Barka UK was established in June 2007 and is affiliated with the Barka Foundation for Mutual Help, which for over twenty years has been working in Poland to help excluded and vulnerable members of the community. Among its many projects, Barka Poland has developed vocational schools for the unemployed and a programme of accessible housing and self-sufficient communities in the countryside, as well as numerous social enterprises. 

 

Objectives

As the organisation celebrated its 7th birthday in August 2014, our mission was to create a memorable, well-executed event that would receive press coverage and attract new sponsors.

 

Campaign 

We provided Barka UK with comprehensive PR and event management services: we chose and secured the venue, hired catering services and staff, and planned the fundraising auction. We reached to Polish artists and celebrities, who provided items to be auctioned, including works by Piotr and Paweł Sochacki, merchandise signed by famous athletes, jewellery and more. We invited Alice Zawadzki to perform a cello concert for the event’s guests. Finally, we secured sponsorship deals and media coverage, and personally supervised the event on-site to ensure its success.

 

Results

The birthday party prove to be a hit event: it saw many guests, who were keen to participate in the fundraising auction, hosted by actor Kamil Lemiszewski. The audience was particularly interested in purchasing an invitation for a tea with Lord Roberts of Llandudno in the House of Lords. As a results, the organisation collected 965 pounds for their future charity endeavours. Numerous prominent Polish media wrote pieces on the event, published inter alia on news websites reaching Polish communities across the United Kingdom, such as Londynek and Goniec.

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