Your complete guide to fundraising for Help Musicians UK

Since 1921, Help Musicians UK has provided help, support and opportunities to empower musicians of all genres at all stages of their lives, including times of crisis and times of opportunity.

Our mission is to create a sustainable future for musicians and the industry, supporting them through health and welfare services, funding programmes and targeted investment to support professional career development.

We work in partnership to transform the music industry through advocating and campaigning around issues which affect musicians and the industry that surrounds them.

About us

CONTACT US

helpmusicians.org.ukfundraising@helpmusicians.org.uk

@HelpMusiciansUK

@HelpMusiciansUK

Registered Charity No. 228089

Thank you for choosing to fundraise for Help Musicians UK. Whatever you do, every penny raised will go a long way to helping musicians when they need it most.

By fundraising for us, you will be giving vital support to those in need and promoting our vision of a thriving music culture in the UK.

Not only do we help talented musicians and industry professionals get a foot on the ladder to professional life, we are there when accident or illness strikes, helping musicians to play on. We also support musicians with the challenges of retirement and old age.

This is your chance to give back for all the joy that music brings to our lives. This pack will tell you all you need to know to make your event a success. If you have any questions we are here to help.

Thank you and good luck!

Help Musicians UK

First of all, thank you!

Choosing your fundraising activity

Getting started and planning

Organising your events

Promoting your fundraiser

Next steps

Your complete guide to

TOP TIP: GET SOME HELP

It can be a lot of work to organise an event so get some help from your friends, ask your colleagues for support, perhaps your employer might like to match your target? Make a list of tasks that need doing, and then find people with the skills you need ang ensure they have a clear brief.

It all begins with an idea

There are so many exciting ways you can fundraise for Help Musicians UK. Here are a few to get you started:

Organise a concert or gig for us in support of musicians. It’s a fun, rewarding way to fundraise and we can provide extra materials for the event!

Are you part of a choir or in a band? Perhaps you could donate proceeds from a performance to Help Musicians UK.

How about hosting a karaoke evening at a local pub or community centre? Charge the audience £1 to perform their favourite song!

If you’re a student, why not consider fundraising for Help Musicians UK at your freshers week?

Take on a challenge event. This is a popular way people fundraise for us and and we would love to hear your suggstions for challenge events you would be interested in taking part in - why not do a sponsored mountain climb or marathon?

Getting started and planningThe early stages of planning your fundraising event can seem overwhelming - but don’t panic!

Deciding what you’re going to do is often the easiest part of organising a fundraiser, but bringing that idea to life is where planning becomes crucial. Here are some key things to consider:

Time is everything

When will your fundraiser take place? This is key when considering the audience and location of the event. Make sure it’s not going to clash with other big events that may effect attendence to your own.

Location, Location, Location

Where will you host your event – a local village hall, a pub, at home, a school, or at work? Make sure it’s easy to get to and big enough for everyone you’re inviting.

Invitations

Who are you inviting? Will it be invitation only or will you invite a wider audience? Check out our advice on how to publicise your event.

Cut the costs

Work out your budget and try to stick to it. Think about what you might need and get as much as possible for free. We can help with sponsorship forms, collection buckets or tins, posters and Gift Aid envelopes - do get in touch!

Make it easy to donate

Think about how people can give you their money. Will you be collecting donations via cheque or cash? Or perhaps via an online fundraising platform such as Just Giving? Don’t forget to ask for Gift Aid!

Tell us about it!

We are here to help make your fundraiser a success and love to hear about what our fundraisers are doing. Do get in touch to let us know about your event and we’ll do all we can to help.

Don’t forget to tag us on social media so we can shout about your event via our own channels!

Insider info: Gift AidWhat is it?

Gift Aid is an income tax designed to benefit charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs).

Any donations made with Gift Aid enables the charity to claim an extra 25p for every £1 given at no cost to the supporter.

What donations are eligable to be gift-aided?

Gift Aid is unique to the UK and as such, for charities to claim Gift Aid on donations, donors must be UK tax payers.

How does it work?

Donors will always have to declare that they are happy for the charity to claim Gift Aid - this is known as a Gift Aid declaration.

We provide a written gift aid declaration on all fundraising marketing materials which supporters can fill out when making their donation. Alternatively we do have a Gift Aid form available on request.

