New Inga seedlings at Nguti, Cameroon.  The stringy bits at the back are the palm fronds covering the nursery.

We are already getting feedback from several people who came to the Kumba training, and from Ecuador (for information on these see http://www.rainforestsaver.org/news/no-69a-training-inga-alley-kumba-cameroon

And

http://www.rainforestsaver.org/news/no-69-spreading-inga-alley-cropping-ecuador)

To ensure the continuation of all this good work we need more money. In the last newsletter I appealed for donations or fund raising. Thank you very much to these of you who have already made donations. if you haven’t, might you be able to either make a donation or do some fund raising for us?

Rainforest Saver holds a license for doing raffles throughout the UK.  Here’s one ‘raffler’s’ story.

Raffling

By Patrick Miller

            I think I may become a sort of local institution at Christmas time plodding round the neighbourhood selling raffle tickets door to door.  It is wonderful how generous people have been.  Of course it is Christmas and I can say that I live just up the road or round the corner and many people recognize me.  This year it probably also helped that the raffle prizes were local – trip to the cinema, afternoon tea at a local café etc.  Yes there are some refusals, but very seldom hostile. On the other hand it is ‘would you come in out of the cold while I fetch my purse’.  One lady who was too busy when I called actually came round to our house to order tickets. Another regularly insists I come in for a coffee on my rounds.  Yet a third forestalled me by making a large donation before I reached her house.  The closer to our house the fewer the refusals.

The ‘raffler’ in his winter raffling outfit ready to get going.

I expect we will run another raffle next Christmas. Why not have a go and venture round your neighbours?  Or, if you could solicit local businesses for prizes you could do your own local miniraffle at any time instead of participating in the one we organise before Christmas. We could help with printing tickets and supply you with leaflets.  It is a great way of becoming acquainted with some of your neighbours and it spreads awareness of saving rainforests by Inga Alley Cropping.  All you have to do is plunge in, look as harmless as possible and treat everybody with unfailing good humour.  Just a few things to watch out for.  Carefully respect all no cold caller notices. Never ring a bell twice as you might arouse somebody on nightshift, and do not fall off anybody’s front steps! [He speaks from experience]

Some other fund raising suggestions

Collecting at local shops can be good too. We can supply a bucket and labels. We have collected at Dobbies’ Garden Centre in Edinburgh several times, and it feels good to hear the pennies drop in. What I like best is when people give their tiny children the money to drop in. Lovely to see them taking the first steps of becoming good citizens, even if they don’t understand the first thing about rainforests.

Tiiu Miller collecting at Dobbie Garden Centre. We can lend you the big poster if it would help your fundraising.

Do you ever shop online?

If you go through Easyfundraising when you shop on line the shop makes a donation to your chosen charity, which of course we hope will be Rainforest Saver. Very many shops are signed up with Easy fund raising. You don’t pay anything extra.

You can get straight to donating to us by going to our website www.rainforestsaver.org  then scroll down the Home page, and click the Easy Fund Raising link on the bottom left. Since we signed up with Easy Fund Raising we have received £443 to date, all from many small donations, from just a few shoppers. If more of you signed up this could become a valuable additional, much needed, source of income, and it would cost you nothing at all. It would be free money for Rainforest Saver.

There are many other ways to do fund-raising. If you have a great idea please do share it with us, and here are a few to help you to start thinking.

More fund raising ideas

Barbecue/coffee morning/musical evening – invite guests and ask for a donation

Organize a concert (our chairman, Charles did that)

Bring and buy sale

Sponsored walk (Charles and Alan both have organized these)

Charles’s walk. Set to go on the left, and walking on the right

Alan’s walk

Jumble sale, plant sale, book sale, craft sale etc.

Rainforest stall at a Christian Aid fair. They charged only £10 for the table.

Sponsored events/activities

         Give up chocolate for a while

         Be sponsored to lose weight

         Month without alcohol/coffee/chocolate/crisps/no TV/

learn a new skill or language/whatever

if you are a keen gardener you could open your garden to be admired, with a collection box for RFS

Quiz night

Run a marathon/half marathon or other sponsored athletic event

Swimming

Sarah did a sponsored swim for us

Collect in a shop (with the owner’s permission)

Street collection – you need permission from your local authority to do that.

Silent auction (we will explain if you don’t know what that is)

Tables set out for a silent auction at St. Fillan’s church, Edinburgh

Have you skills to mend something?

Paul Messing mends bicycles

and here are the before and after photos of the bear Tiiu repaired for a donation to Rainforest Saver

BE INSPIRED. HAVE FUN FUNDRAISING, SUPPORT A GOOD CAUSE and GIVE US MORE PUBLICITY

We really do need your help. Thank you very much.