Your guide to Fundraising for Depression Alliance

Transcription

1 Your guide to Fundraising for Depression Alliance

2 Thank you for requesting this fundraising information pack. We re delighted you have chosen to help us raise funds for Depression Alliance, the UK s leading charity for people affected by depression. Like many mental health charities within the UK, we receive very little government funding and therefore rely heavily on membership, donations and fundraisers like yourselves to help us fight the effects of depression. Every penny you raise will help ensure Depression Alliance can continue to raise awareness, reduce the stigma attached to depression and provide information for anyone affected. We hope most of all that you enjoy fundraising with us - good luck, and thank you for your support Emer O Neill (Chief Executive) 1. Depression P The idea! P Getting started P Raising the money P Financial side of fundraising P What does your fundraising do? P Important fundraising information! P.9 8. Publicity notes P Useful links & contacts P.10

3 What is Depression? Depression is different from feeling down or sad. Unhappiness is something which everyone feels at one time or another, usually due to a particular cause. A person suffering from depression will experience intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity and helplessness, and the feelings stay with them instead of going away. Depression can happen to anyone. Many successful and famous people who seem to have everything going for them battle with this problem. Depression also affects people of every age. Half of the people who have depression will only experience it once but for the other half it will happen again. The length of time that it takes to recover ranges from around six months to a year or more. Living with depression is difficult for those who suffer from it and for their family, friends, and colleagues. It can be also difficult to know if you are depressed and what you can do about it. What causes Depression? Depression can happen suddenly as a result of physical illness, experiences dating back to childhood, unemployment, bereavement, family problems or other life-changing events. Examples of chronic illnesses linked to depression include heart disease, back pain and cancer. Pituitary damage, a treatable condition which frequently follows head injuries, may also lead to depression. Sometimes, there may be no clear reason for your depression, but whatever the original cause; identifying what may affect how you feel and the things that are likely to trigger depression is an important first step. Some facts about Depression: One in five people will have depression at some point in their lives. More than 2.9 million people in the UK are diagnosed as having depression at any one time. As many as three in four cases of depression are neither recognised nor treated. More than 70% of recorded suicides are committed by people with depression. Sadly more than 2 young people commit suicide each day in the UK and Rep. of Ireland. The world health Organisation estimates that by the year major depression will be, second only to chronic heart disease as, an international health problem. More than 80% of people with depression can be helped with the appropriate treatment.

4 In fundraising, no idea is too big, too small, too stupid or too complicated. With a charity our size, it is important to remember that every little helps whether you raise 50 or 50,000, it ll all make a difference. One of the biggest headaches can be to come up with an idea, and we re here to help. If you have one, great, just head over to the next section and get started. If not, have a look below and let s see if we can help you out a little! Golf Tournament Talent Show Music Concert or Comedy Evening Bake Sale Picnic or Street Party! Barbeque Pub Quiz with an Entry Donation Tombola Carwash Shave your Head, Legs or..? Treasure Hunt Sponsored Walk, Swim or Silence Dress Down Day Swear Box Fancy Dress Raffle (with prizes such as a day s holiday!) Bungee Jumping Half, Full or Super Marathon Skydiving Abseiling Gala or Ball Maybe an International Adventure? Hike, Trek or Trail?

5 There are so many ways to raise money it is often hard to find which one is right for you. The biggest tip we can give you is play to your strengths. There is no point trying to raise money in a way which you are not going to enjoy doing. This can be anything ranging from Events, Sports or IT with a social media campaign like Twitter and Facebook it can all be accomplished if you re having fun! Outline of the event Make sure you have worked out exactly what you re idea is. Sit down and have a nice planning evening and work out possible problems that might come your way with some solutions if they should occur. The more detail you have, the easier it ll be to carry out! Cost VS Income Work out how much money you will have to spend to make your idea possible. This could range from venue hire, drinks/food to entrance or registration fees. A lot of people will give their services for free or at a discount for a good cause if you ask them nicely. Also, it could be worth doing some research into how much you could raise before starting no point having the party if no one wants it! Committee The more people you have helping you organise your fundraiser; the better! Get a committee together, this could be a group of friends or immediate family, and delegate tasks between them. If you take too much on yourself it can be very hard, so make sure you ask for help and you d be amazed how many people will lend a hand. One tip is to be prepared to make firm decisions as the chair, or you could end up coming up with brilliant ideas but never getting anything done. For more help with organisation, throw us an !

