“Good managers make a lot happen out of a little”

Alka Bohorun CMgr FCMI has enjoyed singing with her father since childhood. The BH40 initiative gave her the chance to use her passion to make a difference to others. Image: RothRead Photography

“Because I've always believed in giving and serving, I wanted to help but I wasn't sure how,” she says.  So she started asking people to send videos of them singing. “I put them up on YouTube just to cheer everyone up.” 

The videos proved very popular and Alka soon realised she could tag on a charity fundraiser. “I came up with the idea of a ‘songathon’ and people loved it.” It raised about £600, which she donated to the British Heart Foundation.

A few fundraisers down the line, Alka was surprised to receive a request for funding for a project in Kenya. With no guarantee it was a genuine request, she felt she had to turn it down. But it opened her eyes to the wider potential of BH40 (Be Happy For Nothing). 

Alka, a Chartered Manager, was running her own business helping to establish companies, community interest companies (CICs) and charities. So she used her marketing and compliance skills to set up BH40 as a limited company, leveraging her contacts to set up a voluntary advisory panel and a silent board of voluntary directors. She raised funds by selling BH40 branded t-shirts that could be used to support overseas projects. Today, Alka also runs various fundraising events, such as online talent shows and charity balls, to attract more sponsorship from businesses and other organisations.