Fundraising pack. Your essential guide to fundraising for Action on Addiction. is for Action

Transcription

1 Fundraising pack Your essential guide to fundraising for Action on Addiction is for Action

2 Your fundraising pack First of all, a huge thank you for taking on this amazing challenge and raising money for Action on Addiction. We hope you enjoy the experience! Whether you re an old hand or new to fundraising we know that it can seem like a challenge in itself. That s why we ve put together this pack to give you a helping hand. Don t forget You re not on your own. Action on Addiction is here to help. Get in touch at any time for fundraising advice, or just a chat! Contact the Fundraising Team on or events@actiononaddiction.org.uk What s in this guide How your money helps p 3-4 Why we need you Kathy s story p 5 Fundraising ideas p 6-7 A huge thank you! p 8 or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 2

3 How your money helps 500 could pay for an addicted person to begin vocational training on the Working Recovery programme. 1,500 could pay for a family to attend M-PACT, which works with the children of addicted people to make life better and safer. 5,500 could pay for four weeks of residential treatment at Clouds House. Addiction is the biggest preventable killer in the UK. Most people know someone who has been directly affected by addiction, or is a friend or loved one of someone with an addiction. Addiction can be devastating for individuals, families and communities. However, change is possible. People can and do recover. Your support means we can continue to help those whose lives are being ruined by addiction. We very much appreciate all donations, large or small, as they all help us to achieve our vision: to free people from addiction and its effects. The M-PACT (Moving Parents and Children Together) programme It is estimated there are 1.3 million children living with parents who have drug- or alcoholrelated problems. Research indicates that the development of these children can be affected. The M-PACT programme supports the family as a whole. Through eight weekly meetings children and parents can meet others in similar circumstances and work with specially trained facilitators to help them understand the impact of addiction and overcome their difficulties. or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 3

4 How your money helps The Brink, Liverpool The Brink, the UK s first dry café bar, was launched in September The Brink is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and late into the evening. It is incredibly important for people who are in the early stages of recovery to have a safe environment in which to re-build their lives. Here they can meet old friends, make new ones, learn new skills and attend support groups. The Brink enables people to do these things without the close proximity of drugs or alcohol. The Working Recovery programme Working Recovery is part of our Community Recovery programme in Bournemouth, which supports people with addictions before, during and after treatment. Initiated by a former service user who understood the need for effective and supportive training for people recovering from addiction, Working Recovery builds practical skills in a number of vocational disciplines including woodwork, graphic design, printing and photography. The Brink, Liverpool Residential and structured day treatment Action on Addiction also provides abstinencebased 12-step residential treatment and structured day treatment. Our residential treatment programmes provide a safe environment in which the intensive work can begin, and we help people gain the skills to stay off drugs and alcohol. Clouds House is based in Wiltshire and has an international reputation, and Hope House is a specialist treatment centre for women in London. Our Community Recovery programmes offer structured day treatment for men and women. This enables people to live at home while accessing treatment on allocated days. or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk Working Recovery, Bournemouth 4

5 Why we need you Inside story - Kathy, 33 Less than a year ago I was pacing the streets, day and night, alone, in the most degrading, immoral and dehumanising ways imaginable. Anything to get drugs. I still have to pinch myself daily. Was that really me? Am I now really free from drugs and alcohol? Yes. Just for today. I felt like an outsider with friends and family. I was drinking and sniffing gas by age 10 and didn t look back. I remember the first time I properly encountered heroin in a dark, dingy squat. It took all the pain away. I was homeless by 20 and the subsequent years are a blur of abusive relationships, shop doorways, squats, prison sentences and hospital beds. Heroin was my staple but I peppered it daily with all manner of other drugs. At 27 during yet another spell in prison, I discovered to my utter dismay that I was pregnant. I was full of heartfelt promises, to myself and everyone else around me that I would stop the drugs. My son was born. I loved him so entirely and wanted nothing more than to be a good mum. I tried anything, everything to stop college, moving house, changing acquaintances, scripts, counselling but none of it seemed to work. I neglected my son emotionally and took him to ever increasingly dangerous situations. Eventually my son was taken off me and went to live with his father. I d failed as a mum. I tried, unsuccessfully, to maintain contact but the obsession to use was overwhelming. I only ever really thought about me and the drugs. I will never forget those last few weeks leading up to treatment; they serve as a stark reminder of where I could go. After primary treatment I was given the option of doing six months secondary treatment at Hope House, an all female treatment centre in London run by Action on Addiction. I knew I needed as much treatment as I could get but, All girls! Ugh!!! I couldn t think of anything worse. Turns out, it was by far the best decision I have ever made. I was loved and nurtured and the counselling was second to none. I started to work through childhood stuff, adult trauma and began to grieve the death of my mum. I began the process of addressing my core belief of self-hate and started to develop a kind, loving relationship with myself. I have been equipped with the necessary tools to live a truly loving, responsible and productive life. Thanks to Hope House, I now believe that maybe I am worth it. I am, and always will be an addict. I was very sick for many years and I have to work hard, daily, to ensure I do not return to active addiction. This is a fatal disease and it s easy to forget that. Above all else, the thing that makes my little heart sing my son. I see my little boy weekly these days. I came into recovery to be a mum. I need to do everything within my power to ensure that I never let him or myself down again. or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 5

