Big Issue Foundation is excited to announce their foray into streaming for good – Side Quest – which aims to raise £5,000 in September to improve digital literacy for Big Issue vendors.
By signing up for Side Quest, streamers will be raising funds to ensure that every Big Issue vendor gets the support they need to have access to and gain the skills to use a smartphone, a computer, and the internet.
Supporters are encouraged to set up a charity stream in September to support Big Issue vendors. Side Quest streamers have the flexibility to choose their activity, the length of their stream, and even their goal for donations.By raising £5,000, Big Issue Foundation can support 50 vendors to access peer supported digital literacy activities including 1-2-1 coaching and workshops.
A Side Quest t-shirt will be offered to all streamers who raise £150 or more as well as a Big Issue beanie being offered to anyone who raises over £250.
Rhia, Mass Fundraising Manager, said: Disadvantaged communities are at risk of being left further behind if they’re not supported to fully embrace the digital age. Digital exclusion keeps many locked out of essential services as people can lack the skills and confidence to manage their lives online, or do not have the equipment and internet connection to do so. Digital access and digital literacy are essential in managing benefits claims, finding and applying for jobs and getting qualifications which can lead to work or better pay. With Side Quest, we aim to raise funds to support Big Issue vendors on their quest towards digital literacy.”
Big Issue Foundation is working with Tiltify to create a straightforward way for streamers to set up their charity stream and collect donations.
Tiltify is an online giving platform that allows donations to a fundraiser’s stream whilst they are live. It also the only fundraising platform to have direct integration with the Twitch livestream platform. The Tiltify for Twitch extension allows streamers to embed Tiltify’s interactive features, such as milestone, incentives, and real-time contribution tallies into their stream pages. Tiltify also allows donors to receive instant, on-screen recognition for their contribution and interact live with players and special guests.
In the build up to the event, the Foundation has also set up a Discord server to help grown their online community. Streamers are encouraged to join the server where they will be posting fundraising tips, sharing news, inviting supporters to events, keeping up with our supporters’ charity streams, and also having a good chat.
Rhia also said: “It is our hope that with this challenge, we will not only appeal to a wider audience of our supporters, but also be able to use the popularity of streaming to raise awareness for the growing link between poverty and digital illiteracy. Side Quest is our first streaming event, so we are looking forward to seeing our supporters take on this challenge.”
