WWF s Earth Hour Support pack for business

Transcription

1 WWF s Support pack for business 8:30pm 27 March 2010 wwf.org.uk/earthhour

2 Switch off and support WWF s 2010 On Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm, we want a billion people around the world to switch off their lights for one hour WWF s to show they want action to tackle climate change. Why WWF s is important Last year, world leaders missed a critical opportunity at the UN climate summit to agree effective action to tackle climate change. With every delay the impacts of climate change on people and wildlife become more severe and the window of opportunity gets smaller. Supporting WWF s will send a message to world leaders to finish the job and agree a binding, ambitious global climate deal. the global picture Hundreds of millions of people in over 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries turned off their lights for In the UK, over 200 landmarks switched off their lights, including the Millennium Stadium, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Edinburgh Castle and Stormont. Over 13 million UK citizens participated alongside more than 700 businesses, over a quarter of local authorities, more than 1,400 schools and 300 other organisations all switching off their lights, and engaging staff and members. Help us make WWF s in 2010 an even greater success sign up and support us online at wwf.org.uk/ earthhour or text EARTH* to Sydney Opera House, 2009 James Alcock / WWF-Australia Beijing Olympic Bird s Nest, 2009 Janek Zdzarski / WWF-China Edinburgh Castle, 2009 Maverick Productions / WWF-UK * Terms and conditions: You will be charged 1 plus one message at your standard network rate. WWF will receive approximately 60p from each message sent. For help please telephone

3 WWF and climate change Eggborough coal-fired power station Steve Morgan/WWF-UK WWF works to create solutions to the most serious environmental problems facing our planet, so that people and nature can thrive. Climate change is the most serious environmental problem we face. Changing weather patterns, warming seas and melting ice are already impacting on people and nature. We must take urgent global action if we re to safeguard the natural world. Staying below 2 C The scientists agree. We must keep average global temperatures less than 2 C above pre-industrial levels, or we face irreversible and devastating changes in the planet s natural systems. WWF seeks cuts in emissions at the UK, EU and global level to help prevent this. It is possible Leading research including WWF s 2009 report, Climate Solutions 2 shows that it is still possible to avoid the worst impacts of climate change by measures such as rapid deployment of clean energy solutions (which would address some 65% of global emissions) and stopping tropical deforestation (addressing around 20% of emissions). With climate programmes in many key countries such as the EU, China, India, Japan, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia and the US the WWF global network is well placed to work on this agenda. Make your voice heard In December 2009, in Copenhagen, world leaders missed a massive opportunity to agree a global climate deal. However, with every year of delay, the human, ecological and economic effects of climate change will become more severe. To avoid a 2 C rise in temperature, global emissions must reach a peak by 2015 and decline thereafter, which means that the window of opportunity to take action is very small. That s why WWF is continuing to work for a fair, ambitious and binding global climate deal, and why 2010 is so important. This year, by taking part in you can be one of millions around the world united in telling our leaders to finish the job and agree a binding, ambitious global climate deal. Newcastle Tyne Bridge, 2009 Chris Booth/WWF-UK 3

4 How your business can get involved in WWF s Sign up On Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm, people and companies around the world will switch off their lights for one hour, WWF s. Sign up and join this massive global event. It s a significant way for your organisation and colleagues to show their support for global action to tackle climate change. 2. Switch off Switching your lights off is the most visible way you can. By joining in, you ll boost employee morale and create a sense of participation, at the same time as helping to deliver on your corporate social responsibility objectives. We want to generate a very visible demonstration of support, interest and publicity for this global event. Tokyo Office Buildings istockphoto We can do this with your help. Switch off your landmark buildings, signs and electronic billboards to show your support for WWF s. Tell local media what and where your business will switch off. Tell us too, and we ll post the details on our website. Contact Madhubanti Guha at MGuhaKalra@ wwf.org.uk to find out more about how you can communicate your engagement with WWF s. We aim to reach over one billion people in 5,000 cities, and we need responsible businesses to lend their voices and help make this the biggest ever global participation event. To show that your company cares about people, wildlife and the planet, text EARTH* to or sign up at wwf.org.uk/earthhour Once you sign up your company at wwf.org.uk/earthhour we ll send you useful ideas and resources to help your company become more involved with WWF s. Contact Diana Rogers on or DRogers@ wwf.org.uk 4 Why your funds are so important Every donation no matter how big or small makes a difference to our climate change projects across the world. 250 could pay for an educational workshop in the Amazon, to teach local schoolchildren about the rainforest and its importance in mitigating climate change. 1,000 could support our surveys to assess the impact of climate change on the coral reef in Belize, and our work with local communities there to help them adapt to changes to the reef, which they rely on for their livelihoods. 5,000 could buy a satellite collar for a polar bear. This allows scientists to track the bear s movements on the melting sea ice and monitor the impact of global warming on the species. Houses of Parliament, 2009 Benjamin Ealovega

