the fundraising starts here - reduce high cholesterol ... · the fundraising starts here... ... •...
TRANSCRIPT
The fundraising starts here...
HEART UK is a registered charity (1003904) and a company limited by guarantee (2631049) in England and Wales. HEART UK is the working name for Hyperlipidaemia Education and Atherosclerosis Research Trust UK
Fundraising made easy! Thank you for choosing to raise money for HEART UK! Whether you’re taking part in a challenge or organising your own event, every penny really does make a difference.
The funds you raise will help us support the millions of people with either inherited or non-inherited high cholesterol and help reduce their risk of heart disease, raise awareness of high cholesterol conditions throughout the UK, and campaign for improved screening, identification and treatment of people with raised cholesterol.
There are so many different ways to fundraise that it can be a little overwhelming. This pack, choc-full of ideas and tips will help get you started!
From all of us here at HEART UK, a big thank you for your support.
Do get in touch with our Development team if you need any
further help or advice on 01628 777046, or
Good luck and thank you!
Getting support
Get asking: Tell people what you’re
doing and why and you’ll be
surprised at how much support
they give!
• Family, and get them to spread
the word amongst their friends
• Friends, and get them to spread
the word amongst their friends!
• Work colleagues, and get them to
spread the word amongst their
friends!!
• Your employer may also offer a
matched giving scheme - just
ask!
Get online: Research shows that people
give more online, plus you don’t have to
worry about chasing people for their
donations post event!
• Set up an online fundraising page at
http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/heart
uk. Populate it with what you’re doing and why,
details about you and the cause, photos, videos,
blogs and more.
• Use social media - link your fundraising page to
your Facebook, or other social networking site,
‘tweet’ about it, ask others to ‘retweet’
• Add a link to your email signature, will your place
of work post it on their website? Can you write a
blog? There are so many opportunities with online
media – make the most of them!
Getting sponsorship from friends and family is where most people start
fundraising. Online or face to face, its tried, tested and it works!
• Face to face is tried and tested, its often harder to turn you down in person!
• We have a sponsor form you can download and print for school, work, neighbours, or nights out at the pub. Why not print it A3 and stick it up in your canteen?
• Carry a ‘business card’ with you wherever you go with contact details and a link to your online giving page – you never know when you’ll meet a potential sponsor
Try a bit of everything and see what works for you
Get personal – by personalising your giving pages, sponsor forms, posters etc with photos and reasons why you’re involved with HEART UK, this will give your cause a more emotive people and compel people to give more
Collect as you go – the last thing you want to do after your event is to chase people for money!
Make sure your first sponsor, sponsors high
as this will set a benchmark for others!
Gift Aid it! If your sponsors are UK tax payers, Gift Aiding their donation adds 25p to every £1 at no extra cost to you or them. Make sure they tick that Gift Aid box!
Top Tips! Get face-to-face: Online giving is
growing, but don’t underestimate
paper power...
What you can do Whether you’re organising a charity ball, taking part in a race
or sitting in a bath of baked beans, raising money for
HEART UK will not only help people with health issues, but
will make you feel good too!
Get entertaining:
Charge friends, family, colleagues etc a modest
amount in exchange for a day/night of fun
• Seasonal fancy dress parties
• International evening – with healthy global cuisine!
• Speed dating
• Live music evening
• Karaoke night
• Quiz night
Get social:
Ask local businesses and people you know to
donate prizes, charge entry fee for games and offer
these prizes to the winners!
• Football/hockey/netball/rugby/tennis tournament/match
• Penalty shoot out
• Highland games
• Rounders
• Silly sports day
• Arm wrestling
• All of the above in your very own HEART Olympics!
Get active:
Take part in an organised race or arrange your own.
Check http://www.runnersworld.co.uk for race details,
or what about these...
• Santa Dash
• Swim-a-thon
• Aerobic-a-thon
• Yoga-a-thon
• Zumba-a-thon
Get silly!
