fundraising guide

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CHANGING Lives For Good.

In Ghana we’re funding

more midwives to save the lives of

countless mothers.

Change one person’s life through Oxfam, and they will change whole communities. With your help here in the UK we can start a global chain reaction today; helping to change more lives – for good.

UNITED KINGDOMAmazing Oxfam supporters in the UK take part in all sorts of events to raise money. Our emergency warehouse in Bicester is staffed and ready at all times, so when disasters strike, Oxfam is able to respond quickly.

At any given time our teams are responding to

11.5 million people have been

reached directly in 52 countries.

25 emergencies worldwide.

Oxfam has reached

1.3 million people in West Africa working

with communities to help prevent Ebola infection, supporting

clinics, schools and people in quarantine with water and

sanitation, and helping communities to prepare

for potential outbreaks

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ZIMBABWEOxfam has supported the local community in Gutu to set up a piping system so they can get water from a nearby dam. Now, people like Ipaishe no longer have to worry about the rains failing and crops dying.

3.85 million people provided with improved access to

clean water.

ETHIOPIAWe are helping poor dairy farmers to increase their milk production, obtain loans to invest in their businesses and enjoy better market opportunities. We are also supporting women to be more confident and influence decisions in their homes and communities.

In Pakistan, getting more

children and girls in particular – into

school can lift communities out of

poverty forever.

In Myanmar we are supporting a new

generation of women leaders to run for election; empowering

women parliamentarians and political activists to push for

women’s rights; and helping to change attitudes about the

role of women in politics and in society.

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What you raise will…

BUY SAFE WATER FOR A WHOLE SCHOOL Safe water saves lives. This gift helps set up or maintain a clean water supply in a school.

TRAIN BUSINESSWOMEN Turn 34 female farmers in Rwanda into canny businesswomen through entrepreneurial training.

BUY 100 SHARES IN FARMS This gift will help provide communities with livestock, which will produce enough eggs, milk and fertiliser to benefit many families.

PROVIDE DISASTER TRAINING Train four people in Cambodia to understand and cope with extreme weather, like cyclones and floods by teaching them about disaster risk reduction.

TRAIN 10 BEEKEEPERS Improve bees’ hives and train beekeepers in the latest yield-boosting production methods, allowing them to earn a sustainable living.

BUY 10 MOSQUITO NETS Stop malaria-carrying mosquitos and you stop malaria from taking lives. It’s that simple.

BUILD A BOG Toilets bring dignity to families in refugee camps, encourage children to go to school, and can stop the spread of deadly diseases.

BUY A GOAT COUPLE Goats produce milk to drink and sell, fertiliser for crops, and kids to take to market.

£1,670

£1,000

£500

£250

£120

£70

£50

£42

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FOR EVERY £1 YOU GIVE TO OXFAM... 8p

is spent on support costs.84p

goes directly to emergency, development and campaigning work.

8p is invested to generate future revenue.

TEACH A TEACHER Train a teacher so more children can be educated. Better teaching equals a better education for generations of children.

BUY A CHICKEN Give chickens and you’re giving a family a little egg factory that will produce chicks for rearing or provide income to pay for essentials.

fact70,000 women have increased their ownership of land and assets thanks to Oxfam support

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£27

£10

All numbers are correct at time of printing July 2015

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Voluntary members of the Oxfam water and sanitation committee head into Jamam refugee camp, South Sudan, to spread vital messages to young women about good hygiene practices and to distribute female hygiene kits, underwear, soap and sanitary cloths.

factOver 3 billion people – almost half the world’s population – live on less that $2.50 a day.

SCOOT (Sutton Coldfield’s Own Oxfam Team) took on Ben Nevis for Oxfam and raised over £1,500.

Emma Scott from Morpeth, who organised a zipwire and got local people to get sponsored to take part (including the local vicar!) raising over £6,000.

£1,500 raised!

£6,000 raised!

meet our supporters

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Oxfam grew from a small, local charity to the worldwide organisation that it is today.

In the middle of World War II, a group of volunteers came together as ‘Oxford Committee for Famine Relief’ to

get life-saving food supplies to people starving in occupied Europe. Oxfam was born and we opened our first shop.

