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Behind the Scenes: Our Winter Warmer Campaign 2024
Have you ever wondered what it takes to pull off a campaign like our Winter Warmer initiative? It’s not just about delivering warm clothes and gifts – it’s a monumental effort filled with problem-solving, logistics, and teamwork. Here’s a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes:
September
We hit the ground running by gathering details from nominated children and schools, sizes for shoes, jackets, and clothes, plus their favourite interests. It’s a massive coordination effort to ensure every detail is correct, and yes, mistakes happen. Sorting through mismatched phone numbers, wrong sizes, or missing info becomes part of our routine.
October
The data comes together in one giant Excel document. Chasing down missing or incorrect details takes patience and persistence. At the same time, we curate an Amazon wish list for warm items, which brings its own set of challenges. Items drop on and off Prime, making items difficult to be delivered to our address, but we make it work.
November
- Fundraising: Our team hosts bucket collections to raise awareness of our campaign and gather donations in partnership with Hub West Scotland.
- Storage: Donations pour in. Thanks to our neighbours at Clyde Bergemann, we have a space to store items – an absolute game-changer being right next door.
- Sorting: Online orders are unpacked, sorted by gender, age, and interest, then moved to our storage space, ready to be packed with care.
December – this is where the magic and madness unfolds.
Week 1 – our team packs each bag with love, ensuring every child receives items they’ll adore. We divide families into delivery routes and prepare everything for distribution. But the work doesn’t stop:
- Last-minute nominations flood in, and we add them to the list.
- We’re out and about buying jackets in shops and collecting donated items for businesses.
- Bags are packed for the schools we work in, ensuring no child is left behind.
Week 2 – it’s delivery week.
- We text families to let them know when to expect their deliveries.
- It’s 9 AM starts to load the cars, van, and even our minibus!
- Inevitably, some deliveries need rescheduling when families aren’t home. Back to the office we go to organise second attempts or collections/drop–offs.
- Social media and phone requests come in, and we adjust the plan, adding bags to routes as needed. A task in it’s own as it’s a constant back fourth of phone calls between our team.
Week 3 – as we move into week 3, we’re not quite there yet, but this week we will focus on reaching out to any missed families and schools. The stragglers week we call it.
All of this happens while our team continues providing regular sessions and festive outings to our families. It’s intense, but our incredible team makes it work, fuelled by the joy of knowing we’re making a real difference.
It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Every bag we deliver represents hours of care, teamwork, and dedication.
To everyone supporting us, thank you. Together, we’re improving life chances.
