Your Fundraising Guide

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1 Your Fundraising Guide

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3 Welcome Thank you for making us YOUR charity! Welcome to your fundraising pack and thank you for choosing Epilepsy Scotland. Our simple go-to guide will help you pick, plan and produce your fundraising event as well as explain where the money YOU raise will go. Epilepsy Scotland celebrated its 60 th anniversary in 2014 and our work is needed more than ever. We are here to help that one person in 97 in Scotland who develops this common condition. We are proud to work across the entire country on behalf of those living with epilepsy and their families. Our services include our range of publications, as well as information through our free to use helpline, website and social media. We provide personal or group support, awareness-raising campaigns and a range of epilepsy-related training We know that no matter what your fundraising event is, you will make it a success. Please don t forget that the fundraising team are here to help you, be it promoting your event on Facebook or just some calming words! If you need any support, contact us on or fundraising@epilepsyscotland.org.uk. Good luck! The Fundraising Team

4 Our Services The Lighthouse Youth Project The Lighthouse Youth Project is for young people and teenagers affected by epilepsy. The project provides one-to-one and group support sessions for young people, their families and carers. There are after school social and physical activities and a programme of fun and challenging things to do in school holidays. By being involved in the group, young people can help each other. They have access to more information about epilepsy and the opportunity to talk to experienced support workers and epilepsy specialist nurses. Epilepsy Scotland works alongside the NHS, schools and social work services to create effective support systems which enable young people with epilepsy to participate fully in the community. I was so stressed about being diagnosed with epilepsy, I couldn t take it all in. I phoned your helpline who explained what all the jargon was and helped me, and those around me, to understand the condition and help take some of that initial stress away. Helpline Epilepsy Scotland s helpline is a free, confidential service offering information, guidance and support on a wide variety of epilepsy- related topics. This service can be used by people living with epilepsy as well as carers, parents, relatives, teachers, employers and health professionals. Our information officers are fully qualified, with COSCAaccredited counselling skill and are members of the Telephone Helplines Association. As well as managing a busy Helpline, the contact team also hold regular community information and awareness events. Short Break Project Epilepsy Scotland owns a static caravan at Seton Sands Holiday Park. It is available for families who are affected by disability to enjoy a much needed short break without the financial pressure of saving for a holiday, or worrying about the facilities and suitability of the accommodation before their visit. We struggle to cope with Jack s condition at home. He gets bored staying in all the time and because his health is so poor I care for him full time so money is really tight. A week at Seton Sands was a godsend, we managed to go swimming one morning and even watched some entertainment. It s been fantastic for us as a family, thank you 4

5 Where your money goes We need to fundraise over 1,000 every single day to keep our essential services running. Here are some examples of what the money you raise could do. 50 A cinema trip for vulnerable teenagers 70 Covers the cost of two support workers to manage an adult activity group for one day Is the cost for Covers the rental our Contact of our Freephone Team to hold an helpline for a year information event 2,000 Could pay for 10 young people who have epilepsy and additional needs/ learning disabilities to go on a residential activities weekend in a Scottish town 5,000 For our Youth Worker to attend a weekly paediatric seizure clinic to provide support to young people struggling with their diagnosis 10,000 Could enable an Epilepsy Social Worker to provide parenting workshops, disability assessments and one to one family support for a year 5

6 Coffee morning Race night Quiz night Organise your own Children s fun day Fancy dress party Way fundr Walk Run (10k, half marathon etc) Sponsored events Sponsored spin get your local gym involved Head shave/ chest wax Triathlon

7 Climb a mountain Kilimanjaro, Machu Piccu Firewalk Adrenaline challenge Bungee jump Zipslide s to aise Sky dive Raffle Sportsman s dinner Other ideas Guessing game Come Dine With Me dinner party Football tournament