6 JustGiving & Website Biggest piece of advice we can give you is to set up your own JustGiving page and link it with ours at This allows people to donate on a secure site and the money directly to us at Depression Alliance without you having to go and collect it. Alternatively you can get people to donate via our website at Facebook/Twitter/other social media At Depression Alliance, we love social media. There s no point trying to raise money unless people know you re doing it! One of the best ways of drawing attention to yourself is to create a Facebook page; this allows you to send out updates and messages so people can keep track of your progress. Do the same if you re on twitter or any other social media channel. This might be something you can ask one of your committee to do. Social media has made it easy to contact a large amount of people all at once for little to no cost to you. Pictures and video are always very popular and there are free apps like Instagram, Vine or Keek that can do the hard work for you! Face to Face You may be asking people for money directly. Be careful here, there are legal issues surrounding collecting money on a charities behalf, so make sure you check in with us before you do so as we may need to grant written permission. You will also need to keep an accurate record of money transferred. You can use our sponsorship forms for pledges and donations, as well as let your sponsors sign up for Gift Aid. Blogs & Vlogs If your fundraising campaign is going to last awhile, maybe what would be a good idea is to blog adventure! Blogging is a kind of online journal, which can be viewed by anyone. It allows you to make more in-depth updates than Facebook or twitter would. Some great examples of blogging websites would be Blogger, Wordpress and Tumblr all of which can be linked to other social platforms. You could also upload a video diary on to YouTube. This is a great tool if you are doing a fundraiser that lasts more than a day or two. Your supporters will then be able to share the link to your videos and hopefully increase your donations. We re here to help! Remember that you re not alone and our fundraising team can help and advise you every step of the way! Just drop us an fundraising@depressionalliance.org and we can have a natter.

7 Gift Aid & Tax If your sponsors pay tax then it is possible the Inland Revenue will give the charity an extra 20p for every 1 raised. All you have to do is tell us if they have paid tax this year that adds up to more than the extra money being claimed; for example, If someone gives 10 then 2 can be claimed if they have paid tax of 2 or more, with 100 donation 20 in Gift Aid can be claimed and so on. Make sure your sponsors tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form or your JustGiving page. Also anyone paying the top rate tax band can offset 20% of their donation against their tax liability. In Kind Support As we touched on before, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the cost of putting on an event, or taking part in a sponsored activity can often seem, initially, too high to ensure that you actually raise money in the end. So often you can save money by asking for in kind support instead of donations especially if you need specialist equipment, publicity materials, performers or food & drink. This kind of support becomes more important the bigger the enterprise. So, it is always worth asking if people are willing to help. Never underestimate the power of the individual and their desire to genuinely give something back, especially if they have a personal affinity to charity. Reconciliation Corporate Sponsorship You could ask for in kind support from a company. Ask yourself: What is a company going to get out of supporting this venture? If it is something that is going to make headlines, then it could help raise their profile and their association with Depression Alliance may bring positive publicity. Never underestimate the power the individual and their desire to genuinely give something back, especially if they have a personal affinity to the charity. Don t just write to any company - match your activity to organisations that are likely to help you. Finally it is better to have a warm contact within the organisation, rather than going in cold, so think about who you know who could help you with this. You may need to spend a bit of time making sure the money you have collected matches the people who came to your event. Also make sure people have signed up to Gift Aid wherever possible. Your job will be made a lot easier if people donate online, but there may be one or two who forget to pay when they promised so don t be afraid to chase them up! It might be easier to get just one person to keep the financial record, this way there is no confusion when comparing book keeping.

