HOPE 2015 Best Practice document for Immersion School s Programme Fundraising Tips & Suggestions Dear Teacher/Student, Thank you for taking part in the upcoming Immersion School Programme with The Hope Foundation s projects in Calcutta. You have a major life experience ahead of you where you will see some of the best and worst of humanity anywhere in the world and also get to meet in person the children and families who will benefit directly from your help and the money you have raised. Where does my fundraising money go? All of your fundraising money goes directly to HOPE s 60+ projects working with the street and slum children of Kolkata and their families in the areas of education, healthcare, accommodation, nutrition, training and counselling. Further info on fundraising ideas and materials available from HOPE is given below. Can I also fundraise to cover my travel costs? Yes, you have the choice to fundraise to cover your travel costs, if you wish to do so. Some students pay their travel costs themselves but others choose to fundraise to cover these costs. But there are various stipulations associated with fundraising for your travel costs. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. 1) PRIVATELY FUNDRAISED MONEY - If you wish to fundraise for your flights, you must ONLY fundraise through privately organised events and initiatives. Under charity legislation, you cannot fundraise from the general public in the name of HOPE if the money is to be used to cover travel costs. HOPE has to ensure that everyone volunteering/fundraising with us adheres to this. - You can fundraise privately i.e. from people who know you like family and friends. As the funds you raise to cover your travel costs are not directly benefitting the projects in Calcutta, we cannot issue receipts for these funds. - Publically fundraised events include: Bag packs, flag days, collection days, church collections and selling Butlers Chocolate Bars. - Privately fundraised events include: Coffee mornings, parties, sponsored events, non-uniform days, school discos. - Please consult your programme coordinator if you are unsure as to what qualifies as a private or publically fundraised event. 2) TRAVEL COSTS CANNOT BE LODGED INTO THE HOPE FOUNDATION ACCOUNTS. - If you wish to fundraise for your travel costs, you must NOT lodge this money into The Hope Foundation accounts. We set aside approx. 800-1000 per student per flight and this must be paid in bank draft to the programme coordinator when requested. Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 1 of 7
- Privately fundraised travel money that is incorrectly lodged into The Hope Foundations accounts, cannot be refunded under any circumstances. 3) If you are fundraising for travel costs can you please keep in mind: - Permits are required for fundraising from the general public e.g. bucket collection on the street. The proceeds from all fundraisers requiring Garda permits must go directly to HOPE and so bucket collections/bagpacks etc cannot be used to fundraise costs. - Most people s family and friends are happy to support them to do their fundraising to enable the student to partake in the School s Immersion Programme. What can I do to raise money for HOPE? There are lots of ways you can fundraise and innovation and imagination are key to success. The most popular and successful means of fundraising with HOPE students are: 1) Supermarket Bag-Packing This is the one of the best ways to make money by providing a service while collecting money and raising awareness of HOPE all at the same time! Ask the manager of your local supermarket for permission to bring in a team to pack customers bags and have a collection bucket on each till. You will need: Enough people to cover each till (or most of them!); HOPE t-shirts (available from HOPE office); Collection buckets* labelled with HOPE labels (labels avail. from office) You will probably be asked by the supermarket manager for a letter of authorisation for fundraising from HOPE, call us on 021-4292990 or email admin@hopefoundation.ie to obtain this letter see page 5 for more info. If the supermarket requests details of HOPE s public liability insurance cover please contact us for a copy. Be ready to answer questions from the public about what you are collecting for and the work HOPE does in Calcutta. Do your research; check out the website, read the literature in school etc. *You will need to source your own collection buckets. For collection buckets you need buckets with a lid. A good source is your local supermarket/shop deli counters who get their supplies in plastic buckets with sealable lids. You can cut a slit in the top for coins/notes and label with HOPE bucket labels. Alternatively you can use regular buckets and seal the top with plastic as best you can. It is best to keep the money covered to avoid theft. 2) Events / Raffles Among the most popular are: coffee mornings, parties (dinner parties, fancy dress etc), mini marathons, tennis/golf tournaments, dances, auctions, concerts, pub quizzes (to be done by adults), race nights - the list goes on! You can make extra money at your event Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 2 of 7
