After hosting a Macmillan Coffee morning, you’ll be bitten by the bug of fundraising. It feels fantastic to do something so fun and wholesome for a good cause, and it’s a shame that it all has to end after just one morning.
Here are some of the things I did to make my coffee morning even more successful, encouraging a few more donations and hopefully helping more people get involved with Macmillan’s other brilliant causes.
Post on social media
Like everyone I know, I’m addicted to social media, so this one wasn’t too difficult (especially with a slice of leftover cake to keep me company). Once I’d said goodbye to the last guest at my tea and coffee morning, I started going through all the photos I’d taken.
I put together a carousel of the best ones and tagged Macmillan in the post. If you do this, make sure to use #MacmillanCoffeeMorning so everyone can see all your amazing goodies. I actually received a few messages from people considering hosting their own coffee morning, which was a lovely boost too.
Thank everyone for coming
If you can, it’s lovely to thank everyone for attending your event. If it were open to the public or at a community space, you might not be able to do this personally, but a nice blanket post afterwards is a lovely touch and can even inspire a few late donations.
Because I’d hosted my friends, I was able to send out a couple of quick messages with photos I’d taken. It may be a small gesture, but we all appreciate knowing we’ve made a difference.
Tell people where their donations go
After I’d counted all the donations and got my total, I made a point of telling everyone who’d attended my coffee morning how much we’d raised. I shared a few links about the impact of donations to Macmillan too, showing what our money helps fund.
When you’re just sitting around with a cuppa and a slice of cake, it’s easy to forget that it all adds up to real initiatives that help people we all care about. Every single donation goes towards providing support to family members living with cancer, as well as practical services for everyone, such as Macmillan’s free will service.
Start planning the next one!
It might sound silly, but I’m already thinking about the next fundraising event my friends and I can host. I made a few notes of things from this time, like what went well, who said they’d like to come again, and so on.
Hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning has become one of my favourite things to do each year, and the more I’ve spoken about it, the more people have said they’d like to come. It’s such an easy thing to do for family, or in the office, or in your community, and knowing that all that cake is for a good cause just makes it taste even sweeter.
BIO
I’m Holly, a business owner and lifelong lemon-drizzle enthusiast who loves nothing more than a good natter over a cup of coffee. When I’m not writing, chatting, or working, you’ll probably find me helping out at my local church or cuddling my two dogs. Hosting my first Macmillan coffee morning reminded me how powerful small community moments can be and I can’t wait to plan the next one.