6 Fundraising ideas There are some great online fundraising tools including Everyday Hero, Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving. Simply go to your preferred website and follow the instructions to set up your own personal page. The first fundraising stage is to ask family members, friends and work colleagues. We re confident that once you explain what the money is going towards and what the challenge entails then people will want to support you. Create an online fundraising page. It s really important to personalise your page and to explain why you have decided to take on this challenge and why you have chosen to support Action on Addiction. Also, add a few pictures to your page! This will most certainly help you with your fundraising target. If you would like your page set up for you or need any help, please contact the Fundraising Team on or by at events@actiononaddiction.org.uk Facebook and Twitter. These social networks are a great way of telling all your family and friends about your challenge. Send out your online fundraising page link to all your family, friends and contacts via , Facebook and Twitter. Please like Action on Addiction on Facebook and follow us on and we ll help you spread the word! Sponsorship forms. It s always good to keep a sponsorship form with you. Take it to friends houses, to family dinners, to school, to work, and anywhere else you go! Don t forget to mention it to local businesses as well because they often like to support local fundraisers. Post a link, create an event, tweet about your training. The possibilities are endless or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 6

7 Fundraising ideas Gift Aid. It is really important that when using your sponsorship forms that you get all your tax paying friends, family members and colleagues to fill in their home address including postcode and signature. Without these vital bits of information we cannot claim Gift Aid we need this to make their donation go further. This is worth an extra 25p for every 1 donated, at no extra cost to you. How about hosting an event to help you reach your target? Our most successful fundraisers have told us that the trick is to do something individual that means something to you and the people around you. Here are a few ideas to get you inspired Quiz Master. Music, TV, Sport. Host a quiz and invite all your family, friends and colleagues, asking each team to pay to take part. Check out the internet for great quiz questions. Party. Gather your friends together and raise money throughout the evening. Birthdays, Christmas, fancy dress, anniversaries, weddings, World Cup, Eurovision. The list goes on Cakes. Everyone loves a cake or a biscuit. Bake a batch and take it to your office/school/ work place/friends houses/garden party and sell, sell, sell. Dinner Party. Come Dine With Me is a firm favourite. Why not try your own version with your friends? A great way to raise money, enjoy great food and have fun! or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 7

8 A huge thank you! We rely on the commitment, enthusiasm and generosity of people like you. By raising money for Action on Addiction you are helping someone change their life for the better. Please contact the Fundraising Team if you need anything to help you in your challenge. Ring on or Thank you. As a little boy I used to watch the London Marathon with starry eyes. Never did I think I would become part of the legend! This year it became more than just a dream. It became a reality all thanks to Action on Addiction. Little did I know that I d end up running it for a totally different reason though, for the marathon became the epitome of my own life s marathon that is sobriety. Having conquered one of man s physically toughest challenges, I know I can achieve anything life throws at me now as long as I believe in myself like I did on Sunday 21st April It is all thanks to Action on Addiction and I couldn t have been prouder running with their vest on that day! Scott, fundraiser or by events@actiononaddiction.org.uk 8