In June 2022, for the first time since our launch in spring 2021, Europe for Scotland has launched a fundraiser and is asking for donations from our supporters.
At this point, we have much more than just a great idea and good intentions. We have both the plans and the campaign infrastructure in place to really make a difference for Scotland’s European future. We have ambitious goals that we can only realise with your support.
What we’re doing
Europe for Scotland has three branches that operate independently of each other, but also coordinate their efforts and benefit from each other’s work and expertise.
Our national teams, which are active in 15 EU countries, make the case for Scotland on a national level. Members of the national teams attend and organise events on behalf of Europe for Scotland, and develop and put in place plans to lobby national politicians.
Our EU lobbying team is preparing a report into the benefits of Scotland’s future EU accession, which will be presented to MEPs and other EU officials to support the idea that the EU Parliament takes a stance. The EU lobbying team will organise events in Brussels to publicise the report and lobby members of the European Parliament to pass a Motion for a Resolution calling for Scotland to be fast tracked back into the EU in case an independent Scotland wishes to rejoin. Members of the national teams can help the EU lobbying team, both with personal contacts to MEPs and by reaching out to MEPs in their own language in a coordinated effort.
Our cultural team tells Scotland’s story in engaging ways to win hearts and change minds of both European politicians and the general public, for instance with film such as “At the Heart of Europe: a celebration of Scotland’s European history” produced in collaboration with Scottish writer Billy Kay. We’re also planning a range of other activities to draw attention to Scotland across Europe, including a children’s drawing contest and a concert next year. Output of the cultural team (e.g. videos) will be played at events in Brussels and across Europe, and politicians will be invited to cultural events for more informal networking.
Overall, Europe for Scotland benefits from the advice and work of more than 50 volunteers from 17 European countries.
Our fundraiser
We’re now fundraising for our EU lobbying team, our national teams, and our cultural team.
For the EU lobbying team we would like to match the generous grant of £10,000 that the Scottish Independence Foundation awarded to the EU lobbying team. An overall budget of £20,000 would allow us to get our report translated into different European languages and organise events in the European Quarter to present the report to MEPs. It would also cover costs for campaign representatives to travel to Brussels (travel costs are low, as our team includes three lobbyists already based in Brussels, so only few additional people would need to come from abroad).
For the national and cultural teams we are looking to match the grants we received from the Network for Social Change and a number of private donors, who together have contributed £12,500 to the campaign. Funding will allow us to attend and organise events across Europe, contribute to travel costs to European capitals in our efforts to lobby national politicians, plan cultural events and put out more content in general.
We have listed specific costs we would like to cover below.
What your contribution pays for
- £100 pays for 2000 flyers to be distributed by campaign volunteers in European cities
- £250 covers the fee for a seminar room in the EU quarters in Brussels for a four hour event
- £500 covers the travel expenses of two campaign representatives to Brussels for a day of meetings
- £1000 covers the production and promotion on social media of a video like this one which lays out our arguments in an engaging way to a wider European audience
- £1500 covers costs for an in-person event in Europe, including venue fee, video recording of the event, and travel expenses of invited speakers
- £2000 covers the translation of our report (~20,000 words) into one other European language
Tokens of thanks
Even the smallest donations matter to us, as a sign of appreciation for our work and as a vote of confidence in our campaign.
This is why we’re offering a reward to donors that put our trust in us. Rewards will be sent at the end of the year.
Rewards
- £5 or more: handwritten thank you postcard sent to your address
- £25 or more: an additional Europe for Scotland fridge magnet
- £50 or more: all £25 rewards + Europe for Scotland lapel pin
- £100 or more: all £50 rewards + Europe for Scotland tote bag
- £250 or more: all £100 rewards + a virtual meeting with the campaign organisers to offer your input and discuss how we can take your suggestions on board
- £1000 or more: all £250 rewards + acknowledgement of your support on our website and on our campaign flyers and posters
Monthly contribution
- £3: same rewards as £25 single donation
- £5: same rewards as £50 single donation
- £10: same rewards £100 single donation
- £20: same rewards as £250 single donation
- £100: same rewards as £1000 single donation