5 How your business can get involved in WWF s Spread the word to your colleagues Designate an Day in the week before WWF s (Monday 22 to Friday 26 March 2010). You can use the poster on page 10 to advertise your event. Tell all your colleagues to save the date as soon as you can, and ask them to text EARTH* to or sign up to WWF s at wwf.org.uk/earthhour Speak to your internal communications team to see if they can put sign up communications and reminders on your intranet, in your employee magazine, on screensavers, signatures or in-office TV. We have template s, screen savers, banners, widgets and other communication tools for you to use. Choose one or several fundraising ideas for the day from the selection below. Please use the guidelines on pages 7 and 8 to help with your fundraising. Set challenging but achievable targets for the day can you raise 250 and help us get 100 colleagues to sign up to WWF s? Why not see if your company can match employee fundraising 1 for 1 to double the amount you raise! Like dressing up? Then Wear it Bright and Turn Off the Lights! Host a Wear it Bright day by asking everyone in the office (including the chief executive!) to wear their brightest, boldest clothes. Whether you dress yourself from head to toe in luminous green or yellow, or simply dig out those florescent pink legwarmers you pretend not to have from the 80s, make sure you get everyone to Wear it Bright and Turn Off the Lights for one special day in the office. Ask everyone who takes part to donate at least 2 for the right to be bright and doublecheck they have all signed up to WWF s! Full of bright ideas? Hold a competition to tackle climate change in your office You might have already fitted energy-efficient light bulbs in meeting rooms or replaced paper towels for eco hand-dryers, but what could be the next big thing to make your office greener? Your colleagues could already have the answers! So why not encourage them to submit ideas and then add an incentive by getting your company to make a 5 donation to WWF for every idea received. Ask your senior managers to sit on the judging panel to ensure the best idea is ultimately put into place. This activity is a win-win for everyone your company will save energy, tackle climate change and raise vital funds for WWF. 5 Not much time? Ask everyone in the office to spend 60 minutes on Set up an office appeal to raise vital funds for WWF s Earth Hour by simply asking colleagues to donate an hour of their salary, or an hour of their time making some cakes for an office cake sale. Both will help support people and wildlife threatened by climate change. Do you have everything you need? Make sure you have ticked everything off in your Action Checklist: I have ed all my colleagues asking them to save the date for a special event, and telling them what big fundraising idea to expect on the big day. I have sent an to all my colleagues, customers and suppliers asking them to text EARTH* to or sign up to WWF s at wwf.org.uk/earthhour I have asked my online team if they can spread the message and communicate the day on my company s intranet or website. I have contacted Diana Rogers, at WWF, on for candles, flyers, posters and T-shirts to support my day. We have a limited number available so make sure you contact us as soon as you can. HSBC engagement day David Southern / WWF-UK

