Fundraising Pack 2011
Fundraising is the start of your expedition experience Once you have overcome this first challenge, no mountain will seem too high
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Fundraising Fundraising can be tough and should not be an underestimated challenge, but it is also very achievable if you put the time and effort into it so it’s important to get started quickly and to give it your all. There are lots of ways to fundraise, but the most important thing is that you make it fun. FUNdraising shouldn't be a chore - it's the first part of your expedition experience and it's a really valuable skill to learn. This pack contains a step by step guide on how to raise money for your expedition, as well as some other useful bits and pieces to help you along the way.
Why don't you try‌ bag packing in the local supermarket bring and buy sale baked bean bath car boot sale card making sale dance competition dog walking dress down / up day five a side footy stupid hair day sudokuthon cake baking school disco prize bingo ceilidh... Top Tip! Lots of small events will soon add up!
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CONTENTS
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The 6 Areas of Fundraising
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Step 1: Make a plan
5-6
Step 2: Writing to Trusts
7-8
Step 3: Plan your Big Fundraisers!
9-10
Step 4: Publicity and Media
11-12
A-Z of Fundraising Ideas
13
How we can help
14
Over to You!
15-16
Resources for You
17-22
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er b m e m e R s y ng i s i a r Alwa d n u F f so a e r A he 6
Letter Writing – to trusts and charities Events – sports and parties Sponsored Challenges – bath of beans anyone? Publicity and Media – make yourself known Selling – cakes, old clothes... there’s a home for everything Working – reliable income reduces risk
Make a sensible and realistic fundraising timetable/plan, and make sure you cover all of the 6 areas of fundraising before your expedition. Make the most of as many funding sources available to you as possible!
1. Letter writing We recommended that you spend some time researching and writing to charitable trusts asking for a grant towards your expedition cost. Make sure that you research grants and bursaries that support things that are relevant to you - such as overseas expeditions, outdoors education, or field work. Please don’t write to the trusts on page 10 of the Fundraising Pack.
2. Events Sports tournaments, non-uniform days, parties, band nights… Some events take time to prepare, but they can be your biggest money earners and look great on your CV! Page 7 of the Fundraising Pack will give you some advice on how to organise and run your event and there are lots of ideas for events on page 13.
3. Sponsored Challenges Leg waxing, sky diving, hair shaving, sponsored silence, sponsored dress up as a smurf – we’ve seen it all and you can’t go wrong!
4. Publicity and Media Don’t be modest, a BSES expedition is a big deal and unlike anything else young people can do at the moment. Make sure you tell your local radio station and newspaper and offer to do interviews. If you feature in the media (and lots of YEs do!) you raise your profile and the more people know about you the more can donate! Don’t forget to say how they can donate in your interview!
5. Selling Remember that unwanted Christmas present? Sell your stuff on eBay or have a car boot sale. If you’re creative why not make some cards or cakes to sell over Christmas? Krispy Kreme doughnuts do a great fundraising deal where they sell you doughnuts cheap and you can sell them on for a profit! (http:// www.krispykreme.co.uk/ fundraising/raise-dough/)
6. Working Saving money for your trip by working is a really good idea as it keeps up a small but steady income. You can get a Saturday job or do odd jobs for neighbours. Check that you are eligible to work and remember your academic commitments! 4
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an l P a e k a M 1: p e t S Ok, so you’ve been awarded a place on your expedition and now you need to raise the money. This is where the fun starts! First of all you need to make a plan and stick to it:
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Work out how much you want to raise - overestimating is safest. Include your expedition cost, flights, kit, and any vaccinations you need. You don’t need to buy travel insurance, this is covered by BSES. Work out when you will have time to fundraise. Look at exam times and other big commitments, and decide which weeks and months you can really put some time in to fundraising. Be realistic: give yourself time between events to plan each one well, and don’t neglect school or uni work. Write down as many fundraising ideas as you can. Try to cover all 6 areas of fundraising, and fit them into your calendar, with your target fundraising amounts. Don’t be scared of the end target. You can do it! Break it down into manageable chunks and be realistic. If you need any advice, ring the office, we’re always here to help.
