Fundraising Toolkit
Contents 3 Getting started 4-5 Fundraising ideas 6-7 The big four! 8-9 Make the most out of your event! 10 Be safe and legal 11 Banking your money 12 Other ways to get involved Thank you Thank you for choosing to support Kidney Research UK. The money you raise will help us fund more research and save more lives. Kidney Research UK is the largest funder dedicated to research into the causes and prevention of kidney disease. We could not continue to fund this life-saving research without the support of people like you. Through your fundraising you will be directly helping over 3 million people in the UK at risk of chronic kidney disease. Fundraising should be fun! So, we have filled this pack with lots of weird and wonderful fundraising ideas, great hints and tips, suggestions on how to make the most of your fundraising and just a little bit of health and safety just to make sure you are all safe and legal! So whether you are raising money for one of our fabulous overseas challenges, need to find that extra 500 to hit your target, or you want to raise money with your friends and family or hold an event in your school or workplace then this is the pack for you. Good luck with your fundraising! Please visit our website: www.kidneyresearchuk.org and help us fund research to save lives Call: 0845 070 7601 Email: enquiries@kidneyresearchuk.org Kidney Research UK, Nene Hall, Lynch Wood Park, Peterborough PE2 6FZ Kidney Research UK is a registered charity no. 252892. Scottish charity no. SC039245 Key Fact Your kidneys are amazing: they filter around 180 litres of blood every day! 2 Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit
Getting started Who c Who can you ask to help you? c Think of your contacts and those of your friends and family can they get you freebies, raffle prizes or sponsorship? c How many people do you want to come along how will you tell them about it? c Are you opening the event to the public or just friends and family? Key Fact 90% of people on the organ transplant list are waiting for a kidney. c Decide who you want to invite or to join in your fundraiser What c Decide what you want to do turn over the page for some inspiration! c Have you held a successful event in the past could you do it again? c Do you have any skills perhaps you are a fitness instructor or you bake great cakes? KEEP IT SIMPLE! simple fundraising ideas often raise the most money. c Do you want to set up something new? Where c Do you need a venue is it the right size? c Can you use it for free? When c Consider the weather plan for rain! c Link in with an established event have a stall at a local fete or festival c Do you need any special equipment, materials or insurance? c Indoors or outdoors? c Avoid other charity events, World Cup Finals, Wimbledon Finals etc especially if you are inviting the public c If you re inviting friends, try not to clash with birthdays or school holidays How c Make a plan work back from the date of your event and decide who is going to do what, by when c How are you going to promote your event posters, leaflets, social media, newspapers, radio? c Consider other ways to raise extra funds on the day c Make sure you can cover any costs and still raise money c Set yourself a realistic target and stick to a budget c Try to get as much stuff for free or at a discount And above all, MAKE IT FUN! Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit 3
Fundraising ideas With children Friends / family Pet show Cake sale Face painting Non-uniform day Disco Summer BBQ Karaoke night A themed party - Halloween, bonfire night Dinner party Bike ride Sponsored silence Talent show Summer fete Jumble sale Pamper parties Summer picnic Walks Treasure hunt Fancy dress How long will Christy have to wait to be saved? Christy developed kidney disease after being rushed to hospital with a ruptured appendix. She had to face the sudden shock of going immediately onto dialysis, three times a week, where she was hooked up to a machine for hours at a time, unable to move around. Her husband came to the rescue and offered her his own kidney but sadly Christy s body rejected it after thirty seconds. Our work funds research to help the thousands of people like Christy, who are waiting to feel well again. We can only do this with your support. Every day I hope the call will come to say a kidney has become available and I pray that this time it will work. 4 Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit
Key Fact On average a kidney transplant lasts only 10-15 years. Workplace Community Office party Cake sale Sponsored no coffee or tea Dress down day Sweepstake Sponsored leg wax Office Olympics Guess the baby photo competition Wear something purple Raffles Car wash Dancing - salsa, Zumba, ballroom Car boot sale Fashion show A ball or dinner dance Pub quiz night Tea party or coffee morning Festival, fete or fair Car show Bingo night Stevie s dream is to be able to swim like other children Five-year-old Stevie was born with kidney disease. He has never eaten chips, never been swimming and he s not even allowed to have a bath. Now waiting for a suitable kidney, Stevie spends six nights a week, ten hours at a time, hooked up to a dialysis machine. With the shortage of available kidneys, Stevie may have a long wait. Stevie is desperate to lead a normal life like other children his age and we want to help make his dreams come true. Part of our research looks at repairing damaged kidneys, which would wipe out the need for transplants altogether. We can only continue this research with your help. Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit 5
