Shall I run a personal development day?

[miriam]

I was thinking about running a personal development day, with 12 places on offer. I don't want to do it as a profit making thing, as that doesn't really fit with my ethics right now, but I could do it to raise money for charity. I wondered the best way to do that. I thought I could put places as prizes through the raffle and/or give places to people who have made a minimum donation to the charity. Would that have appeal to anyone?

[BenJMan]

I was thinking about running a personal development day, with 12 places on offer. I don't want to do it as a profit making thing, as that doesn't really fit with my ethics right now, but I could do it to raise money for charity. I wondered the best way to do that. I thought I could put places as prizes through the raffle and/or give places to people who have made a minimum donation to the charity. Would that have appeal to anyone?

Sounds intriguing!

[miriam]

I'm thinking whether I should set this up in February, now I've got two offices we can use as break-out spaces. Maybe have some mock interviews, some group tasks, a chance to get people reflecting on their experience. It might be fun!

[Gilly]

i think you would be missing fingers as people bit for them.

[russ]

Would be happy to give my time if expenses could be covered.

[sarahg]

This sounds really interesting!
What sort of people would it be suitable for e.g. graduates, APs etc.?

[noodle]

February would be a really good time to do it. I agree that you may well get your fingers bitten off though!

[Peach]

I'd definitely be interested and February seems like an ideal time.

[miriam]

Shall we aim at Monday 20th February at my offices near Milton Keynes? We could do 9:30 until 4:30 with a light buffet lunch which I will donate. We will 'sell' 11 tickets at £25 each (donated direct to the little lives appeal with a gift aid declaration if possible), with 100% of the funds going to the Little Lives Appeal to expand the neonatal unit at Milton Keynes General Hospital. The final ticket can go as a prize in the 100 raffle, to force us to draw the raffle by the end of January.

If you want to book your place then PM me and I can send you a link for your donation and a booking form, and you can forward the donation receipt with the completed form to me by email to reserve your place. As it is for charity there will be no refunds for booked places, but you are welcome to find a replacement for yourself if you are unable to come on the day, provided we are given information about who to expect.

Russ, thanks for your offer. I've got a couple of local colleagues who can help out for free, and I'm a bit anxious about eating into what will be a comparatively small pot for the charity, so can I say that we'll manage without you unless we are over-subscribed enough to want to run a larger day or split it onto a second date?

[cleather]

Hi Miriam,
What a generous offer! I would love to come to your personal development day in Feb. I live in Cornwall and have 3 young children so cannot be sure that I can come, although I am determined. However, I am so struck by your altruism that I am happy to consider the £25 a donation and you can resell my place if I don't manage to get there. I will pm you now.

[miriam]

Okie dokie, well I've got a booking form made up now, so if you want a place do PM me to get the link and then return it ASAP. Hopefully it can be an enjoyable day, as well as a chance to gain some new skills and useful feedback, and raise funds for a worthwhile cause.

To answer sarahg13's question: We'll obviously tailor the day to the needs of the people who are coming, but I would expect it to be most relevant to those applying for doctoral courses this year, but will also be relevant to anyone currently applying for competitive posts (such as AP roles) or planning to apply for the doctorate in the near future.

[schizometric]

Sounds like a grand idea. Reckon you could do several though as there'll be loads of interest!

[workingmama]

I wouldn't be able to get down there (mostly due to children, but also the combination of paid work, voluntary work and freelance work I'm doing right now), but I wanted to say that I'm green with envy at your attendees, and also how much I admire your commitment to supporting the unit that helped your twins. I know you asked for a donation when you kindly looked at my form this year, and I see you're training for free to raise further funds here. You rock!

[miriam]

Thanks Workingmama. I figured it would be a fun day, and its a bonus if the Little Lives Appeal get closer to their target because of it.

There are currently 7 places left

[BenJMan]

I'd love to but even if I could get work to give me the day off, the 3-4 hour drive each way makes it impossible for me to do it in a day and they definitely won't give me 2 days off! Jealous.