6 How your business can get involved in WWF s Spread the word to your customers and suppliers Encourage your customers, suppliers, friends, family, local council, local newspaper basically everyone you know to all. Tell everyone what you are doing with our fun and userfriendly digital tools including our banner, Earth Hour countdown timer, light switches and templates available to download from our website. Make sure you tell everyone to sign up online at wwf.org. uk/earthhour or by texting EARTH* to Thank you for helping us to spread the word as far as we can about 2010! London s Business district WWF-UK IKEA, 2009 IKEA To find out more, contact Madhubanti Guha on MGuhaKalra@wwf.org.uk Working with business to address climate change WWF engages with many sectors to promote climatesafe business models and to accelerate moves towards a low-carbon economy. Our partnerships with many businesses, including HSBC, M&S, RSA and Sky, seek to play a part in tackling climate change. We also focus on low-carbon finance, carbon savings through better food consumption and production, improved energy services models within the power sector, and the provision of more sustainable transport. As well as partnering with companies to improve the sustainability of their business and to lead the sector they operate in, we also work with companies on philanthropic, cause-related marketing and employee engagement and fundraising activities. We have also just launched our brand new Small Business Club, created especially to engage with the many thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the UK. To find out more about how your company could partner with WWF-UK, please contact Diana Rogers on or DRogers@wwf.org.uk 6

7 Fundraising guidelines Here are some guidelines to help you with your fundraising. Charities are governed by lots of different rules and regulations and below you will find some basic guidelines that you need to bear in mind when organising your fundraising activities. If you have any queries, please contact WWF s Supporter Care team on or them at supportercare@wwf.org.uk Further information can also be found at the following websites: The Charity Commission: The Institute of Fundraising: In aid of WWF Thank you for raising funds for WWF. Recently published guidelines mean that we need to ensure that our supporters understand that they are raising funds in aid of WWF, but don t represent WWF. Please do not talk about WWF s policies or stance on specific issues (for example in press releases, in publicity or other materials for your event). Any enquiries should be referred to WWF s Supporter Care team. WWF Logo Please use the downloadable materials we have designed for you at wwf.org.uk to promote your fundraising activities. Please do not use the WWF logo on any materials you create yourself without approval from WWF. For more information please contact WWF s Supporter Care team who will be able to assist you. Insurance Please remember that you are responsible for the activity and for making sure that it is run safely and legally. WWF cannot accept any liability or responsibility for anything that might happen to people or property as a result of your fundraising activity. If you are planning an event that involves the general public in any way you ll need to budget for public liability insurance, which can be obtained from any insurer. If you are holding the event in a place which has liability insurance (such as a school, workplace, community centre etc), you should check with them what cover, if any, is available under their insurance and whether or not you need to arrange extra cover. Collecting money If you want to collect donations at your event, please be aware that public collections do need specific permission and licences, depending on the venue. We don t advise that you ever collect money door-to-door or as part of a street collection, as it s illegal to do so without a licence. For your own protection, if at all possible, make sure that you count collected monies with another person present and have them verify the total amount raised. Ask people who want to make a donation by cheque to make it payable to WWF-UK rather than to you personally. Make sure any coins and notes donated are kept in a secure place and are banked as soon as possible, then write a cheque to WWF-UK for this amount to avoid sending cash in the post. Any expenses to be recovered from your event should only be deducted with the prior agreement of WWF. Ensure all funds that you have raised are returned to WWF by any deadline we have set. If no specific deadline has been set, please return all funds to WWF within 30 days of your event or within 30 days of collecting all your sponsorship. Take care WWF cannot accept responsibility for accidents, so please follow these simple principles to make sure that everyone s safe while they are raising money. Contact the British Red Cross or St John s Ambulance if you feel that first aiders are necessary. Always ensure that children are safe and that you do not allow them to ask for or collect money without an adult. Nobody should carry out fundraising in an unsafe environment, so assess any risks involved and make sure that those risks are eliminated or minimised, both for yourself and your helpers and for participants. If you are going to carry money around, take care with your personal security. Always use a safe route, take someone else with you and carry a personal alarm. If you hire anybody to help organise your event, or use facilities provided by a third party, make sure that they have suitable experience and their own insurance. Finally, remember that your activity, if carried out within the work-place, must comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, as well as all relevant legislation since. See 7

