Festivals / Feature
The social enterprise promising light at the end of the tunnel
With the cost of living crisis causing disruptions to many people’s lives and with the news being as bleak as it is, it’s hard not to feel completely useless at the moment.
The festival industry has been hit particularly hard with many people now enduring a price hike in tickets due to supply chain shortages.
The average rise in festival production costs is currently 25% – 30%, making it very difficult for festival lovers to fork out the money to attend some of their favourite events.
is needed now More than ever
My Cause is aiming to close this gap in order to help both festival-goers and charities throughout these difficult times.
A social enterprise set up in 2015, My Cause raises money for UK charities through volunteers donating their time at festivals.
A community full of volunteers raising money for charity. photo: My Cause
In 2022, the company raised £36K for over 300 charities across the UK via My Cause making donations on volunteers’ behalf.
For the price of one returnable deposit, volunteers gain access to their pick of some of the independent festivals across the UK and in return the company will make a cash donation to the charity of your choice.
Not only has the cost of living crisis made it harder for people on the breadline, it has also made it harder for those in a position to help, with a record 18% drop in average household disposable income.
My Cause aims to help both the charity sector as well as the festival industry by offering festival roles to volunteers.
From stewarding and gates, eco-bonds to box offices, car parks to programme sales and anything in-between, no task is too big or too small.
You get to attend festivals and support a charity of your choice. photo: My Cause
Director of the CIC, Rob Wilkonson says: “Volunteers are vital to help make festivals happen, but when I founded My Cause in 2015 the increasing commercialisation of festivals made it feel like the model was in need of a refresh as it didn’t feel very fair.
“I felt it was vital for each volunteer to choose a charity close to their heart to support when donating their time, rather than just getting into the event for free. Making charity donations on our volunteers behalf is a huge privilege, our volunteers have raised over £175,000 for countless UK charities.”
Not only do you get to attend a range of festivals, you are also able to support a cause that means a lot to you.
In hard times such as these, it’s a positive step forward that company’s such as My Cause allow you access to some of the most exciting events this festival season.
Find out more about the volunteer opportunities at https://mycauseuk.com/volunteer/
Main photo: courtesy of My Cause
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- The festivals are female
- There’s more to festivals than just music
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