The more imaginative the event, the more likely you
are to get interest from local press and businesses
• Sponsored shaving – beard, legs (probably just the
men...), head???
• Knobbly knees competition
• Limbo competition
• Pram pushing race
• Auction of promises
Get local:
Be an enterprising entrepreneur and set up a
fundraising activity in your street/village/town
• Fair/fete
• Garden party
• Car washing
• Lawn mowing
• Dog walking
• Car boot/jumble sale
• Nature walk
• Odd jobs day
• Treasure hunt
• BBQ
Get creative:
What hobbies and skills do you have which could help
you to fundraise?
• Busking
• Crafts, greetings cards, jewellery, pot-pourri, jam, chutney
• Bake sale
• Sports training
• Holistic therapies
Get working:
Talk passionately about what you are raising money
for at work, school or university, and think of
something inventive to entice in supporters
• Themed lunch
• Non-uniform day/dress down Friday
• Back to front day
• Fancy-dress day
• Raffle
• Tuck shop
• Who’s that baby?
• Lunch time clubs – yoga, pilates, knitting, crafts?
Combine ideas to maximise fundraising potential Find out if your company offers a matched-giving scheme or if it will sponsor or offer raffle prizes Gain support from local business with the promise of press coverage and good PR. Ask for donations for raffles and auctions or even sponsorship Try to do something different to capture the media’s attention. Is there anything interesting about your reason for supporting HEART UK, is your challenge really really tough, is your event totally unique? Maybe you can even get a local celebrity to support you or donate a signed book as a prize? At university/college ask your Raising and Giving (RAG) Society for support. Contact the college ball organisers or Hall Presidents and ask them to make a donation. Can you sell cocktails, flowers or do a bucket collection at their event?
Top Tips!
Tell the world!
Before the event • Decide which local media to contact depending on your event audience – local newspapers, magazines, online, radio, TV •Try to establish your event’s unique selling point – your local TV station won’t turn up for a raffle, but they might if you get a local celeb to draw it...
• If you have a HEART UK t-shirt, wear it and take photos of you wearing it! If you don’t have a t-shirt and think it would help your fundraising, please contact us – [email protected] or call 01628 777046
• Give your local media plenty of advanced warning about the event. About 1 month’s lead time should do
•If you have a good story to tell, also contact us, our
press office may also be able to help you promote
your event
• Local newspapers love a good photograph, like this
one of London Marathon fundraiser Gail! Send hi-res JPEG files by email
The key to success for all types of fundraising is publicity! Send a compelling
message that reaches the audiences you’re targeting for fundraising
After the event
• Blow your own trumpet and contact the local media again to ask if
they would like to do a follow-up feature or interview. Especially if the
event was a huge success, which of course it will be!
• If you have good images from the event, please also send to us as
we can include you in our membership magazine, and put a feature
on our website to thank you, and encourage other people to get
involved
• Spread the word about HEART UK as widely as you can. Give
talks/presentations to work colleagues, local groups and
organisations. Become a HEART UK Ambassador and take the
opportunity to ask them if they would like to support you in
fundraising further
• Encourage your sponsors and event guests to become a member of
HEART UK and support us with a regular donation. They can visit
http://www.heartuk.org.uk/membership to learn more
The Legal Stuff
Legal: • Some fundraising activities have a
minimum age limit. Please check the
details on the IoF website
• If you intend to collect funds in a
public place, you must get a licence
from your local authority
• Raffles and lotteries are subject to
very strict and complex laws You
must consult the IoF before
organising a raffle or lottery
•You must make it clear that you are
fundraising in aid of HEART UK and
that you do not work for the charity
• When you collect funds, ensure
that all money is placed in a
sealed container for safe
keeping
• Prior to any sponsored walk
etc, always get permission from
the landowner. Your local council
will be able to advise you on
who this is
• If you are selling alcohol at
your event, check with your local
council about a licence. This
does not apply if your venue
already has a drinks licence
It is essential that you fundraise in a safe and legal way. There are many rules and regulations around raising funds from the public and we want to help to make your fundraising run smoothly
The Institute of Fundraising
(IoF) offers legislation and best
practice guidelines to
fundraisers in the UK. We
strongly urge you to visit their
website before you start
fundraising. http://www.institute-
of-fundraising.org.uk
There are many sources of
advice out there, so if you are
ever in doubt, your local
council, police, Trading
Standards Office and the
Council for Voluntary Action
(http://www.navca.org.uk) will
be pleased to advise you
Some general things to consider:
• Consider First Aid requirements and fire
safety. Contact St John’s Ambulance and
your local fire station for the most up-to-
date advice. http://www.sja.org.uk
• If you’re carrying cash, be vigilant, use
safe, well-lit routes and always take
company. Don’t allow children under 16
to collect money without adult
supervision
• If sub-contractors such as marquee
providers or caterers are used, ensure
they also have public liability insurance
cover
HEART UK cannot accept liability for any problems or accidents
during activities run in its name
Please make sure you keep it safe and legal, as well as having fun!
