Brighter Futures Fundraising Kit

Brighter Futures Fundraising Kit

Thank you! The Suncorp Group Brighter Futures Community Giving program was born out of a belief that big hearts and bold ideas can contribute towards a healthier, happier, more fulfilling future for everyone. Our mission is to make giving easier, more enjoyable and more accessible. This simple toolkit is packed with ideas and tips to ensure your fundraising is successful and lots of fun.

Table of Contents A-Z of fundraising 1 Holding a fundraising event 3 Promoting your fundraising 7 Frequently asked questions 10 Your kit is fully equipped! 12 Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 3

A-Z of fundraising The key to successful fundraising is originality. While the tried and tested morning tea never fails, something a little unique will go a long way to generating big dollars for your cause. Many of these activities work just as well at home with friends as they do in the office with colleagues. Auction Hold a silent (or loud) auction at work or as part of a larger fundraising event. Arrange for prizes to be donated by local businesses, sports stars, and/ or performers. BBQ Everyone loves a sausage sizzle whether it s at work, your local shopping centre or sporting club. Spice things up with gourmet sausages, crusty bread rolls and relishes and charge a little extra. Cinema screening Approach your local cinema and ask about their fundraising packages. Increase ticket prices by a few extra dollars and include some goodiebags (with snacks for the movie too of course)! Dress up/down day Why not pick a theme and get the team dressing up (or down)? Why not sponsor the boss to wear something crazy for a day? Expert talks Confirm a guest to speak on a subject that you and your colleagues are interested in. Charge an admission fee and perhaps hold an auction of their latest book if they have one. Friday work drinks Hold regular Friday night drinks, charging an entry fee and small amount for each drink. You could donate to a regular charity or rotate where the proceeds will go. Go-karting Why not have your next work social outing at the local go-kart track and get sponsored to race? Hair shave Gather a group of work colleagues willing to get their hair (head, face, chest or legs) shaved off in return for sponsorship dollars. Interdepartmental sports matches Organise for teams or departments to play against each other in a knockout competition. If you can t get to a sporting field, try carpet bowls or office cricket. Jelly bean jar An ever popular competition of guessing how many jelly beans in a jar: $1 a guess and the closest takes home the jar (or shares it with their colleagues)! Karaoke night Why not hold a karaoke night for your work s next social function? You might like to pay some people not to sing (or fundraise to get the boss up on stage)! Lawn bowls Test your team s skills in the art of lawn bowls it s good fun and you can even do it barefoot.

Hungry, Hungry Hipsters raised $1,800 for the Oaktree Foundation. Josh and Michelle lived below the line for a week, surviving on noodles, porridge and flat bread. Mobile phone penalty Start a penalty system for anyone who checks their phone, or if it rings during a meeting, presentation or conference. No coffee day/month Quit your daily takeaway and donate the money you would have spent. Get sponsored for your efforts if you are known for your addiction! Odd jobs Hold a raffle where the winners can choose from a selection of odd jobs e.g. lawn mowing, ironing for a week. Poker tournament Do you have any card sharks within the workplace? Perhaps they can help you organise a poker night with winnings donated to your charity of choice. Quiz night Organise a quiz for work colleagues to prove who really is the smartest of the bunch! Include silent auctions, raffles and table competitions to really raise some big dollars. Really useful raffl e Hold a raffle with some unusual prizes such as offering to fetch someone s morning coffee for a week, a free weekday lunch with a senior manager or one month s use of the best parking space. Swear jar Depending on your household or office space, this could fill up faster than you think! Treasure hunt To boost staff interaction and raise funds at the same time, why not organise a treasure hunt for your colleagues? Organise cryptic work-related clues leading people from one location to another. Unwanted gift sale We all get gifts we don t want that someone else might love. People in the workplace bring in their unwanted gifts to sell with the money raised going to the charity of your choice. Valet for a day Become your friends personal valet and get them to pay for the privilege of having you drive them around like rock stars. Then donate that money to your favourite charity. Wedding bonbonnieres Are you headed to the chapel? Consider making a donation to your favourite charity in lieu of wedding bonbonnieres (gifts for your guests). Xmas party Xmas is a great time to give and support others in need you could replace your secret santa with donations to charity and add a raffle or auction at your party to help raise funds during this important time of year. Yes Day Yes is the word we all want to hear. To encourage everyone to say yes more often, anyone in the office who says no has to drop a gold coin into a jar. Proceeds go to your favourite charity. Zebra Day Nominate a day when everyone wears something striped to work and makes a gold coin donation. All funds raised go to charity. Perhaps the stripiest dressed person wins a novelty stripey prize. Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 2

