Fundraising event poster
Event poster

Next up in our fundraiser Q&A series is Kev Denny, who has organised a hot line-up for his winter music party at Mono in Glasgow next Friday (18 December) from 7.30pm. Entry is £7, with proceeds going tosupporting our work with refugees in Scotland.

What can people expect from your event?

 A winter music party to warm you up featuring a headline set by much loved Glasgow reggae DJs Argonaut Sounds and live music featuring blues, garage rock and funk performances. There will also be guest speakers from Scottish Refugee Council.  It’s a chance for Glasgow’s refugees and other local Glaswegians to come together and celebrate the city’s passion for music. The idea behind the event was also to showcase the broad range of Glasgow’s music and to avoid sticking to one sound.

Your event in three words?

Party.  Dance.  Solidarity.

What was your motivation for the event?

After I completed the West Highland Way to raise money for the Scottish Refugee Council I wanted to continue to give my time to help. I thought throwing a music party is a fun way to do that.

Have you planned an event like this before?

As a local musician I have performed and organised a lot of music events that have been successful, but I have never tried to put a fundraising night together. It takes a very different approach and underlying it all is a cause and the work the Scottish Refugee Council does.

Luckily there has been a lot of support without which I don’t know how it would have worked out. The venue was really supportive, giving it to us at a low cost. They also helped by displaying posters and set up meetings to plan the event. Argonaut Sounds and the rest of the musicians have been great, giving their time for free. My friend – the graphic designer- Jenni Mercer came up with the poster designs within a day, the posters look amazing and were all free of charge! Scottish Refugee Council have been brilliant collaborators offering a lot of advice. In particular Kirsty White (trust and supporters officer) who listened to my ideas and gave me useful suggestions also helping me print posters and arranging speakers for the event. Some wonderful volunteers will be helping on the day.

What have the biggest challenges in organising the event?

I approached a lot of artists, some who never replied and some were unavailable. I was looking for a well-known headliner, so it was great when the DJS said they were on board. Booking bands and musicians can always take time, so finalising the bill was the trickiest thing. You have to start early at least two months before, also be patient and if someone pulls out keep calm. It’s easy sometimes to go past deadlines, so planning it over two and a half months helped out a lot.

Co-ordinating between venue, charity, musicians and promotion is another big challenge because sometimes you have to wait for replies from one group before you can move on to another. Patience and giving yourself plenty of time to plan is essential. Also, you need to keep positive if you get a knock back or if folk are late to reply.  Sometimes it can be frustrating, but showing patience and persistence to think up solutions when things aren’t working does pay off.

Thanks Kev and everyone involved in organising this event. Find out more about it on Facebook.

If you are organising a fundraiser or doing a challenge to raise funds for Scottish Refugee Council, and would like to be included in one of our blogs, please email us. 

Chris Pettigrew
Author: Chris Pettigrew