Edinburgh resident Lynne McNicoll is renowned in volunteer circles for her highly successful efforts to raise funds for teenaged cancer patients and their families.
A former ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust (Scotland), Lynne has been involved in a variety of volunteer campaigns over the last five years, including treks in the Sahara and Himalayas. To date, she has raised over £650,000 for cancer support. A master at networking and organising events, last September she and her team raised £100,000 in one month, a feat she seeks to top this year.
In November 2009, Lynne was honoured for her efforts with the Institute of Fundraising Scotland Award for Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year. Now the co-founder of a brand-new charity, It’s Good 2 Give!, Lynne chats with us about her fundraising career and upcoming efforts.
What inspired you to get into fundraising?
Around my 49th birthday, I was thinking how could I celebrate my 50th differently. I was feeling immense gratitude for the life I have and wanted to do something that reflected that. A woman who had a big influence on me (although she never knew it) was a lady called Jane Tomlinson. Her fight with cancer and her fundraising are legendary and I thought, if she can do what she does while fighting cancer then surely I, fit and well, can do some fundraising. I came up with an idea to raise £5000 in a year (remember I had never fundraised before), but my husband said, you can do better than that, Lynnie, why not raise £1000 for each year of your life. So my £50k challenge was born.
And how did you get along?
It was seriously tough in the first few months but then hard work and networking paid off and I began to get the hang of it. I love talking, oh how I love talking, so talking to people about my challenge was easy. However, life changed for me in August of that year when I met two teenagers who had cancer. That meeting started a whole new understanding of what was involved in the fights these young people put up. Sometimes they fight cancer for many years – just at a time in life when they should be having fun and have nothing more to worry about than tidying their rooms or studying. I’ve met a great many children and young people with cancer and they are all quite remarkable in their approach to it. All are supremely positive and all live life to the full. They are without doubt my inspiration.
You have incredible drive – how do you stay so motivated?
Turns out I am competitive with myself! I succeed with one challenge and want to do it better and further next time. Giving is a very rewarding pastime – it feels very good to give – though receiving is nice, too!
You’ve previously performed the role of Ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust (Scotland). What made you decide to start your own charity?
I loved the role of Ambassador for TCT – it was a real privilege to undertake it. As well as learning a lot about fundraising, I formed more and more ideas about what projects I wanted to support. Having met so many families during my four years of fundraising, I’d seen that the whole family needs support. I wrote down all the ideas and knew it was time to take the huge step to start our own charity.
So tell me about your new initiative, It’s Good 2 Give!
Oh, gosh, I could talk about this forever! First of all, it’s called It’s Good 2 Give! because for me it has been good to give. I want to encourage others to give, too – to give time, skills, ideas, and of course money, too. Doesn’t matter the amount of money, either. Every penny does count. It is extremely important to all of us at It’s Good 2 Give! to donate our time and skills. We aim to keep costs to a minimum and services to the highest standard. For the financial year ending March 2011, we pledge that 100 percent of donations and 100 percent of the profits from our events will go to our projects. We’ll review that each year with the aim to keep costs to the barest minimum. We are very fortunate in having amazing professional support on a pro bono basis – our lawyer, accountant, IT specialist, and project manager all donate their services.
What are your goals for the charity?
Our financial aim is to raise £1m as soon as we can. As well as providing support to families affected by cancer in the East of Scotland, we want to create a retreat where families can go to have some together-time during treatment. So often the family is split up during this difficult time. One parent stays with the child or young person in hospital and the other has to juggle work with looking after other siblings, or often siblings have to stay with other relatives. There is much we can do to make this time better for the whole family and one of the wonderful things about being a new and energetic charity is that we listen to ideas and requests from those families and from the professionals treating them.
Your philosophy is very much about making a difference, however small, in our everday lives.
Kindness matters to me very much. It’s at the very core of me. I sometimes feel that the faster pace of life means that we bypass kindness. It’s hugely underrated, so in addition to fundraising, I am also encouraging kindness. I’ve put ideas on the website and some are cheesy. But you know what, it doesn’t matter – cheesy can be fun. Kindness can be fun. It certainly makes you feel good.
What are some of your favourite suggestions as to how people can make a difference everyday?
Well, let’s see, giving blood – it takes less than half an hour usually, and you get a cuppa and a biccy afterwards. I had a bad experience twenty years ago and stopped doing it. I deeply regret that – it was just a nasty bruise! Went away in a few days. Just imagine if your friends or family needed blood-you’d want there to be stocks of it, wouldn’t you? I would. Well, that means we have to donate it and regularly. I’ve done it twice this year and plan to do it again during September.
Otherwise, give some time to your favourite charity. Perhaps baking is your hobby – why not organise a bake sale at work? Everyone loves home baking (it’s so much nicer than shop bought) so they’ll donate. Or de-clutter your house and wardrobe and donate unwanted items to a local charity shop, or have a car boot sale and donate a percentage of the income to your favourite charity!
You have had great success with your fundraising efforts – what do you think is the key to successful fundraising?
Anything worthwhile requires effort. Hard work, passion for what you do and believe in, loyalty, and wonderful supporters (both individuals and from the business community in the East of Scotland and beyond) are all key.
So what’s up next for you?
What’s next is my September Challenge - we aim to raise £150,000 in thirty days. We have lots of events happening all over the East of Scotland from Cupar to Duns and I’d like to see more. There’s something for everyone, from a zipslide in Inverleith Park, to the Hatwalk fashion show, to afternoon tea Blingo. We have a postcard art challenge for all ages that was sent to every school in the East of Scotland this week, and a foodie challenge, too. These challenges run all month and we’ve been given prizes to give out for the best ideas/creations.
And finally… You seem to be constantly on the go – how do you like to relax?
Err, relax? Ask my family and friends and they would probably tell you they constantly and kindly nag me to relax more. It’s not really in my nature to relax, but I do enjoy walking with my friends. I adore good coffee, and can often be found at Centotre, The Scottish Café or Falko’s, and I love the Dominion Cinema. I love to bake, too, but am currently doing really well on a diet so not so much baking going on! I have just joined two book clubs – just don’t tell them, please, that I try very hard to get them to read the same books so I only have to read one for both groups!
