As one of the leading independent girls schools, Roedean prides itself on making a difference to those for whom a Roedean education would otherwise be out of reach, or those who find themselves in times of hardship. Roedean is a school with charitable foundations, supported by the incredible generosity of a community of past Roedeanians through various funds, including the Old Roedeanians’ Scholarship Fund and the School’s Bursary Fund - all of which have been fundamental in supporting generations of Roedean students.

Having been deeply moved by the war in Ukraine, Roedean decided to launch its Ukrainian Bursary Appeal to offer up to ten 110% bursary places to Ukrainians entering the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. The appeal was formally launched through a mass email sendout in June, where over 700 members of the Roedean community were contacted. Members of the community were also encouraged to donate via the Ukrainian Bursary Appeal Gift Form in order to reach the school’s fundraising goal of £50,000.

The appeal had a fantastic response, with 72% of recipients opening the email, and the school reached 25% of its fundraising target within the first two weeks of launching! This was achieved through various creative fundraising initiatives undertaken by members of the Roedean community, including a sponsored swim across the English Channel, and a toy sale organised by a future Roedean student.

Six months on, almost £70,000 has been raised - that's almost £20,000 more than the school’s initial fundraising target! Most importantly, Roedean was delighted to officially welcome nine new Ukrainian students to the school at the start of the year in September, and hopes to further support these girls through future fundraising efforts.

To find out how ToucanTech customers are building engaged school communities that give back, speak to a member of the ToucanTech team. Or, check out this related resource here which documents how Ukraine's leading international school is supporting its students with the #PSI4Good campaign.