Zumbathon - a fun way to find funds

An Cosán Zumbathon

An Cosán, a women's centre for learning, leadership and social enterprise based in Jobstown, Tallaght, have taken to some innovative ways to raise money.

Aisling Freeman has a voluntary fundraising role with the organisation. “We hope to do at least two fundraisers a year,” she says, “In 2011, we held a do in the Maldron Hotel which was very successful. We raised €6,000.” 

Her most recent fundraising activity with the group was a Guinness World Record attempt, which took place in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on February 12th.

Country will be clean as a whistle shortly

A scrap metal collection

- Communities hoovering up scrap metal to raise funds

Keeping a local community organisation or sports club going can be a costly affair and many took to collecting scrap metal this year to raise money. GAA clubs led the way and the idea spread like wildfire because donating costs nothing for local residents and it’s financially rewarding for the clubs.

Steel, for instance, has seen its value shoot up from €30 to €220 per tonne in less than 12 months. Portmarnock Community School collected scrap to raise funds for a project in Lesotho. Meelin GAA Club in Co. Cork also jumped on the idea. So too did Castleisland Soccer Club. The list goes on.

The first to notice the skyrocketing prices were criminal gangs and across the country they’ve stolen everything from beerkegs to bronzeworks. But in Donegal for instance, it is the GAA that is doing best from the rising prices by holding ‘Scrap Saturday’ collections.