Fundraising for Marie Curie
 

Based on our strengths and weakness as a team, we adopted the Scrum technique under the Agile methodology to help us manage our project and organize ourselves given the large scope of our fundraiser (Wideman, 2006). As we were a relatively small team of seven people, we decided to implement a scrum master for each phase of the project to help guide the rest of the team, remove obstacles, and review individual parts. In addition to this, we met regularly as a team to set many small internal deadlines and to check on progress before moving forward to the next tasks (Pries & Quigley, 2010).

 

That said, unknown factors can always arise, especially in more complex projects. As such, adopting an Adaptive Project Framework (APF) helped us be better prepared and minimize setbacks. Overall, our planning and adaptability during the project allowed the team to work smoothly despite obstacles (Wysocki, 2014). 

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For a successful and smooth delivery, we crafted a detailed retroplanning for the overall project as well as a plan for running each event where we divided responsibilities and delegated roles to each team member, splitting into sub-teams (see Other Evidence – Team Roles) and creating a list of key dates and internal deadlines. The main teams were: 

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Marketing & Donations Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sponsor Outreach Team (Raffle & Bake Sale)

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Open Mic Night Team  

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That said, we all supported each other, and our scrum master made sure to be updated on all internal deadlines and potential obstacles. Team discussions and regular meetings (in addition to sub-team meetings) allowed us to efficiently come up with the solutions to any problems encountered. 

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One challenge we faced during the project was when a team member in charge of the raffle platform set up faced some technical difficulties which hindered their ability to complete their task. Clear communication and information transparency allowed another team member to seamlessly take up the responsibility with minimal added time or pressure.

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Another large obstacle we faced during the planning phase of the project was when one team member got COVID and so had to isolate. However, since we had an adaptive scrum framework, we were still able to manage the distribution of work and the team was able to shift to working remotely with minimal setbacks. 

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Throughout our project we tried to minimize expenses through acquiring items from alternate sources. For example, for the Raffle contest and Bake Sale, we personally visited approximately 15 local stores and sent out around 30 emails to try to find businesses that would be willing to donate prizes, food, or other resources to our events. As such, in order to be more efficient, we created an email template for this purpose. 

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In addition to this, we sourced many of the materials we needed for the Bake Sale (for example, serving equipment, music speakers, tables) from the team and our personal contacts. For example, one team member was able to source tables from her part-time work at a nearby restaurant. We also used any leftover food from the Bake Sale for one of the in-person selling days for the Raffle contest so as not to waste any products while also still having it contribute to our fundraising efforts. 

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Moreover, one of the reasons we chose The Canon as our venue for the Open Mic Night was because they agreed to let us use the venue for free (and in turn, we would provide them with additional business through our event participants). 

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Finally, instead of buying decorations, we contacted our client to see if we could organize any decorations and goodies for us to use in our events.

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Overall, we were able to stay under our allocated budget despite holding three different events (plus an online donation page), with our largest expense being the pitch booking permit for the Bake Sale at £75. That said, in hindsight we did have one unnecessary expense which was the entry stamps for the Open Mic Night (£2); while it created a sense of novelty for participants, was not particularly essential. Other expenses were for items that we could not source otherwise, such as a specific cable for the Open Mic Night and those we calculated to have a high return on investment such as the donuts for the in-person raffle ticket selling. In total, our expenses came up to £114.64, 8.3% of our total funds raised. 

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Regarding time management, splitting the team into subgroups with one main overseer/coordinator helped minimise wasted time and communication to only what was essential, thereby streamlining the way in which we worked and facilitating efficiency. 

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Health & Safety

To minimise the risk of COVID-19, as a team we made sure to test before events and to adhere to government guidelines regarding isolation. Moreover, we notified performers for the Open Mic Night to not attend if they experienced any Covid symptoms the day before.

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Additionally, one team member had sanitiser and band-aids on hand for both physical events, and we also were in contact with the staff at The Canon for assistance in case of any accidents during the Open Mic Night. We also made sure all attendees were 18 years or older for this event as alcohol was served at the venue, however, in case of over-consumption or misbehaviour, The Canon provided us with a bouncer for the evening.

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Finally, during the Bake Sale, we made sure surfaces were clean and food handlers frequently used hand sanitiser, gloves, and food tongs to prevent food contamination. We also asked our food donors to provide us with allergen information which we displayed next to each product and made sure not to mix different food items or serving equipment. 

 

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Weather 

When setting a date for the Bake Sale, we checked weather forecasts to minimise the risk of rain or other extreme weather. Additionally, we rented and set up a gazebo as a contingency in case of bad weather (rain or excessive sun), to shield the food as well as the team as we would be outdoors for four hours. 

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Resource Planning 

To ensure we had sufficient food donations for the Bake Sale and performers for the Open Mic Night, we created registration forms for each which we shared so that we could have a more accurate count. Regarding the latter, this was also used to increase the sense of commitment from performers to reduce the chance of them backing out.

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Regarding our internal team staffing, we contacted some people from our personal network to standby as backup volunteers in case one of us could not attend due to an unforeseen circumstance or if we needed additional help at any of our events. 

 

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Technical Difficulties 

During the Open Mic Night, we had backup batteries and other essentials in case we encountered technical problems. Additionally, we also were in contact with staff from The Canon who were present nearby in case we needed their help.

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In anticipation of any difficulties with the card reader, in all our events we kept a QR code of our JustGiving page on hand as a backup method for receiving payments.