Our first fundraising Activity for Akhuwat Foundation at I-10 Markaz
Last week our Amal Academy group went out to fundraise for Akhuwat foundation. We went into different locations around Islamabad. We went to I-10 Markaz with Sofia, Fasia and I. We raised around 1000Rs. Although this wasn’t much, we learnt a lot.
How we convinced people to donate?
We hadn’t asked anyone for donations previously and we were going into a large market. We were all very nervous and didn’t have any experience.
We had planned ahead and would tell people who we were, what we were doing and why we were doing it. We would not pressure anyone.
We approached our first person and he was a young man. Fasia told him everything and once he understood he donated. We felt more confident after getting a ‘yes’ and moved on to approaching shops.
We went as a group of three so we looked like real students with a genuine cause. However, we talked to individuals. We split the roles and everyone did their best.
It felt more personal when we talked to individuals. We talked to a fruit seller who was a Pathan. I explained everything to him in Pashto and he donated. I also did this with the man in the shop and he also helped us. As I was speaking to him in his language he trusted us quickly.
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We noticed there were a lot of women in the market. We decided to have a girl approach them.
Challenges that we faced
We were all very nervous and didn’t have any experience. We planned what we would say and supported each other.
There was a small argument about the banner. We had printed a banner however one of us suggested a small box. I said that having a larger poster would be easier to read and make people trust us. We discussed it and decided to use the banner.
Many people wouldn’t donate. Most people wouldn’t help us. We weren’t pressuring them so it was quite disappointing at first but we realised everyone has their own situation.
How did this help you become more resilient?
I used to think if someone said no then we must be doing something wrong. However now I realise there are many reasons why people might say no and that is okay. I learnt to be polite and move onto the next person.
I also learnt how important teamwork is. We were only three people but we all worked well together.
The most important thing I learnt is not to hate or judge people if they don’t donate. Try to understand everyone’s situations.
Another thing i learned is that how team work can make thing easy and thats where we applied the learning from the week amal academy sessions about problem solving, strategies and team work.
