John has definitely been one of our more creative users. When he got married last year, he used The DoNation to gather sponsorship from his friends and family in support of staying married for at least a year! And this year, he bravely gave up his beloved mini in favour of using public transport and car sharing schemes- and he won Doer of the Month for his effort!
We caught up with John to see how he was getting on in his new car-less life, and he seemed to be quite enjoying it.

A bit about you:

Your name: John Condon

Occupation: Sustainability and CSR Consultant

City or region: London Fields, London

Anything else we should know?! Originally from Co. Carlow, Ireland

A bit about your challenge:

What were you raising sponsorship for?

Carbon sponsorship to get rid of my beloved Mini and go carsharing for 2013.

How did it go? 

I was delighted to actually go ahead with the challenge as I had thought about it for about 6 months beforehand. The challenge became something of a New Year’s Resolution as I kicked it off in January.
I adore cars and particularly Minis, however, my mini automatic had emissions of 189kgCO2/km, so it wasn’t very good for the environment. The final straw for me was seeing that Hackney submitted planning permission for a car sharing spot right beside my home, so I had no excuse!
I did miss the car during the winter – it is convenient when the weather is dreadful, or at weekends when there are engineering works on the trains. However, with some planning, I’m never too stuck without it, and I actually find that without spending money on insurance and petrol every month, plus MOT, tax and wear and tear, I’m saving quite a bit of money too!!

Why did you decide to raise sponsorship through The DoNation?

I’m a huge admirer of the spirit and innovation of The DoNation. My partner and I pledged to stay Civil Partnered last year for 1 Year Max as a fun pledge – we asked our guests to sponsor us via The DoNation, and we won an award for most Innovative Sponsorship!!

How did your friends respond to your request? 

The response was overwhelmingly positive – from “I can’t believe you did it!” to “Can I do my own sponsorship event?”. I used social media to publicise my Sponsorship Request, and I had lots of “likes” and “re-tweets”.

How did it make you feel?

I knew from the challenge that once you commit, you really do have to be prepared to follow through with your challenge. I had procrastinated in starting my challenge
until I knew I was ready to let go of my beloved Max the Mini (guzzler!).. So everyone’s kind words really encouraged me and I knew I could really make a difference with raising a high level of low carbon action/support.

Are there any top tips you’d share with someone else raising sponsorship in this way?

People undertake much more significant personal effort challenges than mine (like cycling through the night!) – however, anyone that knows me knows I love cars, so – choose a sponsorship event that people understand has meaning for you, and a big impact on your life, or a significant event. The DoNation can really inspire others to change their habits, and how you communicate your event can really get momentum going behind your activity.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

I think that the team at The DoNation can really inspire you – so follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook. Other people’s stories will stir something in you, and you’ll know deep down that your time will come to follow through with your own personal action!!

We are intrigued to see what John might come up with next! You can still sponsor him for giving up his mini here.