For a comprehensive advice on all aspects of health and safety at events, see
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/law.pdf
Safety:
• If you are serving food at an event, you
will need to adhere to food standards
health and safety guidelines
http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating
• If your event involves members of the
public, you should take out public
liability insurance, or ensure you have a
copy of your venues’ insurance policy
and risk assessments.
It is recommended that you carry out a
risk assessment even if your venue has
already done so. For more information
see http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk
Money matters
Send your Paying-in form, Sponsor forms and any cheques to:
Development Office
HEART UK
7 North Road
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 1PE
Notes:
If you prefer, you can also send without a stamp to: Development Office, HEART
UK, FREEPOST SCE 12382, Berkshire, SL6 1BH.
Please do not send cash in the post. If you have collected cash, please pay it
into your own bank account and make out a cheque, payable to HEART UK, for
the full amount.
Congratulations on a successful event for HEART UK! When you are ready to send your funds to us. Please do so using the Paying-in form provided. Please enclose any paper sponsor forms too, so we can claim the Gift Aid. We will not contact your donors unless they have stipulated we can do so.
Useful stuff
Download all the resources here, or request them in hardcopy from
us at [email protected] or on 01628 777046
• Sponsor form
• Event planning crib sheet
• Sample press release
• Sponsorship request letter
• Paying-in form - to send us any monies not collected online
We have plenty of fundraising tools and resources including sponsor forms,
posters, collecting tins, buckets, balloons, t-shirts, a sample press release, a
sponsorship request letter, and masses of literature about HEART UK, all of
which can help you on your way!
The Institute of Fundraising – for legal advice on
fundraising activities
http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk
The Directory of Social Change – for advice, training
and more
http://www.dsc.org.uk
Charity Commission – detailed, government
approved advice and policy on charitable
activities
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk
HEART UK’s online giving page
http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/
heartuk
Health and Safety Executive – for government
approved health and safety advice
http://www.hse.gov.uk
HMRC – for government approved Gift Aid
information
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk
Rotary Club – for funding opportunities
http://www.ribi.org
Lions Club – for funding opportunities
http://www.lionsclubs.org
Round Table – for funding opportunities
http://www.roundtable.co.uk
Women’s Institute – for funding opportunities
http://www.thewi.org.uk
RAG Society – for funding opportunities
http://www.ukrag.org.uk
Runners World – for races and training advice
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk
links
Contact us
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01628 777046
Post:
Development Office
HEART UK
7 North Road
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 1PE
Web: www.heartuk.org.uk
On behalf of all of us here at
HEART UK, thank you!
Every day we hear news of
another person diagnosed with
either inherited on non-inherited
high cholesterol, or another life
lost due high cholesterol.
By fundraising for HEART UK, you
are helping us keep young hearts,
running (and remember, you can
still be young at 90!)
Please do let us know if you are planning to raise money for HEART UK. We will always offer support and advice where we can, and we like to be able to thank you! If you have any further questions or would just like to check in with us to see if you’re on the right track, please contact us.