A successful fundraising Case study:
When Ian “ENO” Taylor had heard that his colleagues within the Truck Driving Industry, Mark Haines and Tom Seccombe had both died by suicide, he deeply felt the impact of that loss, and wanted to do something to raise awareness that truck drivers needed help and support and wanted a way to encourage others to speak out and seek the help when they needed it, so no other families needed to go through this.
Eno, decided to organise a local convoy of trucks, reaching out to his network in the local community and within weeks the simple act of making a difference became an event with over 102 trucks joining the convoy on the day, and hundreds of adults and children cheering on the side of the road and at the showground waiting for their arrival and presentation.
This event provided a positive ripple effect throughout the Coffs Coast Community, it also gave both Mark and Toms families a safe place to pay respects and acknowledge the network of truck drivers and their families and get them together to talk, check in with each other and help prevent this happening to anyone else who may be going through emotional distress or experiencing thoughts of suicide.
When Eno contacted our Lifeline North Coast Communications office, our team sat down with Eno, and we developed together an event plan that included raising awareness via local and national media, online communications, posters and other marketing collateral, and our team set up a fundraising page.
On the day of the event, Lifeline provided a team of Volunteer Crisis Supporters to be there for anyone who wanted to talk.
With hundreds of adults and children on the day witnessing the trucks, a fundraising BBQ was a huge success, and a lot of great connections and friendships were made.
The Lifeline North Coast Fundraising platform also ensured every dollar raised stays within our local community (Nambucca Heads to Clarence Valley)
With this event, a percentage of the money raised from this event is now being used to develop a tailored Podcast series, face to face peer support meetings, and Accredited Training on Mental Health and Self Care tailored to the needs of the Truck Driving Community.
Grinding Gears and Burning Diesel raised close to $15,000 within 48 hours, a series of national and local media exposure to raise awareness for our truck community, support from our local politicians and this Truck Convoy is now scheduled as an annual event.
Through the actions of Eno’s choice to host an event, together with Lifeline North Coast’s contribution, created connection and support within a grieving community and raised much needed funds to directly assist those who need it.
Actively participating in our community is proven to have long term benefits to our physical and emotional health and giving back to our community makes us feel productive and connected to the people we’re surrounded by. If you want to know how you can host an event or fundraise click this link to set up your page today. Or if you are interested in hosting an event and want some help, please call our Communications and Community Engagement Manager – Angela Martin on 66514093.