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…………………..’s Fundraising Action Plan What I need to fundraise: Expedition cost
£……
Flight cost
£……
Kit cost
£……
Any other cost
£……
TOTAL
£……
The 6 areas of fundraising: Letter Writing Events Sponsored Challenges Publicity and Media Selling Working
My Fundraising Plan: ACTION
DATE
TARGET
TOTAL MADE
1st Fundraiser:
£
£
2ndFundraiser:
£
£
3rd Fundraiser:
£
£
4th Fundraiser:
£
£
5thFundraiser:
£
£
6th Fundraiser:
£
£
7thFundraiser:
£
£
8th Fundraiser:
£
£
9thFundraiser:
£
£
10th Fundraiser:
£
£
Target Checker: GO! Target:
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
ing it r W r e t t e L : 2 p Ste There are loads of trusts and charities that exist to fund people like you doing adventurous things. You just have to find them. Start by searching online. There are often trusts specific to your local area, so contact your council for advice, and get in touch with local Rotary Clubs and Lions Clubs – they are often generous. Don’t forget your school or university may have bursaries too. Bear in mind you’ll need to be willing to thank anyone who contributes by writing thank you letters, a short report of your expedition, or even giving a talk on your experiences. a What is Trust? g in k a Grant M st is a king tru up to a m t n A gra d set le ble fun charita certain peop of s support There are lot ung . o y y ll t r ia o c upp finan up to s to take part t e s ts nt trus ions wh o wa people rseas expedit e v ! o u o in ey just lik
Hints for letter writing: •
Always keep to one side of paper and make it look attractive to read. Break up your paragraphs, not too much text!
•
Always address your letters personally if possible (i.e. to a name).
•
If you address it to a name it ends ‘yours sincerely’, if it’s to Sir/Madam it is ‘yours faithfully’.
•
Hand sign your letters when you print them.
•
Always tailor the letter to the person you’re writing to. If you’re writing to a field work trust focus on the expedition science research, if it’s a youth development trust focus on your personal development aims, if it’s a kit supplier ask for a kit donation or discount rather than money – etc. You have to make your letter stand out and appeal to the person reading it – they may see hundreds of letters like yours!
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•
Be positive! There was an experiment recently where two charity letters were sent out. One asked for money by saying what a good difference it made and how grateful they were for donations, the other stressed how they were struggling due to the financial crisis. More people donated to the first letter – people respond to making a positive difference, not to a reminder of hard times. Do it now! Don’t put it off. It’s easy, and once it’s out the way you just sit back and wait for a response. Most trusts have application deadlines so get your letters off asap.
Letter structure: • • • •
•
•
•
Recipients address on the top left. Your address on the top right. Date under your address. 1st paragraph: Briefly introduce yourself, what you’re doing at the moment, and your expedition. 2nd: a bit about BSES’s aims and your expedition’s aims (here you can include personal development, field work and adventure). 3rd: your personal aims – what do you want to get out of your expedition? Why did you apply? Be honest and mature – sponsors want to get to know you! 4th: explain about the need for fundraising and tell them your plans. They want to know that you are working hard on fundraising and not just relying on letters. Explain that fundraising is the first test of your expedition – it’s a skill, and starts to develop your independence. Make your request clearly and explain how they can contribute.
Give something back, offer donors a written report or a slideshow presentation on your return. Remember to follow this through and to write a thank you letter.
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Trusts NOT to be contacted
Astor of Hever Trust Barcapel Foundation Nicholas Bacon Memorial Trust Roger Brooke Charitable Trust Andrew Croft Memorial Fund Augustine Courtauld Trust Dulverton Trust The Fox Memorial Trust The Fuchs Foundation Sandy and Zorica Glen Charitable Settlement The Goldsmiths Company The Haberdashers Company David Haydock Trust The Haymills Charitable Trust The Hetherington Walker Memorial Trust Hedley Foundation Inchcape Trust The Sir James Knott Trust Leathersellers’ Company Charitable Fund The Ethel & Gwynne Morgan Charitable Trust The MacRobert Trust The Mercers Company Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust The Munro Charitable Fund Mount Everest Foundation The Norman Family Charitable Trust The Ogden Trust P F Charitable Trust Erach and Roshan Sadri Foundation Schroder Charity Trust Sir Maurice Laing Trust Swire Charitable Trust The Vandervell Foundation The Venture Trust Garfield Weston Foundation Gino Watkins Memorial Fund YAPP Education and Research Trust The Young Explorers Trust The Arnold Burton 1998 Charitable Trust
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These trusts and people already support BSES, many of them by donating towards our own Bursary which you can apply for (the application is on the BSES website). Please respect their wishes by not contacting them again. Unfortunately BSES cannot give out names of Trusts who can be contacted. It is up to you to do your local research!
