The Fundraiser: The Good, the Bad and the Stupid
by C. C. Johannes Peet
The Fundraiser should be compulsory reading for everyone who has recently moved to a new town – especially if it is, as in this case, a fairly small locality where all the old timers know each other.
It’s easy enough to relate to Hans Peet’s story. The newcomer goes to a public meeting. In this case, it’s for a sports centre, but it could just as easily be for the Scouts, the Coast Guard, the Squash Club, the Museum… they all need to raise funds. The newcomer, still bursting with the energy that he (or she) needed in their old life in the city, finds the meeting dull. Instead of leaving the meeting, in a rash moment of exasperation, he puts up a hand and volunteers to run a fundraiser surf casting competition – something he has never done before! His life is about to change for ever.
What follows is compelling reading – and this is a true story. The newcomer has to prove to himself and the town that he can do it and do it better than everyone expects. Some of the locals are supportive, encouraging the fundraiser every step of the way and warning him of possible hitches. Others couldn’t be more obstructive, some sulk, others prophesy failure and others go out of their way to jeopardise the event. The fundraiser has to deal with personalities that he never expected to encounter as well as keeping up with his to do list. Even Mother Nature has a role.
The newcomer digs deep, calling in some favours, chasing up contacts, finding inner resources he didn’t even know he had. The book could be subtitled “How to organise a fundraising event”. Everything the reader learns about organising a surf casting competition can be transferred to any fundraising venture. Peet’s experience is a massive learning curve and with the event drawing nearer and nearer, the reader will want him to succeed. But will he? And will he succeed the following year? Will there be high fives or wounds to lick, or both?
Peet writes in a chatty style but the dynamics of a small-town community is exposed in sharp and witty clarity.
By way of a disclaimer, Peet states that most of the names in this story – presumably of the bad and the stupid – have been changed. I certainly hope so as otherwise Peet will definitely be a marked man.
by C. C. Johannes Peet
The Fundraiser should be compulsory reading for everyone who has recently moved to a new town – especially if it is, as in this case, a fairly small locality where all the old timers know each other.
It’s easy enough to relate to Hans Peet’s story. The newcomer goes to a public meeting. In this case, it’s for a sports centre, but it could just as easily be for the Scouts, the Coast Guard, the Squash Club, the Museum… they all need to raise funds. The newcomer, still bursting with the energy that he (or she) needed in their old life in the city, finds the meeting dull. Instead of leaving the meeting, in a rash moment of exasperation, he puts up a hand and volunteers to run a fundraiser surf casting competition – something he has never done before! His life is about to change for ever.
What follows is compelling reading – and this is a true story. The newcomer has to prove to himself and the town that he can do it and do it better than everyone expects. Some of the locals are supportive, encouraging the fundraiser every step of the way and warning him of possible hitches. Others couldn’t be more obstructive, some sulk, others prophesy failure and others go out of their way to jeopardise the event. The fundraiser has to deal with personalities that he never expected to encounter as well as keeping up with his to do list. Even Mother Nature has a role.
The newcomer digs deep, calling in some favours, chasing up contacts, finding inner resources he didn’t even know he had. The book could be subtitled “How to organise a fundraising event”. Everything the reader learns about organising a surf casting competition can be transferred to any fundraising venture. Peet’s experience is a massive learning curve and with the event drawing nearer and nearer, the reader will want him to succeed. But will he? And will he succeed the following year? Will there be high fives or wounds to lick, or both?
Peet writes in a chatty style but the dynamics of a small-town community is exposed in sharp and witty clarity.
By way of a disclaimer, Peet states that most of the names in this story – presumably of the bad and the stupid – have been changed. I certainly hope so as otherwise Peet will definitely be a marked man.
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: The Fundraiser: The Good, the Bad and the Stupid
Author: C. C. Johannes Peet
Publisher: DIY Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 978-0-473-57701-8
RRP: paperback $20 incl. post in NZ via [email protected]
Available: Author or Amazon for paperback & ebook
Author: C. C. Johannes Peet
Publisher: DIY Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 978-0-473-57701-8
RRP: paperback $20 incl. post in NZ via [email protected]
Available: Author or Amazon for paperback & ebook
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