UNICEF on Campus Lancaster University is a society that have been involved in the Lancaster community since 2014 and this year they have raised over £2000 for UNICEF.
UNICEF on Campus is a student initiative supporting the work of UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) through both fundraising activities and awareness-raising events here at the University and in the wider Lancaster community. UNICEF works to provide both emergency aid and long-term development projects to some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
SCAN spoke to the President of the society, Andrei Cursaru, to find out what the group have been up to this year and how they managed to reach the third highest fundraising target across UK universities.
The team of volunteers was initially composed of eight Lancaster University students who were responsible everything that the group was planning, including event ideas and their finances.
There were a few initial setbacks for the group. At the first event they held, at a home Roses in 2016, each member of the executive committee donated £10 to the cause in order to purchase cookies and coffee, so that they were able to sell these over the weekend in the hopes of making a profit. At the first event they made an impressive £161 profit, and this was used to invest in further fundraising events throughout the following academic year.
At the beginning of the 2016/17 academic year the group then held a Welcome Day on campus in the hope of offering opportunities to students who were interested in volunteering with UNICEF. The Welcome Day was a huge success. Over 120 went to the event and signed up to be a part of future fundraising events.
As they realised their group was rapidly expanding the executive committee made the decision to create three teams who would be responsible for events, media and regional liaison. Following the creation of these three teams, the group were able to put on their very first fundraising event.
The most successful event that the group ran was one were they sold Krispy Kreme’s on campus and made a impressive profit of over £600. By the end of the Lent term the group had made a total of £2060, of which they donated £1560 to UNICEF UK. The group were ranked 3rd place UK wide on a ranking of the highest UNICEF on Campus fundraisers.
Cursaru said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve this society. I truly wish all the best to these very talented and amazing individuals in achieving greater success and striving to further heights to fight within the UNICEF on Campus Society for our noble cause.”
SCAN wishes the group the best in their future fundraising and hopes that they can continue their success into the next academic year.