Organising your event

Depending on the type of fundraising event you choose, there can be few things to organise. Here are some tips to make pulling it together as easy as possible:

Set up a fundraising pageOne of the easiest and safest ways to collect sponsorship money is online. Simply create a page on JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving and follow their step by step guide.

Get permission

To collect money in a public place you will need permission from your Local Authority. For some events you may need Public Liability Insurance – this may be covered by the venue but you will need to check. Anyone under 16 must get permission from a parent or guardian before they start fundraising and they cannot take part in door-to-door collections.

Get some giftsAsk local businesses to help out with free gifts and services – you’ll be surprised how generous people can be. You can get raffle prizes donated, free refreshments, or get a free venue for your event – you just need to ask.

Gift AidMake sure you encourage people to tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form if they are eligible. You will earn an extra 25p for every £1 that people donate.

It can be a lot of work to organise an event, so get some help from your friends or ask your colleagues for support. Perhaps your employer might like to match your target? Make a list of tasks that need doing and then find people with the skills you need. Make sure they are well

briefed on the day of the event.

TOP TIPWhilst you are having fun, don’t forget about health and safety. If you are expecting a lot of people, make sure the crowds are managed properly, food is cooked thoroughly and alcohol sold responsibly. It’s a good idea to have a trained first aider available and someone to look after children on site if possible.

KEEP IN MIND

As a charity ourselves, we are unfortunately unable to fund or sponsor individual projects and events directly and are unable to support in terms of finding sponsors or a venue. However, we are here to make your fundraiser a success so let us know what you’re doing and we’ll provide

any advice and support we can.

Keeping Safe

Take lots of photos

Photos are a great way to tell the story of your event on the day and whilst you are preparing. We’d love to share your photos with our supporters and the team at Help Musicians - don’t forget to ask people’s permission to use them!

Don’t forget to tag us in any photos. We love to see what you’re up to and are always happy to share and promote your event across our social media channels.

Promoting your event

Once you have planned your fundraising event, it’s time to start telling everyone about it to get the maximum support. Here are some tips on how to best to promote your event:

Start early

Aim to start promoting your event up to two months before your event date.

Let us help

Give us the details and we can publicise your event on our website, Facebook and Twitter. We also have a list of email subscribers who love to hear our news – you could even write a blog for us! Don’t forget to give us the link to your JustGiving or Virgin Money page.

Local press

Your local paper is always looking for interesting stories so let them know what you are doing and why you are supporting Help Musicians UK. Our Communications Team can also help you with advice on who to approach and how.

Social media

Make the most of your Facebook account and link to your online fundraising page. Create an event and invite your friends. You could tweet about your progress, training or preparation in the run up to the event. Remember to tag Help Musicians UK.

@HelpMusiciansUK

@HelpMusiciansUK

Help Musicians Socials

Spread the word at work

Don’t forget to ask your colleagues for support. Perhaps your employer might like to match your target? Put up posters for your event on the notice board or recruit your workmates to help out on the day.

Maximise your fundraising page

Having an active fundraising page is vital to keep money rolling in regularly. Make it personal with lots of photos and respond to messages. You can post video updates of your progress and any fundraising successes you’ve had. Don’t forget to wlink it to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Some of our fundraising stars

Daniel Parkinson, The Beethoven Piano Concerto Project

“Help Musicians UK is about supporting those who brighten up the lives of others. Musicians dedicate themselves to a life of expression, passion and emotion. It is only right that when they fall on hard times someone is there to help. I was delighted that The Beethoven Piano Concerto Project was able to raise money and continue the good work that Help Musicians UK is doing across the country.”

Daniel Parkinson raised an amazing £2000 with The Beethoven Piano Concerto Project. Daniel organised and conducted an ambitious concert taking on the immense challenge of performing all five Beethoven Piano Concertos in a single evening! A challenge he met with great success.

