The ACE fundraising guide! Thank you. Without people like you ACE would not be able to carry out our vital work in Luxor. This fundraising guide is designed to give you advice and ideas for your fundraising activity and ensure you know all the legalities associated with fundraising. Remember we are always here to answer any questions and can send you any materials you may need to enhance your event. Please call us on 01323 870136 and speak to Pat Wilder Fundraiser and Supporter Care Manager or email supporter@ace-egypt.org.uk. On behalf of the animals and people of Luxor - thank you! We could not do our work without you. Good luck! Contents Starting out pg 2 Choosing the right fundraising activity for you pg 6 How and who to ask for money pg 7 Fundraise while you work! pg 8 Fundraising in public pg 8 Gift Aid pg 9 The law on fundraising pg 10 Online fundraising pg 10 Collecting tins for donations in static locations such as shops pg 10 Our online fundraising ideas for you and your friend s pg 11 Raise money as you shop at no cost to you pg 11 Items to help you fundraise pg 11 Once your money is raised.. pg 11 1
Starting out When planning a fundraising event it is a good idea to start with a plan. By establishing your ideas and targets you will prepared for anything along the way. A simple fundraising plan would include: Description of event/ activity e.g. Cake stall How will it make money? e.g. Selling cake and tea Fundraising target: Make sure you aim for an attainable estimate. Going over it can only be a good thing! Who will be involved in the event? e.g. local people visiting the town hall Is any kind of sponsorship possible? When and where will it take place? Give yourself enough time to get the event advertised to your chosen audience and for you to have got together your necessary materials. Ensure the venue has enough space for your anticipated needs How will you make your target audience aware of the event? e.g. Facebook or a local newsletter Do you need any materials that will help publicise the event or the charity itself on the day? Or any collecting tins, leaflets about ACE etc. If do please contact us to arrange all the materials you need well in advance of the event. Do you need any refreshments, equipment or prizes? If so, where will you source them? Do you need a licence? Please refer to the guidelines or contact us if you are in any doubt. Are there any costs involved? Travel expenses etc can add up and it s important to have calculated the predicted costs of putting on an event to ensure you are not just going to break even or in the worst case lose money. Would your local newspaper or even national media be interested in your event? Please see our Media section. Bearing all that in mind please read the rest of our guide to help you along the way! 2
Choosing the right fundraising activity for you Here s our A-Z of fundraising ideas to help inspire you A B C Abseiling get people to sponsor you and friends to scale a large landmark or building Aerobic Events organise an aerobics class with some or all of the class entrance fee going to ACE Art Exhibition Stage an exhibition for local artists. Charge entrance fee and commission Afternoon tea tea and scones perhaps with a raffle and tombola prizes Auction - gather friends and families collectables and organise an auction day to sell them or auction promises for services from your friends Arts and crafts day knit things to sell, make dried flowers, cross stitch Air miles- collect your own, then raffle them off Baby picture quiz ask colleagues or friends to bring in baby photos of themselves. People pay to guess who s who prizes for the winners Babysitting donate your earnings Bad tie day charge colleagues to wear bad tie and give prize to winner Black Tie dinner - organise a posh dinner and charge entry Badminton Competition charge for entry with prizes Ballet Class Show for Parents parents pay for children to take part Barn Dance hire a caller and a band, serve food have a great evening too Barbeque charge an entrance fee to your garden BBQ Beat the goalie score goal to win a prize Bike Race remember safety precautions and check on line for advice in organising a cycle race of your own distance and route Bingo special event or regular meetings Board games evening charge for play prizes for the winners Boat race race model boats or real dinghies Book Sale collect from friends and sell to each other or in a boot sale Bring and Buy Sale with colleagues at work or in your own garden Bridge Evening charge an entrance fee which could include supper and glass of wine Cake day bake a cake, sell a slice for 1 Cake stall bake and sell cakes at a local market or car boot sale Car boot sale sell all those unwanted items, ask friends to join in Car washing at the local supermarket or car park, ask first of course! Carol concert host a community festive concert, serve mince pies and mulled wine Charity t-shirt day wear our T shirt to work and ask for sponsorship Children s party be sure to check relevant childcare practices, have a summer party with your friends and charge for activities. Christmas card sales make your own and sell at your local market and to family and friends Coffee morning open house with cakes, raffle, bring and buy etc Concerts entertain your friends or at a local hall with musicians Cooking competition - 1 to enter, prize to the winner Compile a crossword - pay per clue with each number hiding a ticket for a prize draw Craft fair make necklaces, flower arrangements, knitting etc to sell 3
