Fundraising tips

• Decide on a date for when you'd like to hold an event.



• Find a venue



• Work out a budget. Set yourself a fundraising target and make sure it's around three times as much as you spend – otherwise it may not be worthwhile.



• Write a checklist of all the things that you'll need, for example equipment, refreshments, etc, then tick them off as you go along.



• Delegate. Find out what skills people have, then try to give them tasks they'll enjoy.



• Try to keep costs low, for example, ask local businesses if they'd donate prizes and cover the cost of printing posters, banners and so on.



• Advertise your activity. Tell everyone! Remember, word of mouth is always one of the most successful forms of promotion!



• Contact local newspapers, radio and TV stations and ask them for publicity. Ask them to also include your contact details in case readers or listeners wish to sponsor you. Perhaps you could get a local celebrity to come along to your event, which could help with its promotion.



• Invite everyone you know and tell them about your fundraising page! The more people you involve, the more money you will raise. So look to invite friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, business contacts, everyone!



• If you are taking the money yourself, put your most generous sponsor at the top of your form. Hopefully others will follow suit!



• Ask your sponsors to Gift Aid it – this means we get an extra £28 for every £100 you raise, for free. As long as your sponsors tell us their home address, we can claim this extra money from the government. Alternatively, leave this to us by pointing your donors to your fundraising webpage on our site and let us do the giftaid work for you!



• Ask your employer if they operate a matched-giving scheme, if they do, they will be able to match £ for £ on the money you raise.



• Record – keep details of everyone who has supported you, this is good practice but also helps you keep track of who you need to thank. Again, ifyou use the website most of this will be taken care of for you automatically, leaving you to concentrate on how to raise even more money!

Set up a fundraising group

If you would like to set up a fundraising group with your friends, contact us . We'll provide you with lots of support.