Oxfam first takes to the classroom.

We’ve been inspiring local groups and students to get fired up about poverty and injustice ever since .

Our small army of Oxfam collectors began asking neighbours to give a shilling a month to fight poverty.Within 4 years,

26,000 collectors had raised £200,000!

In 1979, local people across the UK donated to Blue Peter & Oxfam’s appeal, hoping to raise £100,000 for

people going hungry in Cambodia. Within three months, an incredible £3 million was donated, which helped buy rice, seeds, tools, pumps and fertilisers.

1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s

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You’ve been at the heart of everything we do. With your help, as long as there is poverty in the world, we’ll keep on fighting it. Thanks for everything you’ve done so far. It’s quite a story...

We created groups to raise funds and awareness for Oxfam’s work. Oxfam now has over 43 fundraising groups.

Find out more at www.oxfam.org.uk/fundraising-groups.

On our doorstep.We opened our UK poverty programme, supporting struggling communities at

home and highlighting the links between poverty here and overseas.

Oxjam takes to the stage. Our first UK-wide music festival launches with 3,000 events, organised and promoted by

supporters all over the country.Right now Oxfam is working in more than 90 countries. At any one time, we are responding to disasters in 25 countries.

and next?

2000s1980s 1990s

fact1.15 MILLION people benefited from improved sanitation facilities, greatly reducing the spread of disease.

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A few ideas to get you started

Sweetsin a jar

car boot sale

cake sale

crafting

pub quiz

Winetasting

bingonight

Shrewsbury Oxfam Supporters Group crocheted, stitched, knitted or crafted hundreds of ‘Chicks for Charity’. The chickens were then sold and raised over £1,000.

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A few ideas to get you started

Raffle

Sweetsin a jar

Clothesswapping

Barbecue

Dogwalking

Dinner party

auction

Afternoon tea

cocktail party

Baby-sitting

£700 raised!

Sarah Merson ran her first Buggy Walk aptly named, ‘Oxpram’ in Exeter, Devon raising an amazing £700 for the Mother Appeal.

Linda McAvan MEP organised a lunch on International Women’s Day to raise money for Oxfam’s Girls’ Education Project in Niger, raising £7,000.

Forres Primary School held a ‘Onesie Runsie’ and raised over £5,000 for Oxfam’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal

£7,000 raised!

£5,000 raised!

meet our supporters

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fact190,000 people benefited from innovative responses to climate change

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In Nawoyatir village, Kenya, the women sing and dance in celebration of the arrival of clean water. The community is overjoyed at the impact that this vital source of clean water will have on their lives.

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Best foot forwardPlanning your event in eight easy steps.Before you get caught up in the excitement of putting on a fundraising event – draw up a plan of action. Grab a few helpful friends, and you’ll be quickstepping through the perfect plan in no time.

PICK SOMETHING FUN TO DOIf it’s your first event, keep it simple and start with what you know. If you love baking cakes, you’ve already got a recipe for success. If you’re an old-hand at putting on events, you could try something a little more adventurous. Contact your Regional Fundraiser – see page 21 for more ideas and support.

SET A DATE, A TIME AND A TARGETSet yourself a target of how much you want to raise; it’ll give you that extra bit of incentive to really go for it. Check out page 3 for ideas.

CHOOSE A VENUE

TELL EVERYONEIf people don’t know about your event they won’t turn up! If you’re inviting friends, use email or Facebook. If you’re aiming wider, you can put up posters and leave flyers in libraries, doctors’ surgeries etc. And don’t forget your local newspaper, any pre-publicity will help you raise more funds. See over the page for more tips on being media savvy.Tell Us! Check out our social media, radio and press release guides at http://oxfam.org.uk/promoting-your-event

When it comes to picking your venue, make sure you ask yourself the all important questions: will it appeal to my target audience? is it accessible? does it practically work for my event?, what will it cost? is it available for my preferred dates?

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GET A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDSDon’t go it alone. Think about everyone you know, and ways they can help – where do they work? What connections do they have in the community? What talents do they have? Get your friends, local businesses, and community groups involved. There are thousands more enthusiastic people out there like you. So do a bit of networking – swap ideas or ask for advice via our Facebook group page.