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Step 3: Plan your Big Fundraisers! Events and sponsored challenges can take time to plan and run, but if you do them well they can be your biggest fundraising success. The key to success for a big event can be having lots of useful resources available to you - ask your school/scout group etc if you can use their rooms for a venue; rope in friends and family for support and staffing; and tap into local schools, clubs and groups for attendees/customers. It can be hard to run a big event all on your own so if you have people to ask for help then make sure you take advantage of this! RAFFLE LAW You can run a raffle at a private event without registering the raffle. If you sell tickets before an event to the public then you have to register - or you’re breaking the law!
MONEY LAW The minimunm age for collecting money in London is 18, or 16 everywhere else. If you are collecting in a private place e.g. a supermarket you need the owner’s permission.
STREET COLLECTIONS To collect in the street or door to door you need a licence. Contact your local council. (Or just stick to bag packing in the supermarket!)
BSES Tips for Fundraising Events: Keep it simple (and cheap!). The best events take hardly any organisation, time or money. Ask your school or old schools whether they will run a nonuniform or fancy dress day in aid of your expedition. If everyone pays £1 then it’s easy money! Remember you can offer things in return— a presentation about your expedition to the younger years, even a share of the profits to the school. Use your resources. Family, friends and school/uni/youth groups can be very valuable to you. You might know someone in a band who’d do a gig for you, a DJ who’d run a disco, friends who’d donate prizes for a raffle (write to companies for free stuff too!), an Auntie who wouldn’t mind doing refreshments. If your school already runs events then ask them for their contacts, or ask if you can run a raffle on a concert night, collect donations at a parents’ evening or run a football tournament or teacher bleep-test on sports day. The less money you spend on your event the more money you raise overall. Appeal to your audience. You have to attract enough people to make it all worthwhile. Make sure you know who you are targeting as your customers and appeal to their interests. Different people like different things: band nights, quiz nights, parties, ceilidhs, concerts, sports events, talent contests, art shows, auctions — make sure you choose something that will bring in a good crowd! Enjoy yourself! www.bses.org.uk.
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CASE STUDY! Young Explorers raise £1,700 in one event! Eleanor Mankiewitz and Catherine Chisholm of the BSES Amazon expedition organised a School Disco for the younger years at their school and invited a few other schools from their local area.
Ellie said: Our friends, family and school helped out on the night with music and selling glow sticks. We charged £10 a ticket, which included drinks, sweets and one entry into our raffle. We managed to get an IPod and some T-shirts as prizes and this attracted lots of the kids to attend. After expenses we made over £1,700! And because of how well it turned out we are possibly going to plan another for the summer term! Ellie’s events tip: Use friends and family for help. They'll be willing to help because they know how worthwhile your cause is, plus we all actually had a great time on the night!
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Step 4: Publicity and Media! BSES NEWS
BREAKING NEWS: NEWS BSES Young Explorers in Fancy Dress Fundraising Frenzy!
Gaining publicity and media attention can be a great way to increase the effect of your fundraising, especially for a particular event or sponsored challenge. If you think of something that is relevant to your expedition and an unusual challenge then the press may well be interested. Publicity and media work together: the more publicity you get the more likely you are to get media attention, and if you appear in the media it improves your publicity - it’s a recipe for success!
