fund raising guide Published by Crisis Centre Ministries
Why Fundraising Is Important to Us
Supporting and helping homeless people is often a long-term process with real costs involved. It requires a monthly cost of £43,500 to run our four main services – the Wild Goose drop-in centre, the LIFE Recovery project, the East Bristol Foodbank and the Spring of Hope women’s night shelter. Every penny that you raise is vital, and is put to work straight away. At CCM we believe that fundraising should be FUN. That’s why we have created this easyto-follow guide, packed with great ideas and information to get you started. We hope that
we have included all that you will need to start fundraising, but if you have any questions please call the fundraising team on 0117 405 7113 or email fundraising@crisis-centre. org.uk We will support you in any way we can to ensure your fundraising efforts are a resounding success. We hope that you will have a great time raising money for CCM. Your fundraising will help homeless and vulnerable people in distressing and desolate circumstances. Thank you for supporting our work.
Top 10 Fundraising Ideas 1
Celebrations
Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduation, Christmas‌ a time for celebration often means a time for gifts, but if you already have everything you need, consider asking for donations to CCM instead!
2
Sell your stuff
Whether you are clearing out a household full of items or a single larger item, you can donate the total or partial proceeds towards our work. Some useful links: www.gumtree.com and www.ebay.co.uk
3
Sell your services
Do you have a skill that is in demand? Computer help, haircuts, clothing alterations, bike repairs, gardening, house painting, design work, cleaning, babysitting‌ the list goes on. You could sell your services to fundraise for our work.
4
Cut out a bad habit
Give up chocolate, caffeine, smoking, alcohol, meat, junk food, etc and donate the money you would have spent to CCM! Or, you can invite your friends to take part in a group challenge to cut out a bad habit.
5
Film nights/Back-to-back TV show nights
Show a classic movie, trilogy or TV series and charge for the privilege! You could get permission to use a big meeting room at work or use your own home.
6
Quiz/Bingo Night
Quiz or bingo evenings are a fun and easy way to raise some money whilst enjoying good company. You could approach your local pub to see if they would be willing to donate the proceeds of their evening to CCM. Or you could arrange an event with friends, at your school or in a local community hall.
7
Teach a class
Whether you have an established class or you are teaching skills that you can pass onto others, giving a class where the fee is donated to CCM is a great way to raise funds.
8
Clothes swaps
Clothing swaps are a socially responsible way of making sure that those unwanted clothes at the back of your wardrobe get a new lease of life rather than ending up in the bin. You can organise a small swap between friends or even a larger event open to the public. Money is raised by asking for a contribution for participation. Make sure that you have a plan for any leftover clothes at the end such as donating them to a charity shop.
9
Tea/Dinner Parties/Coffee Mornings
Host a tea or dinner party, bake sale or coffee morning and show off your culinary skills. Guests would be asked to contribute to CCM. Your event could range from a small intimate affair to the large and luxurious kind.
10
Sponsored Challenge
Run, climb, cycle, swim, skydive to raise money or if you are nonsporty you could do a sponsored silence, shave or fancy dress. Why not get a group of friends or colleagues to do a challenge together? Please visit our website www.crisis-centre.org.uk/fundraise to set up an online fundraising page, download a sponsorship form or gift aid form. Bristol 10k - Sun 7 May 2017 greatrun.org/great-bristol-10k Bristol Harbourside Triathlon – Sun 11 June 2017 tribristol.org/race-general-info.php Bristol Nightrider – Sat 1 July 2017 nightrider.org.uk/bristol Great Weston Ride – Sun 16 July 2017 greatwestonride.com/home Bristol Half Marathon – Sun 17 Sep 2017 greatrun.org/great-bristol-half-marathon
Make a Plan Creating a plan for your event is the best way to make sure that your fundraising is a success. Plan for the different stages of your event and list the tasks with deadline dates that need to be completed. A plan helps you to schedule the right amount of time to prepare and to avoid panicking at the last minute.
Budgeting Write out a detailed budget of all anticipated major and minor costs. You could also include a contingency amount if you think unexpected costs may occur. The important thing is to keep to your budget. Allocate someone to be responsible for tracking costs as well as counting, and sending in the money as well.
