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A week in the life of… a neighbourhood fundraiser
Alan Crawford is a neighbourhood fundraiser at The Pioneer Group. Find out what his week involves – from looking at ways to support a community that is suffering from growing unemployment, to moving a local enterprise to new premises
Monday
I believe fundraising is more than locking yourself away in a room and typing. Prior to lockdown I had four different desks each in the four respective organisations I’ve been supporting with fundraising; Compass Support, Spitfire Advice and Support Services, Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together and The Pioneer Group. It’s important to be among the staff and to listen and observe. My ability to converse has been hampered by lockdown, but today, I have a raft of Zoom meetings to catch up with staff working on the frontline to discuss insight and ideas about where they need additional funding and potential sources.
Tuesday
Today, I am working on the Firs and Bromford estates to support their fundraising efforts. This community is committed to the ethos of asset based community development. Therefore, intrinsic to our planning is how we ensure that the project is owned and run by the community.
Currently, we are looking at creating a food pantry project. This idea originated in Stockport and is effectively a social supermarket where members pay a fee well below market rate for their shopping. This model provides dignity and choice and offers more promising outcomes than a food bank.
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Wednesday
Wednesday is my day off. I became a father at the age of 44 and so I spend a day a week with my son, Finlay. We have tickets to a local National Trust property but, given his fascination with vehicles, the highlight for Finlay is the car park, which he clearly thinks is the main exhibit. I encourage him to appreciate the beautiful displays of flowers and shrubs but he puts on a pained expression and shouts: “Stingers – ouchy!”
Thursday
In the early days of the pandemic, I spent a great deal of time raising funds for emergency provisions, including food and well-being packs. The focus is now shifting to recovery projects. Many households in our community in Castle Vale have been hit by unemployment as a result of the pandemic, with that number expected to rise once the furlough scheme ends.
Today, therefore, I’m working with colleagues to look at creative solutions, including finding ways to better link local people to growth industries such as social care. The best funding bids have creative ‘blue sky’ thinking and stack up logistically – like this one.
Friday
Today, I’m visiting a local enterprise, Upcycle, which has recently taken over a disused community centre. It used to be in an industrial park but the move has given it more space, made it more accessible to local residents and cut its overheads.
This was an idea I floated with the organisation at the beginning of the year. They made it happen through their dedication and hard work and deserve all the credit. But I can’t help imagining myself as my childhood hero Hannibal from The A-Team, lighting up a large Cuban and saying: “I love it when a plan comes together!”
Do you know an outstanding professional who deserves to be featured? Email jess.mccabe@insidehousing.co.uk with your suggestions
A week in the life series
Our ‘A week in the life’ series features housing professionals talking through what they do in their job on a day-to-day basis.
Find out about the different challenges housing workers in a variety of roles face in a given week.
We aim to feature staff from housing associations, ALMOs, local authorities and more.
Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for inclusion
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