Fundraising Pack Thank you for choosing to raise funds for St. Rocco s Hospice! Here at St. Rocco s, we are proud of our reputation as Warrington s Favourite Charity. One in three of us will be touched by Hospice care and nearly all of us can think of a friend, relative or neighbour who has, or could have benefited from the wonderful support of staff at St. Rocco s Hospice. This pack is full of hints and tips to help you make the most of any event you organise to raise funds for St. Rocco s. We ve included some ideas for events that others have done in the past to give you some inspiration, but don t be afraid to create your own, truly unique event! Your support will make a real difference to all the people we care for. For help with any aspect of your event contact the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780 Registered Charity No. 511592 1
How your event makes a difference St. Rocco s provides a care and support for patients with a diagnosis of cancer, Motor Neurone Disease and other life-threatening illnesses. Our services are provided free of charge to patients and their families, but we can only do this because of the generosity of our supporters. Just 30 will pay for an aromatherapy session for one of our Day Unit patients. 425 covers the cost of one in-patient stay for one day. St. Rocco s need to raise over 7000 every day to fund its work. It costs over 5 per minute, every day, 365 days a year to run the Hospice so every penny counts! Your money works hard for St. Rocco s! *For every 1 we receive 93p is spent on providing care and support to our patients. 6p is invested to generate future funds. 1p is spent on admin and governance. *(2011-2012 accounts) Please let us know if you are planning to run an event in aid of St. Rocco s by emailing enquiries@stroccos.org.uk or calling the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780. 2
Planning your event Planning Give yourself enough time to plan your event. The sooner you start planning the less you ll have to worry about. Don t be afraid to ask for help. Choosing the activity What type of event do you want to do? (see page 4 for ideas) Could you tie in with an existing event e.g.- holding a dance competition at an 80 s night or get your local pub to hold a quiz night in aid of St. Rocco s? Venue Find the ideal place to suit your activity. Date You might want to hold your event on the date of a particular occasion - e.g. an anniversary or birthday, but if not, make sure you get the date that s right for you. Is there anything else happening on the date of your event that might clash? For example, it might be difficult to get people to attend a sportsman dinner if it clashes with a major national sporting event. Guests Consider who might attend your event, who you need to invite and whether or not you need a maximum or minimum number. Targets and budgets Set yourself a realistic target and stick to a budget. It s OK to review things if the target turns out to be demanding. If you are charging an entry fee or selling tickets, try to be realistic - it s easy to overprice or undersell an event. A good rule of thumb is to check the price you re charging fits in with other similar events. Sponsorship and support You can minimise costs by trying to get some goods and services for free or at a discount. We can help by providing you with a letter of authority if needed. Call the Fundraising Department on 01925 575780 for more information on this. Safety Are there any rules or regulations related to your event that you need to be aware of? Is a risk assessment needed. Don t be afraid to delegate! Friends and family will often rally round and are usually only too happy to help you reach your fundraising target. Fundraising Find as many ways as you can to maximise what you raise - it s all for a great cause. (see page 4 for ways to maximise your income). 3
Event Ideas Latest Craze The media is always a great source of inspiration when you are looking for event ideas. How about your own version of: Strictly Come Dancing X factor Come Dine with me The Apprentice Britain s got Talent Deal or No Deal It s a Knockout Seasonal Events How about staging an event themed to the key holiday season, like: Spring - Easter Egg Hunt Summer - Strawberries and Buck Fizz for Wimbledon Autumn - Halloween Winter Carol Singer or Santa s Grotto for Christmas Hobbies and Interests: Why not turn your hobby into a great event in aid of St. Rocco s: Bingo Games Console Challenge Pub Quiz Book Club Challenge Fashion and Beauty Special Interest Groups Are you a member of a group or organisation who could help stage an event? Scouts Line Dancing Troupes Theatre Groups Arts and Crafts Groups Women s Institute Lions/Rotary Get active Do you like sports and fitness? Are you an adrenaline junkie? Why not get a team together and challenge your fitness or try an adventure challenge- there are ideas for everyone. Five a side Football Rugby Gym Circuit Challenge Zumbathon Cycle Challenge Sponsored Walk Tandem Sky Dive 4
Fundraising Community Fundraising Fundraising at work If your employer is supportive of your ideas, work can be a great place to get your event off the ground and is always an inspiration for event ideas. Why not hold a departmental challenge or organise an out of hour s event for colleagues? Some companies will even match fund whatever you raise. How about organising: A karaoke night Five a side football tournament Dress down day Donation bucket Are you brave enough to have a head shave or leg wax? Could your colleagues enter a team in the St. Rocco s Dragon Boat Race? Fundraising at school Schools raise thousands of pounds for St. Rocco s each year. If your child attends a school which is willing to hold an event for the Hospice, or if you work for or are involved with a local school, there are bags of ideas to try. You could even organise your school event around St. Rocco s Yellow Day in May/June. Check our website for details www.stroccos.org.uk or call the Fundraising Team 01925 575780. Here are just some of the ideas you could use in schools: Non Uniform Day Spelling Bee Cake Sale Dress Down Day Theatre performance Sunflower painting or making Sports Day Combining a fun day out with your own fundraising event is a great way to raise funds. You might want to organise a coffee morning, garden walk or summer fete at your home; or involve a community group you already know to hold a bridge night, fete, summer fair or dog walk. How about holding an auction at a dinner dance or a raffle at a quiz night. Other ideas... Car Wash, Golf Day, Garden Party. TOP TIP Instead of wedding, anniversary, birthday or Christmas gifts, you could ask people to donate to your fundraising and raise money for St. Rocco s that way. 5