8 Fundraising guidelines Adventure activities WWF does not encourage risky activities like parachuting, bungee jumping or rock climbing for example. Neither do we encourage travelling to other countries as part of your fundraising activities. Alcohol Selling alcohol as part of your event requires a temporary licence. You ll need to apply for it at you local magistrate s court at least a month in advance. You can, however, offer alcohol but not charge for it, without getting a licence. If you choose this route, make it clear what is being offered and how much for example, free glass of wine with every ticket. Another option is to hold your event on licensed premises or ask your local pub to organise the bar at your venue. This ensures that there is a licensee responsible for the sale of alcohol and you won t need to apply for a separate licence yourself. Food If you want to offer or sell food to the public, you should check with the environmental health department of your local council to see which food safety laws apply. Lotteries and raffles Legally, lotteries and raffles are defined in the same way and the same rules apply to both. There are three types of lottery: Please keep it green! Please remember to keep the environment in mind when planning your fundraising activities for WWF s. Here are some simple guidelines to help you: Try to travel by public transport, walk or cycle and encourage others to do the same Buying locally produced goods and materials will also cut down on your carbon footprint If you use flyers, try printing on both sides to save paper and use recycled materials If you re providing refreshments, opt for organic and fair trade varieties wherever possible Try to limit the amount of meat and dairy products, and where possible buy food that s local and in season Why not try putting suitable food leftovers in a compost heap or donate any surplus food to a local homeless shelter Use reusable cutlery, cups and plates made from china or glass for example rather than disposable varieties as this will avoid creating too much waste Collect any paper, cans and plastic so that you can recycle them Private lotteries If you hold a raffle at your workplace or club, there s no need to obtain a licence. This is the type of lottery we recommend, since it is easy to run and isn t legally complex. Just make sure that the raffle is only offered on the premises. You must make it clear who is running the raffle. Small lotteries If you hold a raffle as part of an event, but not the main focus of your event, you can also run it without a licence. With this type of lottery, there can t be any cash prizes and both the ticket sales and the announcement of the results must take place during the event. No more than 250 can be spent on buying prizes, but no limits apply to the value of donated goods. Public lotteries If you hold a larger raffle that is open to members of the public, it must be registered with the local council. Due to the legal issues and extra complexity, we suggest that you avoid organising this type of raffle. Please note that WWF cannot supply prizes for lotteries and raffles. 8

9 Paying-in funds form Thank you for raising money for WWF s. Please double-check the following before posting any money you have raised: All cheques or postal orders are correctly completed, signed, dated and made payable to WWF-UK. To discuss other payment methods, please contact Diana Rogers on You are not posting cash Please bank any cash into your own account and then write a cheque or postal order to WWF-UK for the correct amount Please find enclosed funds of which were raised from this event as of today s date (please tick) Wear it Bright Day Green ideas competition Spend an hour Other Date of the fundraising event I will shortly be sending a further I have no more funds to pay-in Name Name of Business Address Postcode Telephone number address Please return to Supporter Care, WWF-UK, Panda House, Weyside Park, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1XR. Please tick here if you would like to receive updates from WWF-UK WWF-UK would really like to tell you more about our work. To be able to do this we would like to keep your information so we can decide what is most appropriate to tell you, and when. We would really like to keep in touch but please tick the box if you d rather we didn t. Thank you for supporting WWF s EBV

10 What is our company doing for WWF s to help protect people and wildlife threatened by climate change? Where When Contact On Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm WWF is hoping that a billion people around the world will. Text Earth to 88008* or sign-up online at wwf.org.uk/earthhour * Texts cost 1 plus standard network rate. Terms & Conditions: You will be charged 1 plus one message at your standard network rate. WWF will receive approximately 60p from each message sent. For assistance please telephone

11 The mission of WWF is to stop the degradation of the planet s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by: conserving the world s biological diversity; ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable; and reducing pollution and wasteful consumption. wwf.org.uk/earthhour WWF-UK Panda House Weyside Park Godalming GU7 1XR t: f: e: Earthhour.Business@wwf.org.uk WWF Scotland Little Dunkeld Dunkeld Perthshire PH8 0AD t: f: WWF Cymru Baltic House Mount Stuart Square Cardiff CF10 5FH t: f: WWF Northern Ireland Second Floor 7 Exchange Place Belfast BT1 2NA t: f: WWF-UK registered charity number and registered in Scotland number SC A company limited by guarantee number Panda symbol and WWF Registered Trademark of WWF World Wide Fund For Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund). Designed by luminous.co.uk Official Partners