This is rare footage of labourers in Victorian England in 1901. It shows an even rarer glimpse of a man advertising a Passion Play! He walks past the camera holding a large board over his head. This board is inviting people to see a Passion Play in 13 acts with ‘lantern views’. It looks like a multimedia presentation of the Passion story with actors and projected images. This would have used the ‘Magic Lanterns’ that were popular entertainment shows during the Industrial Revolution.
Online dating is trying to find the right match among many differnet people. Fundraising for Passion Plays is similar to online dating in one respect: trying to find the right match for your Play among different trusts and funding charities. Finding this perfect match is the key to raising funds to tell the Easter story!
Once you find trusts and funders who are of a similar mindset and value the things you value, you are well on the way to a perfect match.
How do we find potential funders?
The Charity Commission’s Register of Charities allows you to search for free by using filters to narrow your search. (Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers.)
How do we let funders know our project is a good match for them?
Now is the time to do some research and really think about compatibility with the funders you are researching.
You can research their online content, websites, and also Further information will be inread through their annual reports published on the Charity Commissions website (click ‘Documents’ tab). These annual reports will give useful imformation about projects they have previously funded.
A quick phone call can also be helpful in establishing contact and goodwill as you will be able to find out more about them and let them know what you do.
Remember here that one of the key elements is timing! Some funders have a set application process that requires you to apply before a deadline. Other funders have trustees’ meetings at set times during the year and those times are good to work with.
The timing of your project also matters. Some funders like to fund projects in the early stage of development, while others like to give funding when they see other funders have already contributed.
There is a lot to think about with fundraising! But Passion Plays are such unique projects that it can also be an enjoyable process. Many funders like to hear about large community arts events that tell the Easter story in fresh and inspiring ways. Not only do Passion Plays have large outdoor audiences across the UK each Easter, they are also unique spaces of community, skill-sharing, mentoring and investing in the lives of volunteers across all sections of society. They are more than a one-off performance and the impact spreads across the whole community for many months.
As Easter approaches, we reflect on the powerful story of...
Is fundraising like online dating?
Online dating is trying to find the right match among many differnet people. Fundraising for Passion Plays is similar to online dating in one respect: trying to find the right match for your Play among different trusts and funding charities. Finding this perfect match is the key to raising funds to tell the Easter story!
Once you find trusts and funders who are of a similar mindset and value the things you value, you are well on the way to a perfect match.
How do we find potential funders?
The Charity Commission’s Register of Charities allows you to search for free by using filters to narrow your search. (Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers.)
How do we let funders know our project is a good match for them?
Now is the time to do some research and really think about compatibility with the funders you are researching.
You can research their online content, websites, and also Further information will be inread through their annual reports published on the Charity Commissions website (click ‘Documents’ tab). These annual reports will give useful imformation about projects they have previously funded.
A quick phone call can also be helpful in establishing contact and goodwill as you will be able to find out more about them and let them know what you do.
Remember here that one of the key elements is timing! Some funders have a set application process that requires you to apply before a deadline. Other funders have trustees’ meetings at set times during the year and those times are good to work with.
The timing of your project also matters. Some funders like to fund projects in the early stage of development, while others like to give funding when they see other funders have already contributed.
There is a lot to think about with fundraising! But Passion Plays are such unique projects that it can also be an enjoyable process. Many funders like to hear about large community arts events that tell the Easter story in fresh and inspiring ways. Not only do Passion Plays have large outdoor audiences across the UK each Easter, they are also unique spaces of community, skill-sharing, mentoring and investing in the lives of volunteers across all sections of society. They are more than a one-off performance and the impact spreads across the whole community for many months.
