NCFE’s aspiring leaders are participating in the Million Makers challenge after a successful pitch to a Dragons’ Den panel, who commended the team for their “passion, enthusiasm, expertise and determination.”
The competition, run by the Prince’s Trust and supported by Capita, is an “entrepreneurial fundraising challenge” where teams must make £10,000 from £1,500 in seed funding, with all proceeds going to charity. The scheme, set up in 2008, has raised over £5 million for charity to date.
The pitch followed a regional launch day and months of planning, where teams put their heads together to come up with a winning idea before presenting to the Dragons. Going forward, the teams will have six months to turn their funding into £10,000, attending a Half Way Celebration midway through the fundraising, before the Regional Finals are held to announce the winner. Regional winners will then be invited to National finals to compete with the best of the best. It’s not all about winning; other awards include most Innovative and Entrepreneurial Team and Outstanding Individuals.
A number of other businesses pitched to the Dragons, including Capita, St Thomas More School, ISS, Arup and Ryder Architecture. The NCFE team is comprised of members of Shine, a leadership programme designed to develop our upcoming managerial talent.
Our aspiring leaders pitched an idea to the Dragons that will support young people into employment; a USB wristband full of materials designed to guide the learner through their journey into employment. Other fundraising ideas included bespoke landmark prints, a craft beer, and a number of high-profile events.
The volunteer panel comprised of high-flying businesspeople dedicated to guiding the fundraising groups through the process, and included patrons of The Prince’s Trust David Harper and Alison Morgan; Arup Director, Nick Merridew; founder of Asian Business Connexions, Ammar Mirza; NCFE HR Director, Lisa Thompson; founder of Simpsons Business Solutions, David Simpson; chair of North East Leadership Group, Roy Sandbach; Coutts Senior Client Partner, David Simpson and Senior Lecturers of Northumbria University, Lucy Hatt and Nicola Patterson.
The six months of fundraising officially began on 1 August 2015, and we wish all teams the best of luck!
