After a super successful kick off event for their Corporate Challenge, we caught up with Ellie from the Highfield team to find out more!
What drives you to fundraise for VICTA?
Having volunteered for VICTA for many years, I have seen the impact VICTA has on children and young peoples lives. The experiences they have and the friends they make through the charity last them a lifetime. Being able to support VICTA with fundraising, allows us to make a small contribution to this award winning work.
How do you feel being one of VICTAs first Senior Volunteers?
It was an honour to be asked to be one of VICTA’s first Senior Volunteers and I was glad to accept the opportunity. Any chance to do more work with VICTA is always a yes from me.
We were so excited for Highfield to be our first Corporate Challengers, but why did you choose a football match?
Over the years Highfield have conducted smaller football matches internally and all money raised goes to VICTA, however the corporate challenge allowed us to connect with local businesses to achieve a similar goal by arranging a much larger match than usual. The staff across both companies and those at Retford United Football Club worked together to achieve a fantastic result and built relationships that we plan to continue.
Was it easy to buy in from your Senior Management Team?
Our Directors are very supportive in terms of giving staff the opportunity to fundraise and volunteer, so it wasn’t difficult to sell the idea to those within Highfield. One of our Directors was Captain of the Highfield team which says it all.
How much time do you think you spent on organising the challenge?
We started planning the match around September 2023, having various discussions with other parties involved 1-2 times a month, but this was ramped up on the run up to the big day, where we were spending a couple of hours a week working together on arrangements and organising details for the day.
How did you use your seed funding?
The seed fund provided by VICTA was used towards football kits for our team of players. This covered the majority of the cost and enabled us to look professional. As Mike would say ‘Look good, feel good, play good!’. Being able to use our company logos and the VICTA logo made for a fantastic looking kit which can be used in years to come. The addition of HIGHFIELD printed in braille on the back of each shirt, really emphasised which charity our efforts were being made for!
Were there any pitfalls and how did you manage them?
The event was not without its difficulties, however as a team we were able to work with One Call to iron these out and press ahead. A slight issue of not having a pitch to play on the week before due to issues out of our control = stress!! This is where Kim from VICTA really helped, she kept it positive and kept us going. Luckily this was quickly rectified and ours plans could continue!
How did you fundraise?
Highfield are always fundraising for VICTA over the year, whether it be through office tuck shops, raffles, dress up days in the office or bingo nights down in the Highfield Coffee Social. This event opened up other fundraising ideas, including a very entertaining wet sponge throwing at some of our staff. Players also worked hard to raise their own sponsorship and ticket sales bumped up the amount raised.
Do you have a standout moment?
Personally, my standout moment would have to be the team photo taken on the day. We were able to get some of the kids involved and seeing their excitement for having a shot with the players was fantastic!
Would you do it again?
Yes! We are already in talks about how we can make next years match bigger and better to continue supporting VICTA with our fundraising. There were lots of lessons learnt, but this only allows us to improve moving forwards. Roll on 2025!
Leave A Comment