I Have a Dilemma

Tuesday 30th October 07

When I decided to embark on the E2E challenge I decide I wanted to do it for a charity but which of the thousands of charities would I do it for?

My first instinct was to go for one that is very close to my heart, The Kenya Acorn Project. KAP for short.

This morning I was having some quality thinking time in the shower, like one does, and the question of charities and the challenge, came to mind.

Since deciding to do the E2E, I have called upon many web and blog sites for advice on the route I should take and to do this i looked at the route they had taken, and the whole machinics of their E2E .

On all these web sites I noticed also that the two threads that connected most, but not all, of them together, that was that they were doing their E2E for a good course, mostly a charity. The other thread was that the charities that were chosen, they were all well known. Joe Public was able to relate to them when it came to putting their hands in their pocket and making a donation. Many pounds were raised by camp sites, pubs having raffles and collections. Supermarkets had fund raisers in the name of the charity. People along the route donated money because they personal had experience with a condition or a friend or loved one had that the E2Eer’s were doing it for. This would not be the case with my charity. Not many people have heard of KAP or had any experience of the wonderful works they do.

So what do I do? Chose a well know charity one that is very important to me, such as the PDSA. http://www.pdsa.org.uk/
Go for one of the other main charities like Arthritis Care, http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/Home After all I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Or should I go with a small charity, in this case The Kenya Acorn Project. http://www.kenyaacornproject.org/ KAP desperately need funds to keep a hospital open and many other projects they support.

If I was to fundraise for KAP outside of Newcastle upon Tyne, people would wonder who they were; they would not relate to them; and I cannot see many people stopping me on route to donate money; or the camp sites, pubs and supermarkets helping with having a fund raising event.

Going with KAP could be an opportunity lost for a larger well known charity, or would it?

I could have two charities, a nation well knows charity and I could have KAP along as well. KAP could be advertise on the van next to the well know charity. Information about KAP could be given out along the route with the information of the well known charity. Who knows maybe the media might just pick up on KAP and they may well get the national recognition they richly deserve.

Now you have read my dilemma, what do you think I should do? Do I stay with a well known charity. Go with KAP or go with both?