8 Handy Hints Be organised! Picking a date and venue should be your first priority Consider if your event date falls on another big date (Easter, Mother s Day, Holiday weekend). Will this impact on your event? Set a budget it s easier to work out what you hope to raise when you know what your outgoings will be Have a to-do list and set a date for completion on each task. It s a great way to stay on top of things and a fantastic feeling when you tick something off your list! Spread the word! What is the reason you re supporting the charity? If you re comfortable talking about it, let people know. It might strike a chord with someone and lead to more donations Use social media it s becoming the fastest way to keep people updated. Ask for shares! You never know who your post might reach and what extra support you might be offered Be bold you are doing an amazing thing so don t be afraid to ask for people to donate their time for free, or donate a raffle prize. Many businesses will help as long as they don t have any ongoing charity commitments Speak to the local press they love to hear about events in the local community plus it is great publicity for you! Online Giving Set up a Just Giving page. Lots of people prefer to donate online and it makes it easier for you to collect sponsorship money Just Giving also gives you the option to set up a unique text code which is a quick and easy way for people to donate. Their donation will be added to their monthly mobile phone bill Share the link to your online fundraising page and put it on any fundraising materials you may have posters, flyers, t-shirts etc! Your Just Giving page will show your target and how close you are to reaching it this might encourage people to donate a little bit more! Gift Aid If you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid for your donation, adding another 25% For every 1 donated, Epilepsy Scotland would get 1.25 because we are a registered charity It will not cost your sponsors any more money we reclaim Gift Aid through the taxman Make sure your sponsors fill out their full details (name, address and postcode) and tick that they are happy for us to claim Gift Aid on their donation 8

9 WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR EVENT We have a range of merchandise and tools which may help to make your fundraising event even more successful. These include: T-shirts Hoodies Collecting Cans Home Money Boxes Collecting Buckets Information Leaflets Purple Ribbons Letters of authorisation to businesses Get in touch with us to find out if there is any other way we can help. We d love to hear from you. 9

10 Business Help Your employer or your business can help fundraise for Epilepsy Scotland. Fundraising can be a brilliant team building activity and also lets the world know that your company cares about the wider community Charity of the Year If your company were to pick Epilepsy Scotland as Charity of the Year we would work closely with key staff. We could help you create a calendar of events for the year involving staff, customers or clients. We will publicise your fundraising as widely as we can. Sponsorship We have a variety of sponsorship opportunities throughout the year, from sponsoring a table at our Ladies Lunch to funding our printed materials. We will ensure your business benefits in many ways, including increased brand awareness, potential business opportunities and publicising you commitment to good causes. Matched giving Many companies operate a scheme where they will match the money raised by their staff. For example, if a member of staff raises 500, the company might also donate 500. Payroll Giving Payroll Giving is a great way to make regular donations to us straight from your pay. By giving to us this way, we automatically receive the tax you would have paid on the donation (your payroll department sorts this out for us) so a 4 donation from your monthly wage will give Epilepsy Scotland 5 automatically if you pay 20% tax. Speak to your Payroll Department to set up a donation or contact us for more information. 10

11 How to send your money to Epilepsy Scotland: Well done! Here s to you for successfully completing your fundraising event and raising money which will be used to help over 54,000 people in Scotland with epilepsy. Once you ve celebrated your hard work, you can pass on your sponsorship money to us in a variety of ways. If you have solely fundraised online, you don t need to worry about this the money will come directly to Epilepsy Scotland. Please do not send any cash to us in the post. Bank transfer You can transfer your money directly to our bank account using the following details: Sort Code: Account No: Cheque or Postal Order Please make any cheques or postal orders out to Epilepsy Scotland and send them to the address below along with any used AND unused sponsor forms you may have: Epilepsy Scotland Freepost SCO2178 Glasgow G51 1BR Please use your name or event as a reference.

12 Get in touch... We re here to help Fundraising Enquiries Helpline Text Visit our website Follow Epilepsy Scotland Epilepsy Action Scotland is a company limited by guarantee Registered in Scotland No Registered Office 48 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 1JL Scottish Charity No. SC A member of the Joint Epilepsy Council of the UK and Ireland