8 So, now that you ve got the idea, planned the event, executed it perfectly and reconciled the funds what does your money actually do? Well, hopefully this section will give you a little insight into what Depression Alliance does with the funds we raise. Friends in Need ( Friends in Need is a supportive community, Online & Offline, for people living with depression. At Depression Alliance we strive to end the loneliness and isolation that comes with depression. Friends in Need is a way that people with depression can come together and create a support structure for themselves and a place where you can seek help and advice from others while also reading about their experiences and stories. Local Support Our national network of self-help groups enable people affected by depression to share experiences and coping strategies with others in similar situations. Making your voice heard We work with healthcare professionals to secure better service provision for people affected by depression and lobby government to influence policy making. Pen-Friend Scheme This is a highly successful Pen-Pal scheme that has allowed our members to talk about their depression through letters to other members, while still allowing them to remain anonymous. This scheme is for those who don t have a stable support structure of their own, and may need to talk to someone who understands what they are going through. Publications & Research We produce a large range of leaflets, publications and posters that offer in depth information about depression and how it affects every day life. Depression Alliance works in partnership with universities, health professionals and other voluntary organisations to research the causes, treatments and instances of depression in the UK. We use the findings of our research to educate and inform health professionals, government, and the general public via the media.

9 Although that a lot of what follows may appear more like common sense, the realm of fundraising can sometimes become a difficult area to navigate in terms of the current law and basic administration. It can be really simple if you just take a few minutes to read the points below: Collecting Money Collecting money in public is a subject to very strict legal requirements and must be licensed by the local authority that you re collecting in. Before you talk to your local authority, please contact us at Depression Alliance, as we usually can help you jump through the hoops. If you re collecting the money in a private location or venue then you will not need permission from the local authority; just the owner of the premises. There are also legal requirements for Raffles/Tombola s, please do not organise a raffle without checking with Depression Alliance first. Health & Safety For some events you will need to take into account health and safety issues. Follow any professional advice relevant to your activity as well as the guidance of any staff working at the venue you are at. Depression Alliance cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or injury suffered by you or anyone else as a result of taking part in a fundraising event. Please do take extra care if you are handling food and apply the simple rules of preparation, storage, display and cooking. Data Protection By law you will have to make sure any record you keep about people involved in your fundraising activity complies with the Data Protection Act. Essentially you shouldn t share any information or data about people with their permission or keep the information longer than you have to. Larger Events You may need to ensure you have relevant insurance & permits for your event, especially if you are in a specific venue. There are strict laws on serving alcohol, and also how loud music can be played as well as where and when. Also, if you have a large number of people you may wish to inform the police station and local authority that the event is happening. If you have any questions on whether your event may be affected in these ways, just give us an and we ll help you.

10 Press The local press are always looking for an interesting local story same goes for the national press if it is something that might be of interest to the whole country. It s worth giving them a ring or ing if you think your fundraising event could get a mention. Make sure you keep any press cutting or website pages and send them to us! Put up posters in your local community, this might help highlight the event, or simply highlight Depression Alliance. Material We have a few information leaflets & posters to download from our website that might be of use to you. However, if you are organising a specific event, a good idea would be to design some posters & flyers yourself. Contact Depression Alliance if you need a High Res copy of our logo and charity information. Either print the material yourself or get a local printer to do higher quality (this is where you could try getting in-kind support). The one rule of advertising is to keep it simple with clear wording as to what the event is, where it is and how much tickets are. Depression Alliance posters and materials are usually Orange, White and Black; don t be afraid however to mix things up a bit if you like! Flyers are good for having a nice simple design, like your poster, but with more detailed information on the back. Just remember the most costeffective way of publicising your event is by social media! Depression Alliance Friends in Need Depression Alliance JustGiving Information about Fundraising Contact us: Fundraising Team Depression Alliance 20 Great Dover Street London SE1 4LX United Kingdom More Fundraising Ideas Health & Safety Guide Food Standards