Kathryn Williams, Coming Up for Air

“Without the generous support of Help Musicians UK to have my operation done privately, I would have had to wait several years and may have had to change my career path. The procedure was successful and transformed my flute playing and quality of breathing. I was able to recover properly without worrying about missing work”

Professional flautist and educator Kathryn suffered from a chronic sinus condition and asthma diagnosis. The condition made playing the flute, Kathryn’s livelihood, extremely painful. However, with the help of the Health and Welfare team at Help Musicians UK Kathryn was able to have a corrective operation privately within a month of her reaching out to us for help. Kathryn wanted to give something back through her unique project, Coming Up For Air, hosting a fundraising performance event where Kathryn and some fellow musicians played musical pieces composed to be played in a single breath.

Danni De Wolfe, London Marathon runner

“The charity has impacted the lives of countless industry professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with, something which pushed me to persevere through the cold, winter training and over that finish line! Well, that and the insanely loud rallying cries of the team at Help Musicians UK ”

Danni De Wolfe ran the London Marathon for us in April this year. Despite it being the hottest on record, she acheieved an incredible time and raised over £1000!

Ilkley Concert Club, End of Series Spring Concert

“For many years, the support of our audiences for Help Musicians UK and its predecessors suggest that they have a strong desire to give something back”

Ilkley Concert Club have supported us for almost 10 years, fundraising for us at their fantastic annual end of concert series show each spring. This year they donated an incredible £1043.24!

Sean Williams, gigging for Music Minds Matter

“We read into Help Musicians UK and realised the extent of the help that they provide to musicians of absolutely all genres and backgrounds. As musicians we knew we should contribute.”

Sean, with the support of his friends at Newcastle University, hosted a charity gig night to fundraising for our 24/7 Music Minds Matter support line and service, raising a brilliant £360!

After the event

The hard work is over, you’ve raised the money, here’s what to do next.

Paying in your donation

The money you’ve rasied must be sent to us within 30 days. Paying in your donation couldn’t be easier and can be done in one of two ways:

Online

Visit helpmusicians.org.uk/donate. Don’t forget to let us know that you raised this money at your event; you can do this by dropping us an email or giving us a call.

By cheque

Make your cheque out to Help Musicians UK and complete the paying in form in your pack, attach your cheque and post both to our offices at 7-11 Britannia Street, London, WC1X 9JS. Do include a note letting us who you are, what the event was, along with the amount of money you’ve raised.

Please DO NOT SEND MONEY IN THE POST. If you have any further questions call the Fundraising Team on 020 7239 9114.

Rosemary Wheeler, annually fundraises at her birthday celebrations

“Music has always been a vital part of my life and when I first heard about Help Musicians UK and the way they supported professional musicians I was determined to support them in any way I could. On my 60th birthday I requested donations be made to my favourite charity in lieu of presents, and was able to send £281 to the charity. I have continued to request donations on my ‘special’ birthdays go to Help Musicians UK, and always have a big celebration. I shall certainly continue to support the fund in any way I can and have already named the fund in my will” Rosemary has been collecting donations for HMUK on her birthday since 1988. Thirty years later she has recently raised a further, amazing £1000 from her 90th birthday celebrations.

Next steps

Thank your supporters

Use your social networks to thank your supporters and tell everyone how much you raised and what it will help us to achieve.

Tell us about it!

We love to hear about how our fundraisers get on, so keep in touch by sending us photos, quotes and anecdotes to put on our website and social media. You could even write us a blog about your fundraising story and send it to fundraising@helpmusicians.org.uk and we’ll upload it onto our website to shout about your success!

Frequently asked questions

What do Help Musicians UK do?

Help Musicians UK is the leading UK charity for professional musicians and those working in the music industry, from starting out to retirement. We help budding musicians develop their talent and established professionals develop their career alongside offering health and welfare support to musicians in crisis, such as suffering an accident or long-term illness.

What support do we offer our fundraisers?

We are here to help make your fundraiser a success and are happy to offer any advice and support we can. We are unfortunately unable to fund or sponsor individual events but can provide informative literature along with collection tins or fundraising buckets. If you require any of these materials please contact the fundraising team at fundraising@helpmusicians.org.uk.

How do I sey up a donation page?

One of the easiest ways to raise money online is to set up a fundraising page. All you have to do is head over to the Help Musicians UK page on Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving, click ‘fundraise for us’ and follow their easy step by step guide to create your page.

How will my donation be used?

Every penny will go straight to our frontline work helping emerging, professional and retired musicians.

How can I donate?

You can pay in your donation via cheque or online. Don’t forget to make the donation within 30 days!