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SOFII’s view:
Once again it’s the simple ideas that seem to work best. This concept from the Medical Foundation is not just simple it seems hard to imagine it not being a success in the right hands. As durable, readily replicable fundraising ideas go, this is a great addition to SOFII.
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Name of exhibitor : John Baguley .
Email: john.baguley@ifc.tc
Name of exhibit: The MFCVT immortality auction.
Date of first appearance: 5th December 2000.
Category/area of fundraising: Auctions, special events.
Country of origin: UK.
Summary/objectives:
To raise funds for the public phase of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Tortures capital appeal.
Background:
This event draws on the tradition of authors individually agreeing to name a character in their next book after a charity donor.
Creator/originator: John Baguley.
Special characteristics:
Seven internationally known authors agreed to auction the name of a character in their next book: Hanif Kureisi ,Louis de Bernieres, Sebastian Foulks, Rose Tremain, Kathy Lette, Jim Crace and Nick Hornby.
The event was held at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards and several of the authors were present. It was filmed by both Canadian and Swedish television and achieved national publicity in the press and BBC radio in the UK.
Influence/impact:
This auction captured the public imagination and in subsequent years has been replicated by several organisations, including the Free Tibet Campaign. The Medical Foundation itself has repeated this auction several times.
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Costs: Approx £5000.
Results: Approx £40 000.
Why do you think this exhibit merits a place in SOFII?:
A distinctive event that achieved international publicity and is successfully replicated by several organisations.
Any other relevant information:
This event continues to be a source of income for the Medical Foundation.
