It may seem to you that your charity skydive is for free. In fact, it is being paid for by the people you approach for sponsorship. It is important to recognise this when requesting funds from them as the last thing they want to perceive is that you are extracting money for your own ends. Therefore, let them know that by doing such a challenging event, you are raising a far higher total for the charity than by doing an event such as a sponsored run or cycle ride.
The majority of people who embark on fundraising events do not have any experience of raising funds and therefore we have taken the opportunity to go through some ideas and tips in this section to help you. The important thing is to let everybody know what you are doing and enjoy yourself.
Your fundraising event is obviously very important to you so shout about it as much as you can and get everyone around you as excited about the event as you are. One way to start is to sit down and make a list of all the people you know and work out how they could help you, whether they are family, friends, colleagues or even just the local businesses you use.
Each of those people will be able to help you raise the money! Give them sponsor forms so that they can collect donations from their friends, family and work colleagues and involve them in fundraising activities. If they have a particular talent maybe they can put it to good use helping you raise the money or if they own a venue maybe you could use that for an event.
Your local school, nursery or college may be able to help by holding non-uniform days or taking aboard your cause as their charity of the year/ term. It is a good idea to offer to go into the school and give a talk about the event you are doing and the charity you are supporting; not only does this raise more awareness but it may inspire them to give more generously.
The company you work for could either sponsor you or match fund the amount you have raised. Although you will have more contacts within your own company it might also be an idea to approach any other companies you have links with, for example the companies your family and friends work for. A lot of companies will hold annual events for the staff, especially Christmas parties, so this is a good chance to promote your event. Even if it is just putting collection tins on tables you are still raising money and awareness.
Most companies will have a central notice board or intranet site. You can utilise this by putting out flyers of any events you are organising and your contact details so that your colleagues know how to support you.
If the company cannot support you in a monetary sense then they may be able to give you a prize for a raffle or auction.
Unfortunately, approaching companies where you have no personal contact often ends in disappointment. Therefore we do recommend that you only contact companies you know.
Whatever you do keep smiling and keep fundraising - with a bit of invention and energy you can easily reach your fundraising target - thousands of others have done this so you can too!
It is very important that the your charity's Charity Registration Number appears on all printed documents and that you ask their permission before using their logo.
The legal minimum age for collecting money is 16, although in London it is 18 years of age.
In order to make a collection in a private area, for example, your local shopping centre or supermarket, then you will need the permission of the owner.
In order to make a street collection you will need to contact your local authority for a license and be prepared to submit a final total.
Your safety is paramount.
Most charities will recommend that you do NOT raise money for your event by collecting on the street.
Please do not do anything unsafe or illegal – everything you do will reflect on the charity and their reputations are very important to them. If in doubt ask their permission first
When holding events in public areas please make sure you are covered by the local authority public liability insurance and that you have the appropriate licences
Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a method charities use to reclaim tax from the donations you make to them - which effectively means that for every £10 you donate the charity receives £12.80!
You will clearly want to ensure that the charity receives this extra money from your fundraising so here's what you need to do to make sure they do:
- you must supply the charity with your name and address
- you must supply the charity with the name and address of everybody who has sponsored you
- the charity will only be able to claim Gift Aid from those donors who are UK tax payers - and they must tick a box to confirm that they are
Charities will usually give you a sponsorship form that has boxes so that you can fill in these details easily.
Institute of Fundraising Code of Practice
The Institute of Fundraising is an organisation whose objective is to promote the highest standards in fundraising in the UK. As part of this mission they have produced a code of practice which all event organisers and charities are encouraged to adhere to. This code of practice covers various aspects of event organisation including consideration to local residents, impact on the environment, gaining all necessary permissions and other organisational and fundraising matters. Experienced charity event organisers will adhere to these codes to ensure successful events for all those involved. Sensible and responsible events are the practice of good event organisers.
