Kim shares her A Walk in the Park fundraising tips
Jul. 26, 2019
Kim Goodridge was a teenager when her dad Wayne was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2005. She became passionate about raising awareness of the condition and fundraising for a cure and has been a strong advocate for A Walk in the Park, raising $58,000 in the past three years alone.
A Walk in the Park is an uplifting day of connectivity and support for those living with Parkinson’s – but is also a major fundraiser to enable Fight Parkinson’s to maintain its sought-after information and services.
That’s why we encourage people to fundraise on top of the registration fee. It can be as little as $25, for which you will receive a Walk in the Park t-shirt. Or it could include incorporating your own fundraising activities into the lead-up to the event as Kim did with her Parkinson’s Palooza social events.
Kim's footy team has got behind her to raise $600 for A Walk in the Park 2019
Kim shares her tips and a very special story of how caring and generous people can be:
Connection is key
Connecting with people, organisations, your local community and individuals and families in similar situations is vital to successfully fundraise. Your community can be an incredibly supportive, generous, empathic and responsive, and connecting with them is invaluable.
Reach out via email, make phone calls, post a status on social media, initiate conversations - share, share, share! You and your experiences with Parkinson’s can be a priceless asset in raising funds and awareness, and in turn help Fight Parkinson’s in their endeavour to support people with Parkinson’s and help assist with the search for a cure.
Share your story honestly and from the heart
Your journey with Parkinson’s is important and one of a kind, so share it with the world - it is powerful and can help others in many ways. This has been the key component to my fundraising efforts. When I shared my story, people listened and responded with kindness and generosity.
It’s incredible what you can achieve when you incorporate your friends, family and the wider community in your fundraising efforts. It takes just one person to be moved by your experience with Parkinson’s to raise money and often this is a domino effect. Your voice is a vital and invaluable tool, so use it!
Take action
Questioning yourself or doubting your ideas or ability to raise money is sometimes at the forefront when you’re considering taking on a fundraising venture. However, jumping in and doing something simple can be a great start and build your confidence.
It doesn’t have to be complicated - run a morning tea at work where everyone brings a gold coin donation or host a sausage sizzle at your local sporting club, supermarket or Bunnings. Keep it simple but fun. If you raise $20, great. If you raise $200 even better! Every bit counts and it all goes towards something truly significant.
Leverage community relationships
This is vital and can be truly effective when fundraising. Reach out to sporting clubs you’ve played for, your workplace or people who know your story. Personalising your fundraising and involving people, teams or community groups who know you and have an understanding of why you are raising money can result in people volunteering to get involved. Before you know it, you’ll have a community behind you to support your campaign and make the journey more effective and a little less stressful!
The best fundraising efforts always have a team behind them working together to reach a goal. So, utilise your connections and reach out for support, ideas and contributions.
Involve others
Events or fundraising campaigns that encourage involvement from a number of people, even if they aren’t directly affected by Parkinson’s, is an important concept to consider. Running fun and enjoyable events or experiences which invite people from all walks of life and who may not know about Parkinson’s to be involved, is beneficial.
This enables you to partake in educating the wider community, which is crucial and brings money in from sources other than those who are affected. Encourage the concept of a good time for a good cause. People love getting involved when they know their money is going to help others. There’s nothing better than a fun day/night out or leisurely activity which supports a charitable cause. People love to contribute to something greater; it makes them feel good!
Accept setbacks
When reaching out to sponsors or organisations to contribute donations of any sort, there were many setbacks and I received my fair share of apology and rejection letters. But don’t be disheartened! Keep sending those personalised letters sharing your story and the need for donations and you will find that many companies will be truly generous and happy to support you.
Contact local, Australian based companies, not large organisations who receive numerous amounts of sponsorship requests, and always be willing to offer the ability to advertise their contribution (through social media posts, at your event, word of mouth etc)- so both parties’ benefit. It’s a win, win!
An Act of kindness
On Saturday 29 June at St James Park, The Swinburne Amateur Football Club Women’s Team hosted a game and afternoon tea dedicated to raising funds for Fight Parkinson’s as a surprise for myself. This was organised by my friends and teammates Samantha Youl and Shelby Hohnberg. They encouraged all team members to wear purple ribbons during the game and contribute to the afternoon tea by bringing a plate to share and a small donation.
All the players, coaching staff, friends and family got on board and hosted the most incredible and heart-warming surprise fundraiser for Parkinson’s. Throughout the game you could see an array of purple which made myself and my sister incredibly proud. Unfortunately, we did not get the win, but this did not stop the Swinburne community from supporting the fundraiser after the game.
The afternoon tea was an amazing spread of sweet and savoury snacks, sausage rolls, sandwiches and lots of homemade purple cupcakes and cookies! And the bar was running in full swing with purple cocktails- all money donated to the cause. The event was filled with laughter and memorable moments and even encouraged some of the Opposition players and families to attend, join in with the cause and even share their experiences with Parkinson’s.
The ‘Piggies go Purple for Parkinson’s’ managed to raise a total of $600 which was truly an incredible effort and a credit to all that supported the cause. The Swinburne Team are a group of kind, generous, thoughtful and supportive individuals and they hosted one of the most touching tributes and fundraisers for Parkinson’s and I could never thank them enough.
And we at Parkinson's Victoria thank Kim and all our fundraisers. Register and fundraise for A Walk in the Park 2019 now.