the power of community:
volunteer fundraisers
DECEMBER 6, 2022
WHAT IS VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISING?
Volunteers are both the hands and hearts of our organization. We are immensely grateful to the passionate and generous individuals who donate their time and energy to support disaster-affected communities across the world. Our volunteers are some of our biggest advocates and are uniquely positioned to share the impactful work happening on our programs with their networks.
By inspiring and encouraging volunteers to share their efforts and stories with friends and family back home, we can tap into their generosity and desire to make an even greater impact. Peer-to-peer fundraising, or volunteer fundraising, is key in the acquisition of vital resources for our work and also acts as a form of advocacy that gives first-hand, detailed accounts of the reality of life on program.
Each year, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) launches a campaign right before #GivingTuesday (a movement that inspires generosity and promotes giving together as a global community) and runs until the end of year. It’s the largest giving campaign of the year and is crucial for us to continue our work in the coming year! The theme of 2022’s campaign is Start Here. It’s based on the belief that big change begins with a single step — one volunteer, one donation, one helping hand.
On every program, a staff member supports our volunteers through their fundraising and advocacy efforts. Niall, our excellent Volunteer Engagement and Relations Coordinator for All Hands and Hearts’ Bahamas Hurricane Relief program, shares his experience and why fundraising is so important.
NIALL’S STORY
Hello! My name is Niall Beesley-Evans and I am working for All Hands and Hearts in Abaco, The Bahamas. My role here is the Volunteer Engagement and Relations Coordinator, which means I have been responsible for facilitating the fantastic fundraising efforts on this program and it’s been an honor to do so. I came to this position fresh out of university and had volunteered with AHAH just before I started my course. So essentially, I had been waiting three years to get back involved with the organization!
THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE DORIAN RELIEF
Hurricane Dorian made landfall in The Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, causing around $3.4 billion in damages, which is equal to one-quarter of the country’s GDP. It is the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the island and is also regarded as the worst disaster in The Bahamas’ recorded history.
Since September, 2019, All Hands and Hearts has been working towards the recovery of Marsh Harbour, Abaco and its surrounding communities through supporting homeowners with crucial interior, exterior and roof repairs and rebuilds as well as reconstructing four schools.
In September, 2022 AHAH returned to The Bahamas to begin a fourth program. This program is focused on repairing the interior of nine homes and constructing and installing hurricane shutters for a further 33 homes. The aim of our interior critical repairs project is to complete the essential repairs to enable families to move back into healthy (mold-free), secure and functional homes. Our hurricane shutters project aims to prevent a hurricane’s non-structural exterior damage and complete home destruction.
I have been overwhelmed by the efforts of volunteers here in Marsh Harbour, the generosity of their networks and the power of ethical storytelling. The funds raised through volunteer fundraising are crucial for not only our program in The Bahamas, but for every All Hands and Hearts program.
Through fundraising, we are not only financially supporting our work here. By sharing our stories and images of the homes and communities here in Abaco alongside evidence of our hard work, we are also advocating for the organization, inspiring others to join our mission and bringing awareness to the long term impacts of disasters. Being here on the ground has been an amazing experience for myself and all those who have joined us. I have never felt so welcomed into a community before and we are reflecting this welcoming attitude on base as well with our incredibly diverse team!
With the support of volunteers and the whole All Hands and Hearts community, we can come together to create lasting positive change. We all have a part to play – volunteer, donate, lend a helping hand.
