10 Ideas To Kickstart (And Continue) Your Ambassador Journey

Why should you become a London Nightline Ambassador? Apart from the snazzy title, you will help Nightline reach out to more students within your university. You can also fundraise to aid Nightline in the important work that it does, while gaining invaluable experience.

After some contemplation, you are convinced. You would like to represent London Nightline at your university. However, you might think you have little or no experience in publicity or fundraising and are not sure where to start. But with training, your enthusiasm and the following list, you will have no reason to worry.

List of Possible Events or as I like to call it, How to Ambassador?

1)  Social Media Campaign

In today’s world where a majority of the students have access to social media, tweets and posts can be the biggest publicity assets to reach as many people as possible. The set-up is relatively simple: think of a fun and relevant social media campaign and try to get it viral. Ask your friends, family, neighbours, flatmates, fellow commuters and anyone else you can think of to participate and share it. The official social media platforms of London Nightline will be happy to help, as well as with any other events organised. Some examples of successful campaigns in the past have included a Q&A on Facebook, #pjsfornightline and #askNL.

2)    The Other Kinds of Media

Perhaps you feel that you cannot contain your enthusiasm within Twitter’s 140 characters? You could contact the magazines and newspapers of your university and write an article to spread the word about London Nightline. You could also get in touch with your university radio and organise a segment around Mental Health and London Nightline.

      

3)    Bear Hug Events

The description of this quintessential London Nightline event is in the name. You invite Nightline’s champion hugger and mascot, Neville, to provide students with a warm, friendly hug. His hugging skills have won him many awards over the years*. This presents a great photo opportunity as well as a chance for you to talk to students about what Nightline can offer them. Couple this with a social media campaign and you will have a hit on your hands.
*May be anecdotal

4)    Tea/Coffee Mornings

What better way to get the attention of bleary eyed students in the morning than offering them their caffeine fix in return for a quick chat about Nightline? Jazz it up with biscuits or cakes if you wish. This event has been run successfully by various organisations, most notably Macmillan.  

5)    A ‘TEDx’ Style Event
You could organise a mini-conference, inviting internal and/or external speakers to talk about Mental Health. The event can be further enhanced by introducing interactive workshops aimed at taking care of students’ mental health. 

6)    Confessions of a Student Campaign
‘Confessions’ is another popular Nightline event. On a postcard, students can write a confession – it can be anything: big, small, funny, serious etc. This reflects the ethos of Nightline: anyone can call in, no matter what their problem is. Confessions can be anonymously posted on London Nightline’s social media accounts to increase the publicity range. This event closely follows the principle of another global campaign, Post Secret.

7)    Personal Challenges A.K.A Sponsored Events
Is there something you’ve wanted to do for a while but have always been a little scared or busy to do it? Why not take it up as a challenge and raise money for Nightline at the same time? You could also rope in friends or family to give you company. It could be any event; a marathon, bike ride or the toughest challenge of them all: switching your phone off for a day, to name a few. There are a number of websites that can aid you in organising donations such as JustGiving.

8)    Bake Sale

A bake sale is one of the simplest ways to fundraise and promote Nightline. The nation’s love of all things baked has been reignited ever since Mary Berry graced our television screens with the Great British Bake-off, so why not try this simple recipe for cupcakes inspired by our beloved mascot, Neville?

.Recipe Here

9)    Grants

You can apply to the government, local councils or charities to obtain grant money, from as little as £50 up to £3000. While an application might seem a little daunting, Nightline will provide you with the necessary support. Another plus: this can be done from the comfort of your own room.

10) Miscellaneous Fundraising Events

There are a number of ways you can fundraise that are not just limited to collection buckets. Ticketed charity events such as Battle of the Bands, bowling, go karting etc are another great option. You could also contact other societies at your university and collaborate with them in organising a fundraising event.  

As an Ambassador, you will be expected to do a minimum of two events a term. Any one of the above ideas would count as an event, but feel free to get creative and remember to have fun! London Nightline will support you throughout with training, information, publicity materials as well as providing a small budget where necessary. If you have any queries, you can always turn to the friendly Ambassador’s Officer or the Coordinator. By being a part of the lovely London Nightline family, you will get a chance to work alongside your peers who are passionate about mental health and want to make a difference.

For more information about the programme, visit the website. The 2015/2016 application form can be found here.

Best Wishes,

Gauri