Watershed’s Big Give Campaign
Tue 3 - Tue 10 Dec
Our 2024 Big Give Match Funding Campaign takes place between 3 and 10th Dec and we are raising money for Make Shift, our programme which supports around 600 young people a year to develop a creative career.
Between Tue 3 and Tue 10 December any donations received via the Big Give website will go to support this work. The first £5,000 in donations will be doubled, at no extra cost to you.
You can make your donation here.
Why support Make Shift?
Young people across the UK face significant barriers to starting a career in Film, Media and Creative Technology. There are insufficient paid opportunities and little support for young people to progress their careers in the creative industries. There is also a lack of inclusion around class, ethnicity and disability.
Make Shift addresses this by providing a space for young people from across Bristol to:
- Receive advice from people already working in the sector
- Develop the practical and business skills they will need
- Meet up with others also exploring a creative career
- Find out the best way for them to become a freelancer or start their own business
Help us to unlock more funding for Make Shift
A donation to our Make Shift Big Give campaign will enable us to offer:
- family workshops and screenings,
- free monthly meet ups for creatives at the start of their career,
- work experience for year 10-13 students,
- in school workshops and experience days
- and creative camps/residencies.
The Big Give campaign is unique for Watershed because the first £5,000 of donations received between 3 and 10 Dec will be doubled, helping us to reach our fundraising goal of raising £10,000 towards the costs of offering Make Shift.
Thank you for joining us in opening up creative careers for all young people in Bristol,
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Big Give?
The Big Give’s “Christmas Challenge” runs for a week from 3rd December, and is the UK’s biggest match-funded campaign. For seven days, the challenge offers supporters of participating charities the opportunity to double their donations. When the public donates to a charity through a Big Give campaign, funders (philanthropists, foundations or corporates) match that donation. Many UK charities take part making it a big week of fundraising across the country.
Find out more about the Big Give at donate.biggive.org
How will my donation be doubled?
Earlier this year we contacted some of our previous donors and asked them if they would join a small group which would contribute to our match funding pot. They pledged to give £2,500. We also applied to The Big Give and their Champion Funders have reviewed our application and added another £2,500 to this pot. This means that the first £5,000 that we raise will be doubled.
What happens if you don’t raise the same amount as the match fund pot?
If we only raised £2,500 the match funding would come from our group of supporters who pledged to give earlier this summer. £2,500 is 50% of the total pledged. So each supporter will give 50% of what they’ve pledged.
If we raised £4,500 the first £2,500 will be matched by our group of supporters and then the remaining £2,000 will be given from the Big Give Champions.
What happens if you raise more than the match fund pot?
If we raise more than £5,000 any donations received above this amount will not be doubled.
Can you still fund Make Shift f you don’t raise the full amount?
Our Make Shift programme, is an important part of our core work. Each year the work costs more than the minimum of £10,000 we hope to raise, and we have designed this campaign to contribute towards the work rather than fully pay for it. If we raise less, then we will still use the money donated for Make Shift and if we raise more, then we will still use it for this purpose.
How can I find out more about Make Shift?
Visit the Make Shift section of our website - https://www.watershed.co.uk/projects/makeshift - which give more information about what Make Shift is or follow Make Shift on Instagram.
Who can I contact to find out more?
If you have any questions about the Big Give campaign or your donation, please contact Kat Watts (Watershed’s Development Manager) by calling 07874 879 889 or by emailing kat.w@watershed.co.uk.
Visit the Big Give Portal here.