How I raised R4,400 within 60 days!

Cailin Human | South Africa | Fundraising Trek

I didn’t know which was going to be harder: Raising money for some elephants in a desert in another country (amidst an economic recession), or hiking 120km in the Damara desert . . . Both turned out just fine, and I will most definitely be doing the same next year!

In order to raise funds I organized a fundraising event at a friend’s fancy house in Bantry Bay, Cape Town. People bought tickets to the event, which covered a delectable finger lunch and local wines.

To my surprise it wasn’t hard to find sponsors for the lucky draw at all. As soon as you start to tell your story and give people the details about the cause you are supporting, you will find that there are actually many people who want to contribute, if they are only given the opportunity!

I had special labels printed by Getwine for the wine bottles, and we had a big screen monitor up with EHRA picture slides in the background the whole afternoon. During my short presentation on EHRA and the details regarding the 2009 Fundraising Trek, we had the lucky draw. One lucky winner won a weekend for two at a cottage in Pringle Bay. And another one won four wine- and biltong tasting tickets at Stellenbosch Hills winery.

People who wanted to contribute R100 or more were entered into another lucky draw, and could win a weekend for two, B&B, at the Noordhoek Hotel in Noordhoek Village, Cape Town.

People who wanted to contribute R500 or more to the cause were entered into the big draw for a helicopter flight for FOUR with Base 4 Helicopters at the V&A Waterfont in Cape Town.

And, this is how I managed to raise R4 400 within 60 days!

The beauty is that, by doing all of the above, such awareness was created for EHRA and the desert elephants, that I was approached by Overhex Winery in De Doorns. They were specifically looking for a marketing project for their unique range of wines, namely BALANCE. The Balance logo and wine label is of a little elephant balancing on a small chair, and this is where our connection started. Thanks to Overhex: Balance I was able to raise another R10 000 for EHRA towards this year’s fundraising trek!"

If you would like to receive any additional information or if you have any questions, please contact Rachel@desertelephant.org