Cianna’s Smile is a charity providing support and education for UK families affected by Sickle Cell Anaemia. Founder Hayley King set up the charity after her daughter Cianna, who has Sickle Cell Anaemia, experienced a traumatic admission at their local hospital. Hayley felt that there was a lack of awareness of the condition in the medical profession and no support locally for families affected by it. Cianna’s Smile exists to change that. The team at Cianna’s Smile organise a variety of activities and events throughout the year to support families. From awareness campaigns to carer’s lunches, wellness days to art therapy boxes. Hayley talks to us today about how Patchwork has helped bring their fundraising to life.
What kinds of fundraisers have you hosted on Patchwork?
We have used Patchwork several times to raise money. In 2020 we used the platform to fund 50 art therapy bags for children living with Sickle Cell and we recently held a raffle to raise money to fund a day out for families affected by Sickle Cell. We aimed to raise enough to cover the funds needed for our projects. We are currently using Patchwork to run our Christmas Fundraiser where people can choose to fund anything from a pack of colouring pencils or an ice-cream sundae to a horse-riding lesson or a virtual cooking class!
Why did using Patchwork to raise funds appeal to you?
Most other fundraising platforms limit the donor to just donate an amount of money. We love that when using Patchwork donors can choose what they are funding and also we have added the opportunity for people to donate their time which we absolutely love. It means that the campaign is accessible to everyone and also appealing for every budget.
How easy was it to set up your Patchwork fundraising page?
It is super easy. We love that you can add different images so that people can scroll through and check which is most appealing to them.
How did Patchwork help your fundraising campaign?
It was great in achieving our goal as we could easily share the unique link with our supporters and the funds raised were sent to us directly via Stripe.
How was your Patchwork page received by your supporters?
We received great feedback from supporters. We particularly loved how easy it was to use and that you could read the lovely messages left by supporters and donors.
Would you recommend Patchwork to other small charities looking to fundraise?
Absolutely! It is a great platform that is user friendly and safe. We love the templates! It makes it really quick when setting up a campaign.
Thank you so much Hayley for talking to us today about the brilliant work that you do supporting families living with Sickle Cell Anaemia. We’re so pleased that Patchwork could help with your fundraising!
If you’d like to contribute to Cianna’s Smile Christmas fundraiser please click here. If you’d like to set up your own fundraising page for a charity or project, we’ve made it super easy with our customisable templates. Or if you’re feeling creative you can start your own from scratch.