It\u2019s Friday again! And Friday is conga day. At least it is for the members of the Phone Credit for Refugees (PC4R) Facebook group, who come together to have fun, chat, join in the virtual dancing, share a GIF or two\u2026 while raising money to provide mobile phone credit for refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea is that once you\u2019ve made a donation you come into the group, join the virtual conga and post to say you\u2019ve donated. It doesn\u2019t matter how much you can afford \u2013 the main thing is to come in the group and post about it, which then increases the reach of the post and hopefully encourages others to donate as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By coming back week after week and donating a small amount on a regular basis we\u2019re able to provide real help for people who are stuck in difficult and dangerous situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s so much more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small, repeated actions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, this way of helping provides a focus. With so much suffering around the world \u2013 plus the ability to be informed about much of it thanks to the internet \u2013 it can be easy to become overwhelmed and feel that you can\u2019t make any difference. The Friday conga gets us to zoom right in to a small, repeated action. And that feels right and comforting at a time when lots of other things are up in the air and out of my control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sense of community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With many of the donors coming back week after week, there\u2019s a real sense of community. When the group admins tell us that they\u2019ve got a particularly long list of people needing help that week, everyone pulls together to like and comment in the group to make it a great conga with more reach and \u2013 hopefully \u2013 more donations. The group is a fun place to be. I\u2019ve got into the habit of popping in to join the conga on a Friday, and checking in again on a Saturday morning to see how the after party is going and check the all-important numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing the load<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The PC4R group asks for help, but it takes the pressure off by spreading the load across many people. The focus is always on getting the message out to as many people as possible. There are some bigger donations \u2013 someone might donate to celebrate a loved one\u2019s birthday \u2013 but the emphasis is very much on getting a big crowd of people to each donate a small amount, ideally on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By pacing themselves \u2013 making a small regular donation rather than a grand gesture \u2013 PC4R members are able to keep coming back week after week, helping people in the long term. It becomes a routine, something not to be missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Direct, relatable help<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The admins of the group usually share a little bit about where the money is going and what motivates them to volunteer their time. In particular during Covid times, I think we can all relate to how important it is to be able to stay in touch with family and friends. I\u2019m glad the PC4R group is able make that contact possible, at least for some.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can we learn?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The factors that make this kind of fundraising a success can also be applied to anything we want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a business owner, I know I do my best work when I\u2019m enjoying myself and having fun. That\u2019s when you get into the flow and the magic happens. And I\u2019ve got a great network of translator colleagues and business buddies I can call on so I don\u2019t have to manage everything myself. It\u2019s good to know what your \u2018why\u2019 is \u2013 to have an idea of where you are heading and why you want to get there. Finally, whether I\u2019m blogging, posting on social media, doing my bookkeeping or even keeping my desk tidy and my paperwork filed away, it\u2019s easier to keep it up if I make it into a little-and-often routine. Small steps, repeated often, are the way to sustainable success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u00a0donate to PC4R here<\/a>, and do come and join the end of the conga line each Friday in the\u00a0PC4R Facebook group.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s Friday again! And Friday is conga day. At least it is for the members of the Phone Credit for Refugees (PC4R) Facebook group, who come together to have fun, chat, join in the virtual dancing, share a GIF or two\u2026 while raising money to provide mobile phone credit for refugees. The idea is that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n