The big four! Four fabulous fundraising ideas 1 2 Dress down day WHERE: Your place of work or school. WHEN: Set a date Christmas, Halloween or end of term? WHO: Work colleagues, school friends. HOW: Ask your friends and colleagues to help you. Get permission from your manager or teacher. PROMOTION: Posters, emails, intranet. TOP TIP TO MAXIMISE YOUR FUNDRAISING c Organise a raffle c Ask your company if they will match your fundraising c Hold a competition guess which colleague or teacher is in the baby photo c Have a collection box on the reception desk and ask visitors to donate on the day Coffee morning or tea party WHERE: Your village hall, school hall, local café, home or work place. WHEN: Set a date and time. WHO: Friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues, parents group members, gym members or the general public. HOW: Create a welcoming, friendly atmosphere with tables and chairs and plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits. Think about having a theme vintage tea party, mad hatter s tea party, coffee connoisseurs party! Ask friends, family, colleagues, community groups or neighbours to help you. PROMOTION: By word of mouth, invitations, posters, Facebook, Twitter and emails. TOP TIP TO MAXIMISE YOUR FUNDRAISING c Hold a tombola c Charge people for entry c Organise a coffee or tea themed quiz c Get your refreshments donated or sponsored We did it! The team decided to wear something purple to work to support the charity and everyone had to pay for the privilege. This raised 175 for the charity. Greenwoods Solicitors Peterborough, Cambridgeshire We did it! This was our fourth annual garden event for Kidney Research UK. We invite people to enjoy our garden, buy plants, tea and cakes. This year we raised 1350. Jan and Alan Telford 6 Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit
Key Fact 3 4 We're only able to fund 1 in 5 research projects presented - what possible breakthroughs might be in the four we cannot fund? Fitness-athon challenge WHERE: Your village hall, school hall, local gym, community centre or sports centre. WHEN: Set a date consider holding it on an evening, weekend or during your dance or fitness class. WHO: Friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues, gym members and/or the general public. HOW: Ask friends, family, fitness instructor or dance teacher to help you. If you need extra equipment see if you can borrow it from your local gym or dance class. Invite your local newspaper to come and take photographs. PROMOTION: By word of mouth, posters, emails, advert in local newspaper. TOP TIP TO MAXIMISE YOUR FUNDRAISING c Encourage everyone to raise sponsorship for taking on the challenge c Have prizes for those who raise the most c Invite friends and family to spectate/come and support the event charge for refreshments (wine!) Ball or celebrity dinner WHERE: Hotel, restaurant, marquee or conference centre. WHEN: Consider a Friday or Saturday evening. WHO: Set up an event committee made up of friends, family or colleagues to spread the workload. HOW: Sell tickets and ensure the price returns a profit. Try to get the venue for free or at a special rate. Ask local florists and supermarkets to donate items. Ask your venue, restaurant or caterer to donate food. A local supermarket may donate wine and champagne in return for publicity. Will a local DJ or band provide their services free? Have entertainers magicians, dancers and ask if they will perform at your event for free. PROMOTION: Word of mouth, posters, emails, advert in local newspaper/on radio, Twitter, Facebook. TOP TIP TO MAXIMISE YOUR FUNDRAISING c Hold a raffle or auction c Organise a dancing competition c Organise casino tables We did it! We organised an outdoor Zumbathon together, with everyone dancing for 3 hours. We also had a raffle plus refreshments and we raised a fantastic 1,600. Judith, Ann and Neil Deeping St Nicolas, Lincolnshire I did it! It was a lot of hard work organising the ball, but I called upon my friends and family and the evening was a huge success! Everyone was really generous and we raised almost 4,000. Alyson Schofield Bolton, Lancashire Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit 7
Make the most out of your event! Fundraising materials Spread the word by using downloadable materials including posters and invites, plus tips on getting publicity by visiting: www.kidneyresearchuk.org Visit: www.kidneyresearchuk.org/shop to get your hands on exclusive purple Kidney Research UK products and merchandise. Spread the word! Maximise your money! Local papers love to hear about local people getting involved with good causes. Visit our website for editable press release templates share your story! If you re organising an event, contact any What s On guides and event listings publications in your area. Many local radio websites also have events calendars where you can easily add the date and details. Tell us about your fundraising by posting on our Twitter or Facebook pages and on our online calendar. If you re employed, ask your company if they ll match fund your fundraising as this is an easy way to double what you raise! Set up your online fundraising page. Email it to everyone including those that cannot attend your fundraising event in person. If your friends and family want to donate to your fundraiser and are UK tax payers, ask them to download our Gift Aid Form from our website. Good images can say more than words! 8 Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit
Key Fact The lives of more than 3 million people in the UK are at risk of chronic kidney disease. Good luck with your fundraising. We hope it inspires you to keep raising vital funds to fight kidney disease. Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit 9
Be safe and legal Guidelines of what to do and what not to do A safe and well-organised fundraising event guarantees that everyone has the best experience. It is your responsibility to make sure your event is organised efficiently and safely. Please read the tips below to ensure your event goes without a hitch. Donations Get sponsored by and collect donations from people you know and trust. Make sure that children are supervised and don t let them collect money from strangers. Collections Don t carry out your own house-to-house collections it is illegal without a special licence. You can t collect money in the street or any other public place without a permit from the local authority. You can hold collections in private venues like supermarkets and shopping centres as long as you have their written permission. If you are considering holding a collection as part of your fundraising please call us for advice or visit our website for more details www.kidneyresearchuk.org First aid Make sure adequate cover is available for larger events. Recommended providers include St John Ambulance, the British Red Cross and the National Association of Private Ambulance Services. Licences Check with your local authority whether you need to obtain any special licences, eg public entertainment (Temporary Event Notices), collection, music or alcohol licences. Food To check current food hygiene rules visit www.food.gov.uk or alternatively contact your local council who can advise you on rules in your area. Alcohol Check if the venue is licensed or contact your local council to find out more about getting a temporary licence. Insurance Remember, whilst we appreciate your support, Kidney Research UK cannot accept liability for any fundraising activity or event you undertake in our aid. If your event needs insurance, you will need to take it out yourself. Key Fact Raffles and lotteries A small raffle or tombola does not usually require a licence, as long as the tickets are only sold on the day of the event. Big lotteries (raffles where tickets are sold in advance and over a large geographical area) are complicated and require a licence so it is advised you don t organise this type of fundraiser. For further details on the rules around raffles and lotteries, visit our website or you can contact your local authority or the Gaming Commission of Great Britain. Did you know more than 53,000 people in the UK are being treated for kidney failure each year. 10 Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit
Banking your money Thank you. Thank you for fundraising for Kidney Research UK; we hope you enjoyed it. Please send your donations to us as soon as possible; this will ensure we can continue our life-saving research into the causes, prevention and ultimately a cure for kidney disease. Your details Name: Job title (if applicable): How to bank your money Organisation/group name: Address: Postcode: Telephone: Email: Post Please send cheques payable to: Kidney Research UK or complete the attached payment form and send to Kidney Research UK, Nene Hall, Lynch Wood Park, Peterborough PE2 6FZ Payment details Type of event Amount raised Call Please make cheques/postal order/caf voucher payable to Kidney Research UK. Or debit my: Mastercard CAF charity card Visa Maestro/Switch card You can donate your money over the phone by calling our donation line on: 0845 070 7601 Card no: (Switch/Maestro only) Verification code Issue no. Valid from: Signature Expiry date: Date Online Donate by visiting: www.kidneyresearchuk.org Please tick if you would like an acknowledgement of your payment. Kidney Research UK - Fundraising Toolkit 11
Other ways to get involved Take on a challenge You can run, cycle and trek for Kidney Research UK. We have an exciting calendar of events both in the UK and abroad. Regular donation You can make a regular monthly Direct Debit donation of 5, 10 or 15 ensuring that our life-saving research can continue. Volunteer Donate your time instead of money by becoming a Kidney Research UK volunteer in our office, in the community or in one of our charity shops. Company support There are many ways in which businesses can support us including making a corporate donation, employee volunteering, selecting us as charity of the year, payroll giving, product promotions or sponsorship opportunities. Leave a gift in your Will We have had some major research breakthroughs which have been funded as a direct result of generous supporters leaving a gift in their wills could you support us in this way? Visit our online shop For all things Kidney Research UK visit our online shop to purchase our branded items including t-shirts, badges, trolley key rings, water bottles, bags or hats. Visit: www.kidneyresearchuk.org or call: 0845 070 7601