D E F G H I J K L M Dances Salsa, disco, ballroom, at home on the Wii or organised in a hall Darts evening in your own home or at the pub with prizes Diet family and friends paying 1 a pound Dog walking or show - ask your local pet shop to sponsor you Dress down day pay for the privilege Duck race sell numbered plastic ducks, launch from a bridge, prize for first Easter egg hunt charge entry fee and get sponsorship for the eggs E-bay register and auction off your old unwanted items at http://pages.ebay.co.uk/community/charity Egg and spoon race fun for the children, charge for taking part Exhibition get local art and craft groups to exhibit their work with fee Exercise bike race get together with friends or at the gym Expedition choose a trekking holiday and get sponsorship Eyebrows get sponsored to shave them off! Face Painting be creative at fairs, fetes and parties Fancy dress party charge for entrance Fashion show get sponsorship from local businesses for venue, outfits, and charge admission and sales commission Film evening charge to show your favourite film or classic film evening Fine box for swearing or lateness at home or at the office Foreign coins ask for donations after holidays and change to sterling Fun day organise an event and take sales and commission Garage sale for all those unwanted items Garden Party sell tickets and make a donation for drinks etc Gardening offer your services to family and friends for a donation Greeting cards make and sell cards for all occasions Golf Tournament charge for admission Guess the number of. sweets in a jar, cake s weight etc. Gym challenge get your gym members involved for charity Halloween party fancy dress charge to enter or trick or treating Head shave go bald for ACE Hobbies any that can help raise money by sponsorship/donation? Hacking organise a charity hacking event Ironing offer to iron and charge for each item Jewellery making sell at markets and craft fairs Jazz night at the local pub for ACE Jumble sale- at the local community hall for ACE Junk mail collect it all and sell to a recycling company Karaoke fun evening for all, charge to enter, booby prizes Kick off five a side at work or pub charge the teams to enter Knitting competition who can finish it first, charge to enter Left handed day do it with your left hand for the day Line dancing fun at home or ask your local club for a charity event Matched donation from your company for an event you have staged Marathon Don t forget to run for ACE Medieval evening Themed evening of medieval food etc Mini Olympics charge entry for day of silly sports Murder mystery party charge for dinner and entertainment 4
N O P Q R S T Nature trail offer guided walks or raise funds with family walks Neighbours offer to wash windows, mow lawn etc for ACE No smoking challenge for those who need a bit more of an incentive! Open garden sell tickets, refreshments, plants, veg etc Organise events think raffles or auctions for ACE Old gold sell it and donate the proceeds Party on a theme, 50 s,60 s etc prizes to best outfit Paintballing organise a challenge, pay to enter Pancake race Charge teams to enter Parachute jump get sponsorship and take the plunge Pet show charge for entry, prizes for winners Petrol tokens trade in and sell or use for raffles etc Plant sale at home or on stalls PlayStation playoff organise a league, pay to compete each game Plant a tree get sponsors for a scheme Pledges gather from family and friends to auction or raffle off Poetry recital get people to read their own over some cheese and wine Postage stamps collect and sell unusual stamps on ebay Private tuition sell your skills with private lessons Promotional gifts sell gifts with the ACE logo on Pub games evening charge teams to enter with prizes Pony Trekking organise a route and take a group out trekking Quiz night organise one at your local pub or church for ACE Quite time organise a sponsored silence with the local youth group Raffle get sponsorship with items from local businesses Ramble organise a walk and charge to take part Recipe book ask for recipes from local chefs and publish (with approval) Relatives ask them to donate services or items to sell Stable mucking out - offer to muck out friends stables for a donation to ACE Scrabble competition at your local library or coffee morning Scrap metal collect and sell to a dealer or re-cycling point Shoe shine do it for ACE at your local train station or shopping centre with permission Shopping coupons trade in for goods and use to sell/raffle Silver collections ask people to donate their left over silver coins Sit in the bath collect sponsorship for a day in a bath of beans etc. Shave off your beard get people to sponsor you Skittles organise an evening at the local pub, charge each team Slimming contest arrange with local slimming clubs Sponsored walk enter a sponsored walk for ACE Strawberries and cream a lovely event for the summer in the garden Swap shop charge for swappers to participate Swear box put a box at home, work or the pub. Swim-marathon get sponsored per length, mile, minute etc Tabletop sale charge for table hire or take a table at your local hall Ten-pin bowling evening get together for fun and raising funds for ACE Tin collection don t forget to ask for your collecting tin from ACE Tombola at your fair or fete Toy sale particularly before Christmas, ask for local donations Treasure hunt team based with prizes Tuck shop sell sweets etc at local childrens events 5