BSES Tips for Publicity: Publicity: Information that concerns a person, group, event, or product and that is disseminated to attract public notice, and the public interest, notice, or notoriety achieved by the spreading of such information. Publicity is not only created through media attention: you can build your own publicity by putting up posters about your expedition and fundraising events in local schools and shops like post offices and newsagents. The more fundraising you do the more people will know about you and your trip—that’s increased publicity! You can also arrange to give talks to groups who might be able to sponsor your trip—Auntie Jean’s coffee morning group or Uncle Bob’s work mates. Do everything in fancy dress! Seriously, fancy dress attracts attention and makes people smile. People will then be more likely to approach you, ask what you’re doing and likely sponsor you. And you make a name for yourself as ‘the-one-in-the-polar-bear-costume’.
BSES Young Explorer does climbing challenge for expedition fundraising!
1 www.bses.org.uk.
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CASE STUDY! YE in the media after sleeping in a tent through freezing January! In January 2010, which turned out to be one of the coldest months on record, Amy Welch slept in a tent in her back garden for the whole month in order to raise money towards her BSES expedition. As this was an unusual fundraising activity Amy appealed to the press and media, and after appearing on TV she raised over £1000! Amy describes her experience: I was completely unaware of the terrible weather conditions that I would face. In my tent I had an airbed, two sleeping bags and several hot water bottles! The first couple of nights were very scary and I barely slept, and then the snow came... My family and friends thought that I would give up and stay inside, however I was determined to complete the challenge I had set myself. I had to dig my way into and out of my tent on a number of occasions but I am pleased to say that I managed to sleep in my tent for the whole 31days!
I created sponsor forms to send to family and friends and I also wrote to local businesses asking for donations. During my sleepout I contacted local newspapers, radio stations and television stations and I was lucky enough to appear in all of these including the BBC Midlands breakfast news. I have managed to raise around £1000 and the money is still coming in. The best part of my sleepout was appearing on the television. The worst part was having to leave my lovely warm house at night to go into the freezing cold tent! It was worth it though!
BSES Tips for Media: Media: the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely. Go online and search for your local radio station and newspapers to find contact details for them, and then start calling, emailing and writing! Use the BSES press release for your expedition, which is downloadable in the members section of the website. If you’re running a fundraising event of interest then make sure you add this in! Tell them what they want to hear! Sadly, the media often like stories of challenge and hardship so explain the fundraising struggle needed for you to achieve your expedition dream. Also tell them about the good stuff though - the exciting details of your expedition and how the BSES experience is unique. Tell them what you hope to gain from the trip, and what the benefits of your expedition are - both the field research and the benefits to you personally. Be prepared to be in the media. If you contact them they might actually want you to be in the paper or on the radio (yes they might!) - so be prepared!
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A-Z of fundraising ideas Barn dance Activities day
Auction
Cake baking
Battle of the bands
Car wash
Car boot sale
Duck river race Disco Ebay your old stuff
Exhibitions
Eating challenges Fantasy football league
Football tournament
Gunge a teacher
Fashion show Guess how many sweets in the jar Horse race night
Ice-cream selling Hoola hooping Karaoke
Jumble sale
Litter collection
Jam making Newsletter
Party games evening
Orienteering Night Exercise
Photo competition Raffle
Supermarket bag packing
Treasure hunt
Quiz Talk about your trip
Variety/talent show X-factor style competition
Wax your legs (boys!) Write letters Young enterprise scheme
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Zoo theme fancy dress
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How we can help
The BSES office will help you wherever possible. Your point of contact at BSES is your Expedition Coordinator. If you are struggling for ideas or worried about not being able to reach your fundraising target please get in touch. See below for your coordinator’s contact details:
Dorothy Tomalin (Dot) Expedition Coordinator dorothy@bses.org.uk Tel: 020 7591 3141
BSES Bursary BSES has a limited amount of money available each year to give away in the form of a bursary. In order to be eligible for one you must be able to demonstrate that you have attempted to fundraise and have a plan of how you will reach your target. The bursaries granted can be as large as £1000, so if you’re struggling make sure you apply using the form on the website.
TELL US about your successes! Send us photos and newspaper clippings 14
Once you’ve collected your wellearned funds, send them to your coordinator at the BSES address!
