Donna Bentley, is a bit of an expert when it comes to putting on a fundraising event!
Over the last few years Donna has raised around £3,500 for our charity, through her combined Bake Sale & Prize Raffle events. A staff member at Autism Together since 2021, for the last three years Donna’s been a Team Leader at one of our residential services, Weatherstones Court, in Wirral.
She did her first big fundraiser for our charity in 2024 and has another coming up in August, but Donna is no stranger to getting involved and helping out good causes, having masterminded a number of events previously.
Donna worked at Bromborough’s Village Hotel when she came up with her Bake Sale/Raffle concept and the hotel were only too happy to let her stage the event there – and they continue to be held there to this day.
The scale of the event that Donna puts together is very impressive. Firstly, the sheer scale of delicious-looking cakes that catch the eye of anyone coming into or out of the Village Hotel, means it’s hard for people not to wander in and buy a box full!
Donna is a skilled baker and so most of the cakes on sale are her own creations. Family and friends also donate cakes and some are shop-bought. Once they’re all out on display, it is a very impressive sight and certainly difficult for anyone with the slightest hint of a sweet tooth to resist.
But prior to the bake-fest beginning, Donna organises all the prizes for her mega raffle. It’s a big job – one that, for this year’s raffle, she started back in February. It’s just a case of being politely persistent, speaking to or emailing the right person at the right company, and following up with them.
“I’ve got 40 prizes so far, and companies are still getting in touch, so it could be more. With it being such a big Bake Sale last year, we sold 1,000 raffle tickets. So you don’t want to have just a small amount of prizes when you’re selling quite a lot of tickets. So, I try and get a lot of prizes, so it makes it worthwhile for people to buy into.”
In terms of the types of company Donna contacts, they tend to be family-friendly places – restaurants, trampoline parks, cinemas; places people can go with their loved ones. Her top prize is an overnight stay at The Village Hotel with £50 meal voucher.
Donna explains that a lot of the companies who have donated previously are happy to be involved again. She makes sure she gives out the official charity number so that companies can check everything is above board, and she promises to tag them in on any social media publicity she does for the event and raffle. Saying thank you, publicly, is important too.
When it comes to the big day itself, it’s all hands on deck as Donna drafts in family and friends to help man the stall and serve the beverages. With support from the Village Hotel, Donna is able to offer a free tea or coffee to everyone who buys a cake. It pays to get down to the bake sale early though as the cakes, especially the homemade ones, tend to sell out quickly!
Donna reckons she raised about £1,600 in 2024 and followed that up with around £2,400 in 2025. So, where does the money go to?
The funds that Donna raises go directly back into the pot for Weatherstones Court, to benefit the people we support living there. The money goes into new activities, equipment, and games for the people we support to enjoy all year round. “We bought loads of garden games or big games, so the people we support can go in the garden in the summer and play games,” says Donna.
“I think this year, with the money we’re raising, I’m hoping to buy a weighing chair, because some of the people we support can’t get on scales or won’t get on scales. So, we’re looking to get our own weighing chair to make it a bit easier for them. So it’s not too stressful.
“Also we’ve got the garden. One of our team leaders, she’s started a gardening club. So, we’re going to put some money into that and buy greenhouses so we can grow our own vegetables and fruits – so it promotes self-growing within the building as well.”
Donna goes on to explain how the people we support benefit in different ways from the items and activities the fundraising helps to provide. Having communal games and activities improves connections between residents and creates more of a family feeling throughout the service, which is good for everyone’s wellbeing.
“We do birthday parties for everyone’s birthdays, or those who enjoy birthday parties. They’ve become really successful. Nearly everyone comes down to them now. So, having 15 people who are all different personalities attending, it’s great.”
It’s not too long now until Donna’s 2026 fundraiser, with this year’s event taking place on August 3rd (from 10.30am) at The Village Hotel. Donna’s daughter Katelyn, who also works for Autism Together, will be helping out, alongside Donna’s mum and colleagues from Weatherstone’s Court. Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance from Donna or from Sarah Atherton in the Fundraising Team at Autism Together.
“I just like doing it. I just feel it’s my way of giving back. My mum’s always done charity work and everyone looks up to her. So, I just treat people how I want to be treated and, you know, I just think it’s a positive way to be in life.”
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