U V W X Y Z Underwear party charge guests to wear it or organise a party with your local underwear party host Unwanted presents keep for raffles and sales Use your local network to keep up with ideas and help with activities Valet service clean cars for cash Variety Show organise a night out with friends and ask for donations Walks organise a ghost walk or to places of interest for donations Water sports get sponsored for taking part Waxing get sponsored for your legs or chest Weight of a cake bake the cake and raise funds for ACE Wine and cheese event ask for donation from supermarkets/wine shops Wine tasting organise for local wine company and take commission from sales World meal host a Caribbean or Indian themed meal and charge a fee Woodworking make and sell your woodworks or charge for demonstrations X-ercise class organise a work-out event at your local gym for ACE Yoga marathon get your local club to sponsor an event for ACE Zany events anything out of the ordinary to raise the profile of ACE, eat Jelly with chopsticks, greatest number of cream crackers eaten in one sitting etc. 6
Who and how to ask for money It can be difficult asking people for money. The thing to remember is to have a clear idea of what ACE does, check out our website to be up to date with our work. This way if they ask any questions you should be able to answer the majority. There is no harm is saying, I m sorry I don t know but I can find that out for you, then contact us here at ACE and we can help. Sponsored events Use an ACE sponsor form to show it is official, it also ensures you get all the right details. Circulate the form to as many people as possible. Ask friends, family and work mates and also see if they can forward on your details to their contacts. Ideally the first pledge is a larger amount as this will encourage others by setting the example amount! Making life easier. By setting up your own webpage for fundraising you will be able to get people to donate on line and this saves the issue of keeping track of your sponsor sheet. It also means you can utilise social media tools such as facebook and twitter. By creating a page on facebook you can give people the hyperlink for your online giving page. That is not to say that you can t promote your event online without an online giving site it s just a bit more tricky getting people to follow up and fill in the form. Go to http://www.justgiving.com/ace-egypt to set up your personalised site. Add a photo- if you would like one from ACE please let us know. Write a personalised message and then send out the page link via email, facebook and other social media to ask you friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor you, explaining what a great cause ACE is. When you ve finished your event don t stop asking. Around another 20% of sponsorship will come in after your event. Speak to your company or others you know Many companies have a matched giving scheme. This means that you raise money and the company donates the same amount thereby doubling your fundraising effort! It is always worth asking and worst comes to worst they might not double your fundraising they may still sponsor you. Ask businesses in the local area Approaching local businesses such as restaurants, small shops etc to sponsor you or donate something it is best done in person or by phone. A letter is often more easily dismissed especially if the person has no connection to you or the cause. By researching before you ask you can know if they like to donate cash or prefer to provide a gift in kind or raffle prize. Always say thank you 7
By thanking all those that contributed (including businesses) you are able to give feedback as to how much the final total was and how their contribution will make a difference to the animals of Luxor and their owners. If companies would like a certificate we can provide them with the amount raised written on, please just contact Jenny (see details above) Fundraise while you work! By organising an event at your workplace you can will not only create awareness amongst your colleagues about ACEs great work help fundraise and no doubt bring a bit of a change to the usual working day! Having a baking day at work can only be a good thing! Sell cake and biscuits to your colleagues and brighten up their day with some homemade yummies! A causal clothes day. Everyone pays a 2 and gets to wear jeans for the day again, it can only be loved! Does your office get flower arrangements? Why not ask for a week s flower budget to be donated to ACE instead. A pub style quiz at lunch that teams pay to enter with a % going to the winning team and the rest donated. If you can agree with the boss, get a raffle set up for a day s holiday as the prize Offer to do someone s photocopying or filing for a week- you ll be busy