How to run brilliant fundraising events and grow a social enterprise with Rob Cairns, Fund A Fest

FUNDED: Brilliant Entrepreneurs and Founders

"Rattle a tin in someone's face and you might get a pound, but if someone's having fun you might end up getting a lot more money for a good cause," says Rob Cairns, founder of Fund A Fest CIC. His business, a social enterprise, helps charities, community groups and social enterprises create fundraising events.
Fund A Fest launched in 2019 after the "world had changed" when Rob was ill and subsequently diagnosed with Lyme disease. This pushed Rob to want to work for himself with charitable and community-focused organisations.
He draws on a team of hundreds of independent artists, musicians, re-enactors, artisans, living history specialists, street performers, mural artists, funfair rides and local businesses to deliver fantastic and memorable events that raise vital funds for his clients.
Rob has used BEF finance for both startup and business growth to support large capital expenditures, which he covers in this episode, along with great tips about running effective fundraising events, and:
• why organisations shouldn't be selfish when it comes to fundraising
• what Rob valued about the Start-Up Loan scheme and about working with BEF
• his background working in banking as a financial consultant and his concerns about "computer says no"
• the skills and experience Rob brought to his business
• why community centres, charities and other organisations use event management services
• being a member of the Armed Forces Covenant and working with Point North and Historic England
• plans to secure a depot and deliver training and apprenticeships, and to expand in other ways
• an invitation to larger businesses to partner with Fund A Fest
What next?

• More about Fund A Fest CIC https://fundafest.co.uk/about-event/
• Event videos and photos on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/fundafest1/
• More about the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF): https://www.befund.org/about

FUNDED: Brilliant Entrepreneurs and Founders is a podcast by the Business Enterprise Fund a social enterprise dedicated to breaking the "finance shackles" faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises & social enterprises.
Find BEF online at https://www.befund.org and on LInkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-enterprise-fund/
• This podcast is produced and edited by Jamie Veitch https://www.jamieveitch.co.uk/
• The music is "Aerosol of my Love" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Artwork design by Research Retold https://www.researchretold.com