Promotion & Sponsorship Promotion Promoting your event is part of the fun! To make the most of all your hard work, it s important to let people know about your event and we are here to help you every step of the way. Logo If you are producing posters or flyers to promote your event it s important to let people know it s in aid of St. Rocco s and using the hospice logo will help with that. We have a special logo with our charity number to download for this purpose. Posters Create your own or use our template. Press release If you want to invite people from the wider community, get your message out to the press via a press release. Tips for your press release... Tips for your Press Release Tell them... What you are doing Why you re are doing it - with a quote A bit about St. Rocco s Contact details and how to show support Sponsor forms Call the Fundraising Department on 01925 575780 to request a form to help with your fundraising Facebook and Twitter These are great social media tools to use for promoting your event. Contact the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780 for more information. Sponsored Events Running, cycling, trekking, parachuting - the ways in which people support us through sponsored events is endless! St. Rocco s runs a host of sporting challenges which you can enter as an individual or as part of a team, including 10k runs, ladies walks, cycle challenges and dragon boat racing. For more information log onto; www.stroccos.org.uk/events If you decide you want to organise your own sponsored events: here are some tips to get you going: Be realistic Is this event within your comfort zone - have you got time to train and to fundraise? Sponsorship Sometimes it s hard to start asking for support, but we have the tools to help you. We can tailor make a sponsor form for you - call the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780. Online sponsorship Setting up your own online fundraising page is easy and can greatly increase the amount of money you raise. It also takes a lot of the stress out of fundraising, as all the donations are taken securely online, so you don t need to collect your sponsorship after the event. Visit our home page: www.stroccos.org.uk and click the button marked - Build your Own Fundraising Page to start. There is also a step by step guide to setting up your page, which is downloadable from our website. 6
Other ways to help St. Rocco s Donate There are many ways to support St. Rocco s Hospice and making a donation is just one. You can make a one-off donation or set up a standing order from your bank account by contacting the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780. You can even donate by text- simply text ROCC33 to 70070 to donate 3. Legacy Gifts Every year St. Rocco s receives, on average, around 100,000 in legacy gifts. A legacy is a gift made to a charity like St. Rocco s at the time someone makes a will. Thanks to the generosity of donors who leave these gifts, we have been able to build a future for our Hospice. If you would like to know more about leaving a gift in your will, please contact the Fundraising Team on 01925 575780 or visit our website: www.stroccos.org.uk Challenge Events Whether taking part in memory of a loved one or as a personal challenge, sponsored events make a real difference to our fundraising. To find out more, visit www.stroccos.org.uk Lottery and Shops Corporate Support. St. Rocco s has a local lottery where players pay 1 to have the chance to win up to 2000 every week. Our charity shops in the community raise over 500,000 each year from donated goods. To find out more, visit our website or call 01925 575780. Would your company help organise a fundraising event, set up a payroll giving scheme or nominate us as their Charity of the Year? Will your employer match fund anything you raise for St. Rocco s? Could you take a St. Rocco s collecting tin or charity merchandise in your place of work? Our community and corporate partners raise thousands of pounds each year for St. Rocco s. Some employers even have Community Days where staff are encouraged to take time out of their usual duties to make a difference volunteering for the Hospice. 7
Safety and Legal Considerations It s important that your event is safe for you and your guests and that everything you do complies with any relevant authorities or regulations. First Aid Check with the local council to make sure your event has adequate first aid cover. Food If you are serving or preparing food at your event, you will need to adhere to food hygiene regulations. Check out the relevant qualifications for any event caterer you use or if you are preparing food yourself, it would be good to get someone with a basic Food Hygiene Certificate involved. Alcohol if you want to serve alcohol, check that the venue for your event is licensed or contact the local council to find out more about getting a temporary licence. Collections it is illegal to collect money on the streets or house to house without a licence. Please contact St. Rocco s Fundraising Department on 01925 575780 for more information. Licenses You may need a license for public entertainment, raffles, alcohol or collections if they are part of your event. Please check with the Fundraising Department for further advice. Insurance If you are holding your event at home, check your home insurance covers you for public liability. A quick phone call to your insurance company should cover this. St. Rocco s has public liability insurance but we need to know full details of your event to ensure you are covered. Risk Assessment Don t be put off by the words! Identifying potential hazards and risks is all that a risk assessment is about. If you need some help with a risk assessment, we have templates and advice at hand. Thank you for raising funds for St. Rocco s. Please remember to let us know how your event goes, take lots of photos and we can feature you in our newsletter! Once you have collected all your money together, give us a call on 01925 575780 and we can arrange for you to come to the Hospice or send in a cheque. And remember... Your support has made a real difference! St. Rocco s Hospice, Lockton Lane, Bewsey, Warrington WA5 0BW. Telephone: 01925 575780 Email: enquiries@stroccos.org.uk Web: www.stroccos.org.uk Registered Charity No. 511592 8