| Fundraiser of the month, March 2005
Here at Justgiving, we have the privilege of helping people raise funds for great causes and organisations. We come across people of all backgrounds, with all levels of computer skill, who raise money quickly and easily with our online tools.
This is where we share some of these great online fundraising pages, and personal accomplishments, with the world!
Our current Fundraiser of the Month is our very own marketing manager, James Grieve, who has stunned us all and given up smoking after 10 years and approximately 36,500 cigarettes!
We never thought he'd do it but so far so good - and James' bet with all his friends and family has certainly helped his willpower. If he hasn't had a cigarette by 1 May 2005, all the money pledged on his page will be debited and paid to the Refugee Council. If he gives in to temptation, he has promised to pay the entire total to charity himself and it won't cost his friends a penny.
"So there's the incentive. The more you sponsor me, the more a cigarette will cost me, the less likely I am to lapse. So dig deep. You're saving my life," he says on his page.
"Every time I've wanted a cigarette I've thought about the funds that are at stake for charity - and for me. It's been an excellent way of maintaining my willpower. It's not just because I can't afford to match the funds, but I feel a moral obligation to people who have donated to stay off the cigs."
James is the first to admit that he's never going to run a marathon or climb Mount Kilimanjaro - but this page proves that you can raise serious money for charity with any kind of personal challenge. The ability for friends and family to leave messages of support is fun for them and a real encouragement for the person raising money. And the ease of building a page and watching the funds grow makes it an option for people who would never want to go round with a paper sponsorship form.
If you’d like to follow James' brave example and create a page, check our charity guide to see if your charity is already a member of Justgiving and if not, you can nominate them here. We'll tell them you want to raise money for them and if they join us, you can create a page and become another of our fundraising superstars!
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