STAY SAFESmall but important details like, carrying a first aid kit, knowing where the fire exits are if you’re hiring a venue, checking any equipment you’re using are critical. You can get free health and safety advice from: The Health and Safety Executive online.For more information: www.oxfam.org.uk/event-safety

GIVE US A SHOUT FOR INFORMATION OR INSPIRATION

0300 200 1244 fundraising@oxfam.org.uk http://fundraising.oxfam.org.uk

REMEMBER: YOU’RE SAVING LIVES!If you start to flag, remember why you’re supporting Oxfam. Inspire potential donors – let them know that every penny you raise will help to transform lives: from clean water on tap to sending kids to school for the first time.

KEEP IN TOUCHWe’re all in this together. So if you want to chat about anything, or need advice on where to get more materials, please get in touch (see page 21).

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spreading the wordFACEBOOKTry to think outside the box and post interesting, funny or amazing things about your event:

Post an engaging image or poster to entice people along to your event.

Post photos from your event and share on our regional pages (see below).

Thank people afterwards – sponsors, people who attended, people who donated raffle prizes.

EMAIL SIGNATURESimple and effective. Add a little message to the bottom of all your emails.

KEEP IT LEGALThe bottom line is that we want you to stay safe and on the right side of the law when you’re fundraising. We want you to have fun and enjoy your event, but the ‘small print’ can be a big deal if you don’t follow certain guidelines. So put that kettle on again, and go online to read the rules at www.oxfam.org.uk/event-safety If you’ve got any questions, please get in touch.You’ll need to do a risk assessment for your event and make sure you are covered by insurance - if you’d like some guidance with these please contact your Regional fundraising Manager (see page 21). You can also contact your Regional Fundraising Manager to get our logo for use on your event materials.

TipMake your own posters and flyers at our website: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/poster

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Your personal Oxfam fundraising PageSetting up your Oxfam page should be one of the first things you do when you sign up for a challenge for Oxfam. Your friends and family will be able to visit the page and make a donation online. That money will come straight to Oxfam and be added to your fundraising total, making the process nice and easy for you, your friends and Oxfam!

1. SIGN UP TO FUNDRAISE Go to http://fundraising.oxfam.org.uk click on ‘Make your page’ and follow the on-screen instructions.

2. PERSONALISE YOUR PAGEAdd a photo of yourself, ideally in your Oxfam t-shirt, and write a blurb about what Oxfam means to you and why you’re fundraising for us.

3. ADD A FUNDRAISING TARGETPages with a target raise almost 10% more than those without one.

4. PROMOTE YOUR PAGEUse word of mouth, posters – and all the ideas on this page – to get the word out there.

5. THANK PEOPLEMake sure you thank friends and family who sponsor you. If you do it through social media, it will act as a reminder to anyone who hasn’t sponsored you yet!

TipWhy don’t you print off business cards with your personal fundraising page address and hand them out at work or at the pub to get people to sponsor you?

Cornish artists Caroline Cleave and Franca Westaway, and a team of willing helpers, installed over 2,000 handmade flags on a prominent Cornish hillside, raising over £500 for Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal.

Kate Kellaway-Moore from Oxford organised Oxfordshire Bake Off, raising a tasty £4,000.

£500 raised!

£4,000 raised!

meet our supporters

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fact470,000 people benefited from support to improve their crops, goods or services.

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Harne Waddaye, aged 60, lives in Louga village, Chad, and is responsible for her four children and six grandchildren. Feeding her family is a struggle as none of her animals survived the drought. Harne survives by digging anthills for seeds and collecting tree leaves. She is pictured holding maize at Oxfam’s food distribution.

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Stand up and be countedYou’ve done it and it was awesome! Now’s the moment to stand proud and count your takings. Every penny will add up to a fighting chance for poor communities worldwide.

HOW TO PAY IN YOUR MONEYSend us your money as soon as you’ve got it – that way you won’t forget and we can put it to good use straight away. We can get it to those who need it most.

