Steps 12 - 13: Get stuck in, do it and have fun!


Don't forget to keep a journal of what happens. You could also take plenty of photos or make a film of the project. This will help you get publicity for your action club and for its projects, especially with the local press. This can be a great way to inspire others to either join your action club or start others.

Step 12 - Fundraising Most of the projects we list in our projects section are inexpensive and some will cost nothing but your time and effort. If, however, you start a project and your Action Club Project Plan Worksheet, Cost / Budget column shows you will need money that you don't have then you will need to fundraise.

Basic fundraising ideas for raising small amounts

If you have to fundraise small amounts try to keep things simple. There are many ways to raise small amounts of money. Here are a few ideas.


Fundraising for larger amounts through grants and sponsorship

If you need to raise substantial amounts of money then you may need to apply for grants and sponsorships. Here is a useful guide on how to do that.

Maintain your enthusiasm and never sell out Just a few notes on applying for grant fundraising. One of the strengths of young people is their enthusiasm. If their enthusiasm is not shared by adults you apply to for funding don't be put off. Look at their reasons but follow your heart. Also be wary of funders who want to take over your project with their own ideas. It's crucial for all action clubs to keep ownership of their projects. It's very hard to maintain enthusiasm for a project when you lose your say on how it is run.

'A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

Step 13 - Take action and do it.

Once the project plan is ready and everyone knows what they are doing; just get stuck in and do what's got to be done and have fun.


Dealing with disagreements between action club members

Everyone is different and everyone often has different views on issues, even if ever so slightly, because people can only base their understanding on their own limited experiences, acquired knowledge and perceptions. Disagreements are a normal and healthy part of any learning process, but try to make sure that all debate is kept constructive.

'Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

When dealing with issues close to their hearts, should members ever lose control of their emotions and begin to fall out, here are some wise words from experts in the art of living successfully as human beings:

'We should meet abuse by forbearance. Human nature is so constituted that if we take absolutely no notice of anger or abuse, the person indulging in it will soon weary of it and stop.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

'We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us.' — Martin Luther King, Jr.

'If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.'

— Mother Teresa

'We may have our private opinions but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?'

— Mahatma Gandhi

'Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.'

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

If we find ourselves in error, it is healthy to admit it straight away; as pride is often a barrier to honest progress:

'I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

Dealing with mistakes, unexpected difficulties, failures and successes.

Achieving anything really worthwhile is never going to be straightforward and easy otherwise everyone would do it and the issue or problem would disappear quickly. So here are a few tips:

Making mistakes is fine so long as they are treated constructively as something to learn from.
Wise people admit their mistakes and set about learning from them and correcting them.

Unexpected difficulties and problems are a part of life for everyone. It is wise to just concentrate your efforts on what you can change and not waste your time on things you can't change. For instance, all people are by their nature imperfect. So there is no point getting upset when they do things you don't want them to do. Just try to stick to being the change you want to see in others and be patient.

Likewise, successes and failures are normal in everything we do. When they occur during a project try to consider them as both the same thing: distractions on the path to achieving the overall goal of successfully completing the project. When a wise person experiences failure they don't allow that failure to upset them. They just accept it as a part of their journey, pick themselves up again, dust themselves off and continue onwards toward their objective.

'The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.'

— Nelson Mandela

Similarly, how many times have you experienced a success, allowed your head to swell and put your mind in the clouds only for something to happen that effectively kicks your legs out from under you and brings you back down to earth with a thud? So rather than allow an action club project to turn your mind and your emotions into a yo-yo, up and down, up and down, try to stay even-minded and leave the parties and celebrations until the whole project has been successfully completed and has delivered the good results you sort.

A spiritual journey of the soul - the beating heart of a project.

Above all else, remember that an action club project is really a journey of the soul, and here are a few words from great people of the past who have bravely undertaken such journeys:

'As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves.' 'Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.' — Mahatma Gandhi

'It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.'

— Mother Teresa

'Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.'

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

'Providence has its appointed hour for everything. We cannot command results, we can only strive.'


'Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.'


'Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.'

— Mahatma Gandhi

'If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.'

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

'What is true of the individual will be tomorrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to lose heart and hope.'

— Mahatma Gandhi