After two cancelled fundraisers and a location change during COVID-19, family-focused charity Roundabout Canberra, is thinking outside the box to get back on the local radar.
Next week will see the charity’s first Instagram auction, selling off around $5,000 worth of donations received from over 50 businesses.
Roundabout Canberra founder Hannah Andrevski said the auction hoped to raise much-needed funds, after estimating the organisation had lost out on upwards of $10,000 due to missed events and donations during pandemic restrictions.
“We were hoping to run two events this year, but like so many other charities, we weren’t able to during COVID,” she said.
“We are trying to be proactive, bring some fundraising dollars in and give people a chance to have fun, but in good faith just don’t want to risk getting a whole bunch of people in a room.
“We are a true grassroots charity with a shoestring budget. That money would have gone a long way for us, so it has had quite an impact.”
The charity accepts pre-loved baby and family items, cleans, sorts and safety checks them, and then hand them on to women and families in need.
From 6 to 8 November, bids will be welcomed on donated items through the roundabout_auction Instagram page, with the highest bidder at the end of the two days taking home their item.
The range of items includes locally made jewellery, a family pass to the National Dinosaur Museum, a family photos voucher, or a trip to Two Before Ten for breakfast and a coffee.
In the lead up to the event, the Roundabout Canberra held several giveaways, including a $100 goodie box from Bruce Super Convenience, to drive traffic onto the Instagram page ahead of the auction.
Ms Andrevski said the auction was a welcomed event after a tough year for the charity.
“It’s been really tough. We were based in a sports club and when lockdown came into effect, we had 24 hours’ notice that it would be closing down,” she said.
“We had to relocate and had luckily already started a conversation with the ACT Government to give us a space in Holt.
“We also had to close material donations and close to our volunteers while things were so uncertain.”
After running on skeleton staff during this time, Roundabout Canberra has now returned to its regular operations and is facing an increase in demand for its services and those of its partners.
Ms Andrevski said the auction funds would help the charity continue its return to ‘normal’.
“Anything we could raise would be great. We often talk about how it costs us about $100 to help one family so anything counts,” she said.
Roundabout Canberra has now reopened its doors to material donations as well as volunteers, with more information online for anyone who would like to get involved.
