Here’s how Miranda set up a successful crowdfunding campaign for a Tovertafel

What do you do if you want to give your clients the pleasure of a Tovertafel but cannot afford to buy one? You launch a crowdfunding campaign! This is precisely what Miranda, care worker at the Bertus Bliekhuis in Hoek van Holland, The Netherlands, did. And successfully so. “We are extremely happy that the campaign was a success!”

Miranda came across the Tovertafel while searching online for resources. “The concept appealed to us immediately. Family members also saw the added value of the Tovertafel. Together with a woman whose mother-in-law is a client of ours, we set up a crowdfunding campaign.”

Sponsors

One of the tips that Miranda found useful is to find companies that can act as sponsors: “We approached people in our local area. Hoek van Holland is a small community, so everyone wanted to help.” It wasn’t difficult to convince them to participate in the project. “All we had to do is mention elderly people with dementia and people were willing to contribute. Especially when we explained that the Tovertafel stimulates physical activity and social contact in our seniors. After all, that is our main goal!”

Lots of organising

Setting up a crowdfunding campaign takes time and effort. Fortunately, there is a toolkit that makes things easier and less time consuming. Miranda found that it worked well to organise activities yourself, such as a vintage market with a Tombola raffle or a pancake fest: “We encouraged local entrepreneurs who had sponsored the gifts for the Tombola to become involved.”

Involvement

It is also important to involve the elderly people with dementia themselves: “They were present at our activities. After all, the campaign was about them. Many people are familiar with the term ‘dementia’, but do not know what it means. The activities, such as the market, were very successful. We managed to raise EUR 2,500 in one afternoon, which really helped to hit our target quickly.”

Are you thinking about setting up your own crowdfunding campaign? Click here for a toolkit with materials that will make it even easier to save up for your Tovertafel.