PLAN YOUR E Volunteers Deciding on how many people you will need, both for the planning and for the actual event, will help you make sure that the workload is shared and taken care of. Assigning roles and responsibilities also ensures that each area is thoroughly thought out and prepared for. Ask friends and family if they would be willing to take on a role.
Publicity Tell everyone about your event or sponsored challenge. Use every means possible – social media, email, posters and word-of mouth. If possible create a webpage or fundraising page about your event. Please also let us know so that we can promote your event or challenge. You could even involve your local press to share your efforts far
and wide.
NNING EVENT Collecting Money If you are charging participants a fee to take part in an event, do put up a notice explaining that the proceeds are going to Crisis Centre Ministries.
Materials We can provide banners, brochures and collection tins for your event. Please email to fundraising@crisis-centre.org.uk
If you are seeking sponsorship for a challenge event, the best way to collect sponsorship is to set up an online fundraising page. In this way, you will be able to send the page link in emails, Facebook and Twitter to friends and family to support you, and your sponsorship will be sent directly to us. Please go to our website www.crisis-centre.org.uk/fundraise for instructions on how to set up your online fundraising page.
Things to consider Children If your event or challenge involves children, you may want to consider having a Lost Children point. If you offer a crèche, you will need to make sure that the volunteers have child minding experience and have CRB clearance.
Disabled Access Make sure there is access for disabled people at your event, and that the toilets are accessible.
Fires, Electricals & Falls Do a quick simple assessment of the potential for fire, electrical and trip hazards. This will inform you of the cautionary measures that you will need to take to make your event or challenge safe.
First Aid Bring a first aid kit and have someone on standby to administer basic first aid.
Food & Alcohol If you are selling alcohol, you will need to apply for a license to do so. If you are serving food, it must be in a safe and hygienic way, thoroughly cooked and stored at an appropriate temperature.
Licenses Most events do not need any licenses or insurance cover, but some will. You will need a license to sell alcohol and to put on live music. If in doubt, do check with your venue or local council. Do also check if you are using a venue that they are covered with public liability insurance for your event.
Signage Good signage makes for a good event. Making sure that there is clear signage throughout your event will help your supporters navigate round, to participate and have a good time. These could be for the location of the entrance, entry prices, who Crisis Centre Ministries are, explanation about the challenge, where the toilets are located and the location of the exit.
Volunteer Briefings If your event is open to the public, it is a good idea to hold a briefing with your volunteers before opening, to communicate important details of the event and to give an opportunity for questions. A briefing enables you to communicate information to your volunteers in one go without having to repeat yourself. You may also want to point out who is in which role so that everyone knows. It is also a good idea to think up some likely scenarios which may occur and how you want your volunteers to respond. For example, where lost children should be taken, where donations should be given in, etc.
How Your Fund Every penny you raise makes a difference.
Provides three hot meals for a homeless person
Provides for one family’s emergency food for three days
draising Is Used Provides for one night’s shelter, a hot meal and a key worker session for one vulnerable woman
Provides one five-week module on the LIFE course for a recovering addict
How to send in the money you raise It is very easy to send in your donations: By online banking: sort code 40-14-13, a/c no. 01408518 By cheque: please make payable to ‘Crisis Centre Limited’ and post to us at FREEPOST RSTX-XTYH-CJCA, Crisis Centre Ministries, Finance Team, 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY. Please do not send cash in the post If you are a taxpayer, we can claim 25% of gift aid on top of your donations for the past four years, and on your current and future donations. Please go to www.crisis-centre.org.uk/fundraise to download a gift aid form to complete and send to us.
Thank You!
We are totally reliant on voluntary donations, and do not receive any government or statutory funding. Thank you for making a real difference. Your fundraising provides food, shelter and an encouraging environment for the homeless and vulnerable in society. Thank you so much for supporting our work.
Crisis Centre Ministries Fundraising Team, 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY. T: 0117 405 7113 fundraising@crisis-centre.org.uk www.crisis-centre.org.uk facebook.com/crisiscentreministries @crisiscentre