Charity badges may be small, but they’re incredibly powerful. Charity badges have become symbols of solidarity, support, and hope. Often, charity badges are the centrepiece of important fundraising campaigns. At Rocket Charities, we’ve helped more than 7,000 UK charities find the perfect products, including some stunning badges. We know firsthand that your branded merchandise doesn’t have to be big to make a splash. In fact, we often hear that many people recognise a charity simply by the shape of its badge.
With spring just around the corner, now is an ideal time to add a warm-weather-themed badge to your charity shop or upcoming campaigns. And perhaps nothing says spring more than a beautifully coloured flower.
In this post, we highlight a few of the most iconic “flower-powered” charity badges—and the stories behind them—in the hopes it provides inspiration for your own charity.
The Marie Curie Daffodil
We begin with perhaps the most iconic of the flower-powered charity badges: Marie Curie’s yellow daffodil. The badge is a key part of the Great Daffodil Appeal, the biggest annual fundraising campaign from Marie Curie. Money raised from the campaign helps provide care for people living with a terminal illness, in their own homes.
The story behind the badge
Marie Curie writes: “Daffodil flowers begin to pop up when winter ends. They’re a symbol of spring and symbolise new beginnings and rebirth. They’re a positive, life-affirming symbol, with a bright and joyful yellow colour.”
From our research, it appears that the first daffodil appeal took place nearly 40 years ago in 1986. At that time, volunteers collected donations and handed out fresh daffodils as a thank you. Later, in 1990, the Liverpool Marie Curie Society partnered with the City Council to plant one million daffodils in Sefton Park to create a “Field of Hope”. A few years later, in 1995, Marie Curie replaced fresh flowers with fabric daffodil pins—more than three million were given out, totaling £1.2 million in donations! A decade later, the charity officially launched the Great Daffodil Appeal, and the campaign has been going strong ever since.
Over the years, Rocket Charities has been honoured to help Marie Curie reimagine the daffodil badge to offer a wide range of options for supporters. The charity now offers daffodil badges and brooches in various finishes for sale on its online shop, ranging from £2 to £15. It also offers daffodil-themed shoppers and clothing.
The Alzheimer Society’s Forget-Me-Not
Another iconic flower-powered charity badge is the forget-me-not, which today is closely associated with the Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK. Funds raised from the Forget Me Not Appeal (launched in 2021) help those who live with dementia today and provide hope for the future.
The story behind the badge
As with the yellow daffodil, the blue forget-me-not is a symbolic and strategic choice. The Alzheimer’s Society writes: “The flower … represents remembrance and is long associated with dementia. People with dementia may experience memory loss, among other symptoms. This makes the forget-me-not the perfect flower to represent our cause.” Every May, the charity’s Forget Me Not appeal encourages people to wear the blue badge to raise awareness and vital funds.
Just like Marie Curie, the Alzheimer’s Society has found fresh avenues for its iconic forget-me-not badge. For example, Rocket Charities was honoured to help the charity create a specially-designed Dementia Friends badge. Dementia Friends is an initiative to create a climate of kindness and understanding by raising awareness of what it’s like to live with dementia. The badge is not available for sale. Instead, when someone completes a Dementia Friends information session (in-person or online), they have the option to receive this very special badge.
The Royal British Legion Poppy
Last but not least among our flower-powered badges is the Royal British Legion’s iconic red poppy. The Royal British Legion helps members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans, and their families. The charity provides lifelong support and organises campaigns to champion key issues that give its Armed Forces community a voice. Every November, the charity hosts its popular Poppy Appeal campaign.
The story behind the badge
The Royal British Legion writes: “Our red poppy is a symbol of both remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. Poppies are worn as a show of support for the Armed Forces community. The poppy is a well-known and well-established symbol, one that carries a wealth of history and meaning with it.”
As with Marie Curie and the Alzheimer’s Society, the iconic red poppy has evolved over time. The first poppies were made of silk, wire, and bitumen (a semi-hard petroleum), and the design and materials have changed significantly over the last century. Last year, a new plastic-free poppy was introduced. It’s made entirely from paper using renewable fibres—half of which have been recovered from the waste used in the production of coffee cups!
Rocket Charities is honoured for the opportunity to help the Royal British Legion conceive new and creative ways to produce poppy-themed products—and to help supporters find new and creative ways to wear the poppy in support of the Armed Forces community. Today, you can visit the charity’s “Poppy Shop” and find poppy-themed items ranging from badges and brooches to hair clips, jewellery, clothing, and home gifts.
This spring, we hope you’re inspired to plant your own seeds and incorporate some flower-power into your upcoming campaigns. No matter what iconic symbol you come to embrace, we’re here to help you make the most of it, today and for years to come. Please get in touch with us anytime to talk about the stories behind these iconic flower badges or share your own ideas for fundraising merchandise. Together, we can bloom!