Who are we?
This Crowdfunder was set up by a small group of season ticket holders and fans who want to present Arsenal with a better sponsorship option for next year than ‘Visit Rwanda’.
And we need you!
Ian Wright by Real North Banksy on Hornsey Road. Just for clarity, Wrighty hasn't endorsed our campaign...yet...but if anyone wants to ask him, please do!
Instead of having the Visit Rwanda logo on our players’ sleeves, let’s have a new one instead. How about a dove of peace?
We don’t want our club - or any club, taking money from a country which the UN has urged to leave Congolese territory "without preconditions".
But we also live in the real world. We know that our club is a commercial operation and needs the income. So we came up with an option that Arsenal can’t refuse.
The same money. But from a much better sponsor than a country pretty much at war with its neighbour.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We are crowdfunding so we can take a business proposition to Arsenal.
The ‘Visit Rwanda’ sponsorship is widely reported to be worth £10million a year to the club.
We would prefer that Arsenal take £10million in sponsorship from genuine fans, rather than from Rwanda.
And if we get there, we'll ask them to replace the 'Visit Rwanda' symbol with a dove of peace on shirts, digital billboards and everywhere else.
We've had enough of Rwanda sportswashing its terrible reputation through our club.
We know £10million is a massive amount to ask.
But Arsenal is a truly global club.
We also know that Arsenal fans around the world want to see their club do better.
And Arsenal fans also want a chance to influence a club that they love.
So please donate what you can. It really doesn’t have to be much. It’s a numbers game. Just give a little. That’s fine.
We want Arsenal to sit up and really notice the strength of feeling about this issue. It's time to change.
But if you can’t afford to donate anything - that’s not a problem. Help in other ways - share this with your friends who can.
Real North Banksy's recent post showed huge support for a change of sponsor
So what will people get for their donation?
To be honest, we don’t know. It depends on the club’s response.
If Arsenal commits to ditch ‘Visit Rwanda’ before we hit our £10 million target, we will work with Crowdfunder UK to donate what we have received so far to UNHCR and the Arsenal Foundation.
To support refugees worldwide - including those affected by the war that Rwanda is currently involved in.
And to support young people globally, and the reduction in knife crime locally.
So what is our plan?
Once we get to £1million, we’ll open formal talks with Arsenal about what our sponsorship could look like.
We want to see a dove of peace on players’ sleeves, not the Visit Rwanda logo.
Once we hit £10 million, we'll make them an offer they can't refuse. We'll put a dove of peace on our players' sleeves. And on the hoardings and everywhere else too.
Hopefully they'll put the cash towards a player or two for next season as well.
What's in it for the organisers?
Nothing. We just want to see change.
If we do hit the £10million target we will set up a charity or public interest company to deal formally with Arsenal. With one aim - to make this sponsorship a reality.
At this point, we will probably have to pay some expenses - e.g. Lawyers’ fees (unless we get an offer to help us for free). So we pledge full transparency on everything financial.
Just for clarity - If we successfully raise enough funds to replace Visit Rwanda as one of Arsenal’s sponsors, the money will be used for that purpose. However, if Arsenal does not accept the offer or we don’t reach the fundraising target, the funds will be donated to UNHCR (80%) and The Arsenal Foundation (20%)
In this case, Crowdfunder will work closely with Charities Trust to ensure the funds are allocated correctly. Charities Trust charges a small 1% fee on the total amount raised to manage this process, which will be deducted before the funds are transferred.
The great news is that if the funds are donated directly to the charities as eligible donations, Gift Aid can be claimed—potentially increasing the total amount raised by 25%. To make this possible, supporters will have the option to provide the necessary details at checkout, allowing the charities to maximise the impact of every contribution.
Since they were founded Crowdfunder has raised over £350M.
Stickers from international fans on the door of the Tollington Pub
How you can play your part
There are three ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a donation. It doesn’t need to be a lot. We want this to be fan-led. Donate a small sum, and be one of the supporters who can make a real change at our club.
2. Spread the word. Globally. Share this link to your socials and tell the world to get behind us! We’re based just up the road from the Emirates, but we need this to go truly global. The more people we reach, the more support we will get. You don't have to be a Gooner to get on board with the campaign...but it helps.
3. Support us with your expertise. We’re going to reach out directly to the creatives we already know to suggest a design we can all get behind. But we would also love UK-based pro-bono support from lawyers, accountants, PRs etc. etc.