for months! If you manage to organise an event at work it s great to put up information for your colleagues to learn about our charity. We can provide posters etc and for a legacy a certificate up in the office is a nice reminder of everyone s contributions. Fundraising in public By fundraising beyond the immediate people you know you can help raise the profile of ACE while raising essential funds. Events Fetes, horse and agricultural shows and other pre-arranged events are great to organising a stand at and having collection tins. By having leaflets, posters and banners you can also educate people about the work ACE does. They may not give that day but there is a good chance if they take a leaflet or our details they will follow up at home. We suggest proving a register for people who are interested in receiving our newsletter. We have a template for one please contact us. Groups You could approach groups such as the Women s Institute to see if they would like to do some of their regular fundraising towards ACE. Depending on the location one of the trustees of ACE may be able to come and give a presentation on ACE s work. 8
Supermarket Collections Collecting at Supermarkets is a very common method used by many charities as part of their fund raising strategy. I m sure that most of you will have witnessed charity collections whilst shopping at your favourite Store. Making an application To apply for a collection date at your chosen location, telephone the store directly and ask to speak to the member of staff who deals with charity collections. This is normally the Manager s Secretary. You will be invited to make a formal application by way of a letter which should include some ACE literature; a recent newsletter is a good idea. To increase your chances of a successful application, it is better not to specify a date. If successful, you will receive a letter of confirmation and the dates you have been allocated; usually a Friday and a Saturday. Most Supermarkets have a covered entrance area so you won t have to worry about the weather. Make sure you re seen It s definitely a good idea to have a small table with a display, this increases your visibility and most people are drawn towards pictures of animals. We can supply you with collection boxes and pictures for you to download and print. Criteria Supermarkets will usually only allow one collection date per Month and they have more applications than dates available; but don t let this put you off! Tesco, Waitrose and ASDA will normally only allow local or UK based charities to collect at their stores. However, it s probably worth ringing them as your chosen store may have an animalwelfare friendly Manager. Collections at Sainsbury s stores are at the discretion of the local Manager. Several of our supporters have collected at Sainsbury s stores with great success. Other supermarkets may also prove successful on a store by store basis. You will need a street collection licence from the Local District Council. See our guidelines on street collections. Gift Aid The government allow charities to claim back the basic rate of tax already paid on donations by the donor and this is 25% of whatever they donate at no cost to the donor. This means you effectively raise a quarter more money without anyone having to pay anymore. This scheme is known as Gift Aid. To qualify the donor must be a tax payer (therefore employed) and they need to tick the box provided on the sponsorship form or on your website and fill out their details. Donors that are eligible for gift aid must give their full name (including first name or initial), their home address and postcode. If the donor is on a higher tax rate they can then reclaim the difference between the basic rate of tax and the highest rate of tax they have paid after making a charitable donation. If you are collecting sponsorship at an sponsorship event, please use a sponsorship form and ensure sponsors tick the Gift Aid box if eligible. At other events donors are also eligible for gift aid but each donor must fill in our Gift Aid declaration form for their donation to confirm that they are a UK tax payer. 9
The law on fundraising There are strict laws on raffles, lotteries, prize draws and public cash collections. Before planning them it is essential that you have read the governments guidelines. See The laws document for details on raffles & lotteries and Street collections. If you are organising a public event, it might be necessary for you to arrange Public Liability Insurance. It is your responsibility and insurance will protect you against claims made by third parties for injury or property damage as a result of negligence. If using collecting tins or buckets o No collection must be undertaken in a manner which will inconvenience or annoy any person; o All collectors must be over 16 years old (18 in London); o Every collector must carry an official collecting box, which must be sealed, numbered and clearly displays ACE on it. o Please contact us well in advance of your collection to ensure that you receive your tins in time and to order other fundraising materials. After the collection o Collectors must never be given access to the contents of collection boxes, prior to their being returned to the promoter for opening