“Utterly bowled over!!!” was how Sarah Hamilton, the founder of the Just A Card campaign described how she feels, having absolutely smashed all of its targets for an ambitious Crowdfunder. “I’m finally coming to terms with being someone who uses a lot of exclamation marks !!!!!”
Taking what Sarah recognised was a bold “it’s now or never” decision, she launched a Crowdfunder to raise much needed funds for the grassroots volunteer-led initiative which supports independent shops, designers and small businesses, enabling it to improve the resources it provides.
Attracting phenomenal support right from the off, reaching its initial target of raising £10,000 in just one day (to pay for new and updated posters for retailers, as well as a website revamp and pitch in towards the running costs), Sarah then set a second target, to get to 1,000 backers.
With a day in hand before the Crowdfunder came to close, over £23,000 had been raised as a result of donations from almost 1,400 supporters.
As Sarah explains “Just A Card is a call to action! By using cards as an example, the message reminds people that all sales however small, just a card, just a book, just a gift keep independents in business – and they are so worth it and enrich our lives.”
In the five years since it began, the campaign has made such a big impact because it goes further than simply saying ‘Shop Local’ – it makes people think. Now some 17,000 shops and galleries all over the world display the Just A Card sticker in their windows helping to increase awareness and its Indie Week activity has received widespread acclaim.
Work is now underway on designing the new Just A Card resources. Initially these will be available on the current website, but will be transferred to a sparkly new website once it has been built.
