challenge by the end of the year.

Some advice for others who are thinking of taking on a fitness challenge is that you need to be a determined and able to keep up the distances whilst doing your other fundraising activities. Keeping track of where I’m up to on the journey has kept me motivated – it definitely helps to visualise the journey.

Shopnate was a good earner

I heard about Shopnate at the Camps International meeting and in their helpful fundraising guides. It sounded really easy to use so I asked all my friends and family if they could use it when doing their online shopping. I sent the link to everyone and money has added up over a period of a few months. So far it has given me $300 towards my fundraising.

My top tip with Shopnate would be to use social media and make sure you keep up to date with how much you have raised. You should also thank everyone for using it and remind them that it is there every time they buy online.

Every little helped…

I also collected spare change from family members and friends. We had heard about this one through someone else and we thought it was a great idea. I got a jar and asked family and friends if they had any spare change to add! It all came to $88 in total. It’s always good to ask as many friends and family for their spare change. It’s easy to do and can add up quite quickly without anyone realising they have donated any money.

Make sure you have a plan and ask others for help

Cycling has been my most successful fundraiser and people have been very generous. It’s a massive challenge for me physically and mentally to complete but will stand me in good stead for the Kenya trip. It’s really surprised me how supportive people are to causes such as this and there are so many different ways to raise money. It all adds up fast!

If I were to offer some advice, it would be to make sure you have a plan and ask for help from others. Be determined and make sure people are aware of your cause. Make sure it’s easy for them to donate online via JustGiving or Shopnate. Most of all, enjoy the experience and make sure you do activities you enjoy! You have plenty of time so don’t panic but try to start as soon as possible.

We love hearing all your fundraising stories! If you’d like to share yours, send us an email to submissions@campsinternational.com and you could be featured in our next fundraising blog!