and counting; o Boxes should only be opened in the presence of the promoter and another responsible person. Once the boxes have been opened, the contents should be counted immediately and the amount collected in each box recorded. Collecting tins for donations in static locations such as shops Having a collecting tin in a shop, at your reception at work or at a club can be a great way of getting funds for ACE as well as alerting people to the charity. If asking at your local shop or vets etc be sure not to place undue pressure on the potential site holder. If they would like a collecting please give them an ACE leaflet to allow them to understand more about the charity. This helps to encourage them to be confident in talking about ACE if potential donors have any questions about the charity or they may like more leaflets to go alongside the tin(s). If the tin is lost or stolen, or you believe the contents of the tin(s) are being pilfered or interfaced with in any way, please contact us immediately and report it to your local police as soon as possible. When emptying the tins - the sealed collecting tins should be taken by the collection organiser to a secure location, such as your home. Please take someone along with you if you are picking the tin up from a public location. Collecting tins must be opened and counted in the presence of the collecting tin Witness. A Collecting tin witness is a nominated person who has agreed to be present when the collecting tin is opened and counted. They can then verify the amount collected (When arranging a tin you will be given a form). Returning the tins and money raised - When we send you your tin(s) we will also enclose a Paying in Form. After we have received the money we will send you a letter of thanks. If you would like an extra letter sent to the venue where the tin was held please do let us know. 10
Our online fundraising ideas for you and your friend s When you fundraise for an event set up a webpage or blog and allow friends and family to be up to date with your efforts When you re sending out emails add a template signature that includes a link to your fundraising pages and ACEs website As mentioned previously, when organising an event allow people to donate online on your own personalised website by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/ace-egypt which will allow you to fundraise on line with the money going directly to ACE when you sponsors make online donations. You can also add your offline donations to the pledge to give an accurate update on the money you have raised so far. ACE is registered on ebay so you are able to sell items on the site and you can donate part or all of your proceeds to us. Go to http://donations.ebay.co.uk/charity/charity.jsp?np_id=35683. Follow their instructions for posting your item and you will then be fundraising for ACE while selling off your unwanted items. Raise money as you shop at no cost to you www.easyfundraising.org.uk/aceegypt Easyfundraising is a shopping directory listing some of your favourite online stores including Argos, Next, Debenhams, John Lewis, Toys R Us, HMV and over 600 others. Just use the links on the Easyfundraising site whenever you shop online and, at no extra cost to you, ACE will receive a free donation of up to 15% from every purchase you make. It really is that simple! Register free and raise money for ACE without spending any more than normal! When you shop you could be fundraising for ACE by buying items such as books, flights, food, clothes etc online at http://www.giveasyoulive.com Use http://www.everyclick.com to search the Internet. Every time you do a search, they will donate 1p to the ACE! Simply go to sign in and then register for FREE and search for Animal Care in Egypt as your chosen charity to donate to. Items to help you fundraise Please fill in our Fundrasing materials form if you need any of the following: leaflets, posters, latest newsletters, advert for broshures, pin badges, t-shirts and banners. Once your money is raised.. You can pay in your event s proceeds by cheque in the post or by paypal online. If you have raised money at an event and collected donations which include gift aid it is important to send us the form with the declarations (sponsorship form or single declaration forms). Please ensure you have a photocopy before sending to us as while the post is almost always reliable there is always a risk of something getting lost. We can also receive them via email. Paying online 11
Paying in your event proceeds online is quick and simple to do. Go to http://www.ace-egypt.org.uk/donate-now/england--online/ on our website and hit the donate button. Fill in the money you are giving and continue through to give your card details. Leave a message with the donation, giving your: name, address and the event. Please specify if it is for a particular project. Please tell us if there are sponsorship forms or declaration forms that you will be sending over. Paying by post You can also pay by cheque. Please fill out the details on the paying in slip and enclose any sponsorship or declaration forms. Send to: Animal Care in Egypt, 10 Stretham Road, Wicken, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XH. Thank you We couldn t do our work without you 04/12 12