Choosing the cause together
The challenge is run by small charities, working with local communities. Choose the cause together, so that everyone feels it is theirs.
Put these questions to any charity you are considering.
- Does it work directly with displaced people?
- Is it a registered charity, with a number donors can check?
- Does the community know it and trust it?
- Can it say honestly what donations achieve?
- Does it treat the people it serves with dignity?
Finding the anchor women
Charities and communities work together to find the mother at the heart of each team. Think of the women people already turn to. Ask at local mosques, schools, community centres and volunteer groups.
Look for a woman who is respected and well known, and whose faith is strong. She does not need to be fit or adventurous. The challenge works best when it is clearly outside her comfort zone.
Talk to her first, and give her time. She will be asking her family to join her, so she needs to feel sure.
Setting a target
Agree one overall target for the four teams, and a share for each. Choose a figure that stretches people but stays honest. Do not set it so high that it becomes a worry.
Building the giving page
One clear page makes giving easy. Make sure it includes the following.
- The charity’s name and registered number
- What the challenge is, in two sentences
- What the money will do
- A Gift Aid option for UK taxpayers
- Photos only where the family has agreed
Check the platform’s fees before you choose it. Make sure the page works well on a phone and with a screen reader.
Asking with honesty
Because the mothers are so well known, friends and neighbours will want to support them. In every message, they can say plainly that the challenge is outside their comfort zone and their usual way of life.
Be careful never to claim the day equals the suffering of refugees. It does not. Say what the money will do, and no more. Thank every donor quickly, and tell them the final total. Follow the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice throughout.
A template letter
Adapt this letter for each mother to send. Change the details so it sounds like her.
Dear [name],
On [date], I will take part in What we carry, a family challenge in solidarity with people who have been displaced not by choice.
My son, my daughter-in-law, her mother and I will tackle a muddy assault course in our everyday clothes. We will carry a heavy suitcase, a backpack and a baby doll, and we will face every obstacle together.
I am not an athlete, and this is well outside my comfort zone. That is why I want to do it. A few hours of discomfort is nothing beside what displaced families live through.
We are raising money for [charity name] (registered charity number [number]), which [one sentence about what it does].
You can sponsor us here: [link]
Thank you for your kindness. Whatever you can give, and even a dua (a personal prayer) for us on the day, means a great deal.
[Name]