by holding a raffle. Ask local shops, businesses etc to sponsor a few prizes or use any contacts you might have to source a prize or two. You could also hold a raffle as a fundraiser in its own right eg. an Easter Egg raffle. You could ask your local shop, pub etc to display the prize and sell tickets for you or sell them yourself locally and/or at work. IMPORTANT: Raffle Permit Required Public raffles i.e. raffles where you are selling tickets to the general public eg. door-todoor, require a permit from the Gardai. If you intend having a public raffle to fundraise you will need a letter of authorisation from HOPE. You will then have to go to the Gardai in your local area to request a permit. Please ensure you apply for and get a permit as we have regular enquiries from the Gardai about public events. You must be over 18 years old to apply, or get a parent/guardian to do this. 3) Sponsorship / mycharity.ie Sponsorship cards are available from the HOPE office. There are 40 lines on each card and you can give them to anyone you can get to help you! Leave them in your school canteen or anywhere people know you and they might put in a few euro. Make sure you get the money up front! You can also use HOPE sponsorship cards for an event of your choice marathon, walk, sponsored swim, head-shave - whatever you want to do! Alternatively you can collect sponsorship online just open a page on www.mycharity.ie, choose HOPE as your recipient charity and mycharity will send all funds raised directly to HOPE (with a 3% commission charge deducted). Full instructions on the process are supplied on the MyCharity website. 4) Corporate Sponsorship Many businesses are becoming more involved in charity work through Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. Write to companies or approach your family friends and ask for some sponsorship. Approach any contacts you have that might be able to help you. Corporate sponsorship may be used for your travel costs if the company are happy for this to happen. 5) Sell HOPE Charity Chocolate Bars HOPE has a (delicious and high-quality!) charity chocolate bar that is manufactured by Butlers Irish Chocolate with a customised wrapper giving some info on the charity. You can order these bars directly from the HOPE office and sell them to raise funds. You sell each bar at 2 and send all the money raised into HOPE. 1.49 per bar then goes towards your fundraising total and 0.51 goes to pay the cost of the bar to Butlers chocolates. There is also a courier charge of 13.37 on orders of less than 4 cases (this will also be taken by HOPE out of the money you send in). Bars come in cases of 160 bars. The minimum order is 1 case. In each case there are 8 cellophane-wrapped boxes of 20 bars per box. To sell bars you could consider: - Give a 20-box to a few of your friends/family and ask them to sell them for you in their workplace, school etc. Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 3 of 7
- Request to set up a stall in a shopping centre and sell the bars there for a day or two. You need permission from the supermarket manager for this and they may request a letter from HOPE and a copy of HOPE s insurance both of which we can provide for you on request. HOPE can also provide you with posters and literature for your stand however you may have to provide your own table if the shopping centre can t provide you with one. - Ask a local school if they will sell the bars as a fundraiser to support your cause. - Sell in school (get permission), at an event, in a canteen or shop anywhere you think you can do it!! To order HOPE charity chocolate bars: please email office@hopefoundation.ie or call 021-4292990 with the following details: - Quantity i.e. no. of cases of 160 bars - Deliveries address and contact mobile number to give to the courier: note: someone will need to be there to sign for the delivery during the day. - Your own name and address if different from above (for the invoice) and what you are fundraising for eg. School trip give name of school (for HOPE s accounts). You will then receive the bars from Butlers (countrywide usually within 2 days, Dublin deliveries are often next-day as Butlers factory is in Dublin 17). You will also receive an invoice from HOPE but you don t need to worry about sending in the money for the bars until AFTER you sell them. We usually allow 30 days credit. Please note: bars should be stored in a cool location, away from heaters. Bars should also be kept away from potential rodent attack! (in your house/office etc is better than in an outside shed). We also sometimes have bars in stock in the HOPE office so if you are in Cork city you could contact us and arrange to pick some up if available. You can also get your bars delivered to the HOPE office if you don t have a daytime delivery address where someone can be there to sign for the delivery. Leftover unsold bars: HOPE will take back any unsold bars, credit your account and sell them on, but only under the following conditions: - The 20-boxes must not have the cellophane removed - You must organise yourself to get the bars back to the HOPE office in Cork as we have no budget for this kind of courier/postage costs. - Bars must be at least 3 months inside their expiry date to give us time to find a way to re-sell them. - Bars must not be damaged, melted, wet, gone off, etc! Thank you. Lets Go! Ready to get fundraising? You can start with something small or jump into organising one large event, whatever you feel is right for you. Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 4 of 7
Your goal is to GET STUCK IN, you ll be amazed at how supportive people can be when you put yourself out there for a good cause! If you have any issues regarding fundraising contact HOPE on 021-4292990 or email office@hopefoundation.ie Important Notes on Fundraising Approaching Potential Sponsors Proving you are a genuine charity fundraiser: When approaching the public or potential corporate sponsors you will need a letter from HOPE authorising you to fundraise in the charity s name for HOPE s projects. You must inform the HOPE office of your public fundraising activities eg. bagpacks, public events, public collections, raffles etc. We are often contacted by the public regarding HOPE fundraisers and we will not be able to verify that you are fundraising for HOPE if we are not aware of your fundraiser in advance. Call 021-4292990 and tell a member of staff or email office@hopefoundation.ie with details, thank you. It is also good to keep us informed and we may be able to help publicise the event for you through Facebook, Twitter etc! Transparency where are the funds going? You must make clear on all your fundraising literature and when talking to potential sponsors and members of the public that you are fundraising for HOPE and that all the funds raised will be going directly to the charity. If you choose to pay your own travel costs or are fundraising privately for these you can also explain how you are covering these costs if members of the public wish to know this. HOPE s projects operate in the areas of shelter, healthcare, education, nutrition, vocational training and counselling. HOPE also works in advocacy in the areas of: children s rights, child labour and child-trafficking. Tips on Fundraising Get HELP the more helpers you have, the easier it will be! Do have FUN collecting your sponsorship. It doesn't have to be a struggle. Do plan a target group. Direct any letters to named individuals don t just use Dear Sir/Madam. Do think about what a company/group can gain by sponsoring you - free advertising, publicity, etc. Do tell everyone you know about what you're doing. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Don't randomly send letters asking for money. You'll rarely get a response, let alone any money. Don't leave it all to the last minute. Plan your sponsorship strategy ahead. DON T PANIC! Every year people just like you tackle this goal and make it! Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 5 of 7
Keep your final GOAL in mind - you will be helping provide a better future to children who have been given nothing in life. You are also about to embark on a personal journey where you will do meaningful work and make new friends for life, a truly lifechanging experience. HOPE thanks you for all your much-needed fundraising work on behalf of the charity and to facilitate your Immersion school programme in Kolkata. Our volunteers are huge assets to the charity, we are very grateful for your fantastic contribution. Fundraising Materials Available from HOPE HOPE can provide some supporting material to help with your fundraising. Please Give Plenty of Notice when requesting this material as demand is quite high! We would also ask for your understanding if items are on order, we try to keep things in stock but this is not always possible, we will do our best to get your items to you as soon as we can. To request any of the materials below call 021-4292990 or email office@hopefoundation.ie Letter of Authorisation for Fundraising If you are fundraising from the public eg. a pub quiz, bag pack, raffle etc. you will need a letter of authorisation from HOPE to show to the relevant authorities (Gardai, supermarket manager etc) to prove you are a legitimate fundraiser for HOPE. This letter will be on HOPE headed paper stating your name, address and the purpose of your fundraising. You may need multiple copies for different fundraisers. Copy of HOPE s Insurance Cover If you are fundraising in a public place you may be asked to provide details of HOPE s public liability insurance cover. We can provide you with the relevant documentation for this if required. HOPE Sponsorship Cards These cards can be customised with your name and contain 40 lines for collecting sponsorship. HOPE T-Shirts HOPE t-shirts are available free of charge up to a quantity of 8 per person. Please ensure that you keep your tee-shirts for the actual visit to Calcutta. After this we must deduct 3 per t-shirt from your fundraising to cover costs. Sizes available: Small / Medium / Large / X-Large HOPE Posters HOPE Posters A4 or A3 size Unfortunately, due to the level of demand, posters cannot usually be customised for specific events - standard poster only available, however, your name can be added if required. HOPE Newsletters These newsletters give information on the work of HOPE in Calcutta. It can be useful to have some at bag-packs and events where you may receive queries about the work of HOPE. HOPE Collection Bucket Labels Labels are available to stick on to collection buckets e.g. for bag-packs. You will have to source the buckets yourself however as we can t meet the demand for these (see note on page 2). Please note that HOPE CANNOT supply the following: Letters / receipts to individual donors; Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 6 of 7
Fundraisers must thank their own donors personally. It is not possible for HOPE to thank each person s donors individually. The HOPE office issues receipts for money received into the office only. The only exceptions are:. 1) If a donor specifically requests a receipt for accounts purposes. In this case contact HOPE and we will supply the receipt requested. 2) If you receive a particularly generous donation or there is some other reason you feel that a letter from HOPE is necessary, let us know and we will thank the donor directly on your behalf. Important Notes on Fundraising Money All funds submitted are non-refundable. Please keep a careful record of your fundraised money. Keep all receipts, at least until after your visit to Calcutta. If you have any queries about your account call the HOPE office on 021-4292990. Please submit your fundraised money as soon as possible after you raise it. Only keep fundraised money at home for a minimum length of time. Fundraised money should not be lodged to personal bank accounts for any period of time. The only exception is if you are making a lodgement to a private account for the purposes of raising a cheque/draft made payable to HOPE in the same transaction. Fundraised money can be lodged directly to: The Hope Foundation account at: A/C no: 50677089, Sort Code: 93-63-83. AIB, 66 South Mall, Cork. Please write you name & name of School in the narrative at bottom of lodgement slip and call the office 021-4292990 or email margaret@hopefoundation.ie to let them know of the lodgement. Fundraised money may not be used to pay others to fundraise for you e.g. on bag-packs. Money fundraised in the name of HOPE should not be used for other charities or their activities. Money donated in good faith by the public should only be used for the purposes initially stated and is not interchangeable between charities. Thank you for your cooperation. Below L-R: slum children, railway child, street children at night, Calcutta Hope Foundation Fundraising Info Page 7 of 7