Canada WHO
Founded in 1999 by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter Bob Wilson and his wife Megs, the Willow Foundation creates bespoke and life-changing experiences for seriously ill young adults and their loved ones.
The 2024 Willow Ball marked the foundation’s 25th anniversary—a milestone gala with profound significance. It was not only a celebration of Willow’s achievements but also the first event held since the passing of its co-founder, Megs Wilson. The Willow events team were determined to deliver a flawless evening that honoured Megs’ legacy and the foundation’s impact over the past quarter-century.
Hosted at The Dorchester in London, the event was elevated to match the occasion. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous three-course meal, a performance from a Bollywood dance troupe, and live music from Alfie Boe, Mica Paris, and Fully FunKtional who closed out the evening. To maximize fundraising, the evening included a raffle, a silent auction, and a live auction. The silent auction, launched a week before the event through the Givergy platform, helped build excitement and spotlight the live auction items—raising an impressive £10,000 before the evening even began.
Fundraising Challenges
The 2023 Willow Ball welcomed 185 guests, but in 2024, the foundation saw an extraordinary increase, hosting 330 attendees. Scaling up brought challenges but Willow were prepared, having planned extensively beforehand and through using volunteers effectively – it helped to ensure the night ran smoothly and guests received the support they needed.
However, the biggest challenge wasn’t logistics—it was making sure every guest felt connected to the cause. Organisers focused on ensuring the message of the evening was clear and impactful. From branded elements on the fundraising platform to screens around the venue reinforcing Willow’s mission, continuity of messaging was a priority. Deeply emotive moments, including an appeal film from Willow beneficiary, Ashley, who also spoke on the night alongside her husband, , helped crystalize the foundation’s message even further.
Event Highlights
Ashley’s heartfelt speech on stage was a powerful and emotional moment, bringing Willow’s mission into sharp focus and leaving a lasting impression on all in attendance. Alfie Boe also delivered an unforgettable performance, raising the excitement in the room at just the right moments and keeping guests fully engaged.
But from a fundraising perspective, the live auction was the standout success. Willow set an ambitious target to raise £130,000 through the live auction and it exceeded all expectations, raising an incredible £230,000—a testament to the generosity of their supporters and the benefit of drawing attention to the live auction lots prior to the event via their Givergy platform.
Results:
The Willow Ball was a resounding success. In total Willow raised over £300,000 in net income.
TOP TIP
Event organisers found the choice of venue to be incredibly important for this event. The venue set the tone and ultimately ended up encouraging higher donations on the night.
Willow’s second top tip is to be prepared to adapt on the night. Ensuring that giving is as seamless as possible is crucial, and tools like automated bidding increments on the Givergy platform are invaluable. On the night guests were giving more enthusiastically than anticipated and the value of the bidding increments could have been increased, that would have potentially raised the foundation even more.
Willow Foundation’s final tip is to stay in touch with guests consistently, even during the event. The Willow Foundation sent out automated reminders through their Givergy platform as the auction was happening, updating guests about items that had been bid on and even items without any bids at all!
“The great thing about Givergy is that we could plan and schedule all of our automated comms ahead of the night, so that we could focus on providing guests with a fantastic experience. In addition, the look and feel of the platform is great and having the branded leaderboards on relay screens around the room, allowed us to be consistent with our branding across the whole event.”
