Fundraisers - New & Experienced

Hello dear reader, 

This is a little different to our usual volunteer posts. I want to take the opportunity to connect and be as frank as I can be. My name's Ella, I've volunteered with Prospero Theatre for many years and I currently work 6 hours a week for the organisation.

In many ways, it's already a massive achievement that Prospero is still open.

We've been horrified to see organisations delivering vital services to people that need them the most go under. We are doing everything in our power to ensure the same doesn't happen to us, but we need help. 

To the outside eye, Prospero Theatre is a wholesome, inclusive arts organisations where people with disabilities and mental health challenges come and get creative. On the inside, it's so much more than that. 

I could tell you about the member who would spot when I was getting stressed long before I would, who would lead me in a grounding exercise and then carry on playing. He loved playing people of high status, the more corrupt the better. He's no longer with us now, but I am deeply grateful I got to witness a man who had been written off as 'a vegetable' have a voice, make decisions and have fun. 

I could tell you about the neuro-specialist from a top London university who, on the spot donated £500 of their own money, declaring that what they had seen 'shouldn't be possible' because of the profound needs of our members. 

I could tell you how for many, Prospero is their social life. It's the only place they get to go to. How the team works tirelessly to make sure no one gets left behind, even when we're operating at full capacity, by creating social events and making days that anyone can drop into. 

Instead, I would like to share a little of my own experience with you. 

I arrived as a volunteer 8 years ago at Friday Club, where members spend a year devising a show. They do everything from writing and blocking the script, to upcycling props, set and costume. I was only meant to be volunteering once a month for 6 months, but found myself there every Friday, even when I was living two hours away. I'd had loved ones with autism and down syndrome and I'd also taught drama workshops before. How different could this be? Turns out, very. 

Here are my top 2 reasons why I love Prospero and would love for you to help us stay open:

1. Belonging

Loneliness is on the up and we all know how important it is to connect with others. At Prospero, there's no 'us' and 'them' when it comes to the volunteers and members. I often don't know what someone's formal diagnosis is, unless they've chosen to share it with me. That's because we see the person, not the label they come with. At Prospero we view everyone as having inherent worth. Whenever a creative decision is to be made, we consider that we don't all have access to the same ways of expressing, and take care to tune in. We celebrate one another's achievements, big and small and where people might face judgement because of the clothes they wear, who they date, or their religious beliefs - Prospero is a place of radical acceptance, not just of who you are, but who you are today. 

 2. Mindfulness Magic

It's easy for the arts world to feel a bit woo-woo but our artistic director is interested in science and proven methodologies which she harnesses, uses and shares in seeming abundance. I've learned tools that have helped me manage anxiety and helped me perform at my best in my professional life. Volunteers can train up in MindFitness (a blend of CBT and Mindfulness), we use the tools in our work and we've also run more than 50 free mindfulness zoom sessions for our members, which anyone is welcome to attend. 

We have a PLETHORA of opportunities for people with and without disabilities and mental health challenges to get involved. We work with adults and young people, make artistic work and socialise, believing that one feeds the other. 

If you have experience in fundraising, you know what's happening. In order to get half the funding, we're having to jump through twice as many hoops, all whilst the needs of our service users have gone up dramatically, as other services have been cut, along with personal independence payments. 

We need help finding funds. Please get in touch with us if you have experience in writing funding applications (or have any wealthy friends!)

If you've got experience, that's a massive help. If not, and we can get a small group together of people who want to learn, we can organise training. 

Thanks for taking the time to read, we hope to hear from you soon! 

Ella

What skills do I need?

*Fundraising