As a Kensington hospice volunteer and top fundraiser at the Kensington Hike, Andrea Taylor shares how she translates her passion for hospice, into a successful fundraising campaign. To date, Andrea has raised $2932.
Andrea Taylor has been volunteering at Kensington Hospice for two years now. As a part-time lawyer and student looking to complete her Master’s in Pastoral Studies at University of Toronto, she not only finds time in her busy life to volunteer at the hospice, but also supports palliative and end-of-life care at Kensington through her amazing fundraising efforts.
“As a volunteer, I see the donations being put into action every day I’m helping at the hospice, whether it’s through the food and nutrition program, supplies we use for our residents or hospice operations,” says Andrea.
“We live in a big city, and unfortunately, hospice care isn’t available to everyone who needs it. If we don’t fundraise, the care that our hospice provides and is known for wouldn’t exist.”
Andrea currently leads the fundraising leaderboard for the Kensington Hike with almost $3000 raised. She’s a fundraiser extraordinaire who is aiming to surpass her $3500 goal.
“Not everyone has the time to volunteer, but would still love to give back to the community in some way,” says Andrea. “Donating to support the Kensington Hike is the way to give back without taking up your time.”
Andrea’s fundraising tips
We asked Andrea to share her fundraising tips to help all Hikers in their efforts to support end-of-life and palliative care on September 8. Here’s what she said:
-
Personalize your approach: Thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever to reach out to potential donors, but it’s also easy to personalize your fundraising page and email request. Explain your connection to Kensington Hospice.
-
Don’t be shy: For some people, it might be difficult to ask for donations, but remember that you are also offering your contacts an opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause.
- Follow up: Often, people have the intention to donate, but the action gets lost on their to-do lists. I’ve received many donations after sending out a helpful reminder to my contacts.
Andrea Taylor treats her experience as a volunteer as an honour and a privilege.
“It’s an important part of life that we don’t like to think about. We are all going to go through it at some point so it’s important that we continue to have these services available.”