BSES Expeditions at The Royal Geographical Society 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR
Over to you!
You are now ready to start fundraising! Remember: Make a plan! Include a range of activities. Try to cover all 6 areas! Write letters first to ensure you meet application deadlines Plan some small things and some big things Ask everyone you can to help Publicise
It’s now over to you! Remember, you are fundraising for the experience of a life time! Stay in touch with your expedition coordinator and let us know how its going.
www.bses.org.uk.
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and finally… … make sure you enjoy it! When planning an event or sponsored activity start by thinking about your own hobbies and interests. If you like football; plan a tournament and charge teams an entry fee – if you get enough teams you can still give the winner a prize and have money left over for you. If you like movies; plan a movie-marathon with friends and get sponsored for the number of films you can watch in one go or how long you can stay awake. If you like running; train for a race or a marathon. Or if you like trekking get sponsored to trek a certain distance. (This kind of thing is great because it also counts for your expedition fitness training!) You can create a fundraising idea from any interest or hobby, and if it’s something you already enjoy you’ll have fun, and people will respond much better to you and are more likely to give if you’re enthusiastic!
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Resources In this section you can find various resources to help with your fundraising efforts. Included are:
BSES Headed Paper Poster Examples BSES Sponsorship Form BSES Payment Submission Form
Don’t forget you will receive a letter with your expedition welcome pack which you can include in your trust letters. The has some information about BSES and your expedition, and says that you are a member of the trip. You can also download the Expedition Press Release from the member’s area of the BSES website, to send with a letter to your local newspaper, radio or TV station.
www.bses.org.uk.
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BSES Expeditions Young Explorer
British Schools Exploring Society, at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR www.bses.org.uk T +44 207 591 3141 Registered Charity Number 802196
EXAMPLE
Valentine’s Disco The High School Friday 12th February Live Band. DJ. Raffle Roses for Sale 8pm - 12am £10 per ticket (lunch hall 12-1)
Helping to raise money for Amy Smith’s trip to Peru with BSES Expeditions to study jungle biodiversity
EXAMPLE
Help me get to the Arctic! My name is Joe Bloggs, and I am taking part in an expedition to Svalbard in the Arctic Circle, with BSES Expeditions. When there, I will learn how to survive in a hostile environment and take part in valuable climate change field research!
To raise money for my trip, I am going to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall in May.
The Hadrian’s Wall path is 84 miles long and will take me 6 days to walk!
Please sponsor me to complete this challenge on the sponsorship form below.
Please help me get to the Arctic! For more information about my trip email me on joe.bloggs@email.com
BSES EXPEDITIONS SPONSORSHIP FORM Name: Event: Date: Overview: I am raising money for my personal development overseas expedition with BSES. I will be going on Expedition to ……………………………... to do scientific research and wilderness exploration. More Information:
I need to raise £……… Please sponsor me! Full Name
Email Address
Phone Number
Amount Promised
Amount Collected
BSES EXPEDITIONS SPONSORSHIP FORM Full Name
Email Address
Phone Number
Amount Promised
Amount Collected
YOUNG EXPLORER PAYMENT SUBMISSION FORM Please photocopy this form and use it each time you send any payment to BSES Expeditions You are able to download further copies of this form from the BSES Website
1. This form should be used to pay in cheques or postal orders which will be credited to your individual contribution to the cost of the expedition. A supporting letter is not required. This form and payments should be sent to: BSES Expeditions, at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR. 2. Cheques should be made payable to ‘BSES EXPEDITIONS’. 3. Receipt will not be acknowledged unless you ask for one, at which point a statement will be emailed to you. 4. Check that all details (signature, date etc.) on the cheques are complete and correct before submission. 5. It would really help us if you write your name and expedition on the reverse of each cheque. 6. It is not possible for us to accept Charities Aid Foundation Vouchers (CAF cheques) as YE payments. 7. If you are unable to pay by cheque it is possible to pay by bank transfer. Please ask the office for details.
NAME (in capitals): Expedition:
__________ Membership Number:
DRAWER’S NAME
AMOUNT (£)
TOTAL PAID ON THIS FORM
Signed:
_____________
Date:
__________