ONLINEBy setting up an online fundraising page you can be sure that the donations, and Gift Aid, will come directly to us, without you having to do the leg work of chasing your sponsors! Other great benefits are that you can reach friends and family further afield, and you can keep your sponsors up to date with how your preparations are going. Oxfam can receive donations from other sites, but our preferred e-fundraising site is http://fundraising.oxfam.org.uk based on the low costs and the great support they offer – so your fundraising goes further.

BY POST Send your cheques, made payable to ‘Oxfam’, along with your paying-in form and/or sponsor forms to Oxfam Regional Fundraising, Oxfam, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford. OX4 2JY.

BY PHONE It’s quick and easy to pay in money over the phone. Just call 0300 200 1244, and give us your total takings via debit or credit card.

Vanessa Simmons, one of the organisers of an annual ball in Shrigley Hall, Cheshire that raised £5,000.

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If you’re doing a challenge and getting sponsored why not Giftaid it and your fundraising piggy bank will get 25% fatter! If you’re collecting money yourself, download a sponsor form. That way you can make sure that everyone who donates to your event provides their name, address (including the postcode) and crucially, ticks the Gift Aid box. If you’ve set up an online giving page, people will be automatically prompted to Gift Aid their donation. But it doesn’t do any harm to remind them how important it is to ‘tick that box’. Gift Aid will add 25p to every £1 you raise – just like that. There’s no catch and as long as you’ve encouraged someone to tick the Gift Aid box, there’s nothing else you have to do.

£5,000 raised!

meet our supportersVanessa Simmons, one of the organisers of an annual ball in Shrigley Hall, Cheshire that raised £5,000.

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We’re On Your Doorstep

Go to: www.oxfam.org.uk/regionalfundraisers to find your Regional Fundraising Manager.

Regional Fundraising Managers are here to support you every step of the way. Just drop them a line – they’d love to hear from you!

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STAY CONNECTED www.oxfam.org.ukIf you have any questions about our projects, have a quick look at our website. There’s info about our work in more than 90 countries (www.oxfam.org.uk/wherewework), as well as inspiring success stories, videos and the latest campaign actions.

EMERGENCY UPDATES We’ll make sure you get the inside track on Oxfam’s emergency response:• The emergency pages of our website are constantly updated with the

latest stats and stories: www.oxfam.org.uk/emergency• Please request an emergency fundraising pack on our website.

INSIDE OXFAM www.oxfam.org.uk/inside-oxfam Every six months, we’ll make sure you’re kept up-to-date with the latest goings on by sending you Inside Oxfam, our wonderful supporter magazine.

SCOOP Your local e-newsletter, delivered straight into your inbox.

FOLLOW US Get up-to-the-minute news, actions and photos on Facebook facebook.com/oxfamgb and Twitter @OxfamGB

WINTER 2014

www.oxfam.org.uk/inside

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Even It UpHow you’re tackling inequalityThanks to your support, farmers like Irene are thriving against the odds – and together we can help more people flourish.

Also in this issue• Five steps to the perfect Christmas gift, p18• Kids who care: Oxfam’s young supporters, p20• South Sudan: your donations in action, p22

You’re changing lives. Here’s how.

2380-INSIDE-OXFAM-A5-28pp-MAGAZINEv6.indd 1 02/10/2014 21:27

PULLINGTOGETHER

IN THIS ISSUE:

> Fundraising for Nepal

> Ending the crisis in Yemen

> Oxfam’s Emergency Challenge

> New online shop campaign

PULLINGTOGETHER

Oxfam newsletter • SUMMER 2015 Edition

Roshmi, 7, (not her real name) collects water in plastic bottles from a pipe to take back to her family. Almost 1,000 homes collapsed in Roshmi’s village due to the Nepal earthquake in April. Oxfam is helping to provide clean water and shelter for those families in the Sankhu area made homeless.

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Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales no.202918 and Scotland SCO39042. Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International. Inhouse 6828

Oxfam Community Fundraising, Oxfam, John Smith Drive, Cowley, Oxford OX4 2JY.0300 200 1244

CONTACT US

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THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO CHANGE LIVES