The Carnation Day Street Appeal will be taking place across Canterbury on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th September, and the Society needs at least 400 volunteers just like you to help us achieve our new fundraising target of $45,000!
All we’re asking is for an hour or two of your time on one of the two collection days, although you are more than welcome to volunteer for longer if you want.
Why is the Street Appeal so important?
Carnation Day is our single biggest annual fundraising event. In fact, it’s so important that it is the one day in the calendar that actually takes two days to complete!
The money collected over the Friday and Saturday help fund programme costs that are not covered by contracts and grant funding, making it possible for the Society to maintain a modest annual membership fee and develop innovative responses to community needs.
Being visible on the streets also promotes the Society to people who might need to access our programmes in the future and raises awareness among the general public of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s.
This year you can make a big difference by donating a few hours to helping raise funds for the Society’s programmes and for people in Canterbury with Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s. If you have strong networks at work or socially then please consider enlisting their help and forming a collection team.
We’ve increased the number of locations for the Saturday collection to allow volunteers who are unable to collect on Friday to support the street collection between 10am and 4pm on the weekend.
Please complete the Volunteer Form and return it to the Society as soon as possible. Alternatively you can email Michael at m.herman@ms-pd.org.nz with your details and when/where you would like to collect.
What does collecting involve?
If you have never collected for Carnation Day before, don’t worry, you are not the only new kid on the block.
Being a volunteer collector is easy; just send us a completed volunteer form and our staff will ring you to confirm the day, time and location. Then all you need to do is show up with a positive attitude and hold the bucket for an hour or two. Chairs are available at some locations, otherwise you can always bring your own.
Our staff and volunteers will ensure that you have a sign, bucket and stickers to give away to those who donate. They will also take care of banking the money, so you do not have to worry about having too much money at any time.
Team Leaders
We are always looking for volunteers to be team leaders. Team Leaders look after a location for the entire day and find the volunteers to man the site throughout the day. If you have 6-8 friends, colleagues, family members or sports team-mates who you think would help, this would an amazing way to support the Society. We will provide you with the signs, buckets, and stickers; either you can bank the money or we can.
If you would like more information about being a team leader or have a question regarding Carnation Day, contact Michael at m.herman@ms-pd.org.nz or 03 366-2857 ext. 9.