Holding a fundraising event Planning 1. Get permission Check in with your chosen charity that they re happy for you to fundraise in their name. They may need to provide you with an Authority to Fundraise. They d love to hear about your plans and may be able to assist with tools, templates or perhaps arrange for their ambassadors to visit. 2. Find a team Gather a reliable group of people to assist you in planning your event. Keep members motivated and committed by assigning them tasks e.g. a big sporting match or workplace training. 3. Book the date When choosing a date check there is no other big event on the same day/ night. 4. Set a budget Think about what you want to achieve and how much you d like to raise. How many people will you invite to attend and will this number cover your costs and leave you with a profit? As a general rule, fundraising events should aim for 4:1 return for every $1 you spend you should aim to raise $4. 5. Pick a venue It could be at work, home or a local sports club. If you re going all out with a large public event in a park or a gala ball, you ll need to book your venue well in advance. Transport, parking, outdoor permits and contingency plans for outdoor events all need to be considered. 6. Catering Book or plan the essentials like catering, drinks and entertainment. Do you need to hire tables and chairs? Decorations? Try and get as much donated or discounted as possible. 7. Hone your focus What s the drawcard for people to attend? Is there a celebrity visiting or a key activity taking place (like a trivia night or casino night)? 8. Tickets Is the event free? Will you simply charge an admission fee at the door, or sell tickets in advance? For large events, consider online ticketing services like Eventbrite (note, most of these websites charge a fee per ticket sale). 9. Fundraising activities If you re running other activities during the event e.g. raffles or silent auctions, start seeking out donated prizes as soon as possible. See our tips on auctions and raffles.

Finance & Advice Brisbane raised over $16,000 through a local trivia night. Two charities benefited from this fun night of trivia and fundraising AUSHEAL and the White Bear Foundation. Licences and insurance Licences If you re hosting an event outside work, contact your local council well in advance to check whether you need any licenses. You will need a license if you are: Providing live entertainment Selling alcohol Holding a collection on public property. Insurance Check whether your venue already has this or if your chosen charity may be able to assist. Events that take place on Suncorp Group premises as part of business as usual (e.g. a morning tea in the office) should be covered by Suncorp insurance. Please contact brighterfuturescommunity@ suncorp.com.au to check specifics. Health and safety It is good practice to put together a risk assessment to identify anything which could potentially cause harm on the day. Ask your workplace First Aid Officer to attend or, if you re organising a large community event, consider asking St John s Ambulance to send volunteers. Ask your local council for advice. Spread the word Before the day See our chapter for ideas on promoting your fundraising (on page 7). Use the fundraising resources featured on the Brighter Futures website. On the day Ensure that you acknowledge your sponsors accordingly e.g. with signage, or verbally by the MC Have receipts on standby for donations of $2 and over Take lots of photos! After the big event Send a thank you to everyone who helped or donated prizes, food, performances etc, and let them know how much you raised. Contact your charity to arrange transfer of funds. Do they need you to complete any paperwork? Return any resources to the charity such as collection tins and decorations. For large fundraising events please contact the Brighter Futures team for advice about record keeping, receipts, tax deductible donations and association with the charity. Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 4

Holding a fundraising event Auctions and raffles Plan ahead Get as many prizes donated as possible to maximise proceeds. Think of what prizes will best suit your guests and approach local businesses for support. Consider the value of prizes and charge for raffle tickets accordingly. Alternatively you may need a reserve on some of the more high value auction prizes so let the auctioneer know in advance. Think creatively Think about family and friends that work in small or local businesses. They will be a good starting point and may have useful networks of their own. You can offer to use their logo on your flyer or event program. Contact local sports clubs who might be able to give you some signed memorabilia. Money-can t-buy experiences are unique and are sure to bring in higher bids. Do you know a chef or restaurant that would offer an exclusive chef s table in the kitchen? If you re running a workplace raffle, consider offering an exclusive car park for a month or two, or lunch with a CEO. If you manage to get a few small items, group them together to make an amazing package. A spa treatment followed by a champagne lunch out. Legalities New Zealand and Australian states vary in their requirements for raffle permits. Please check with your local Gaming Commission for details. If you re selling tickets publicly remember to check with your charity and receive authority to fundraise on their behalf. Online fundraising You can create a free, personal fundraising page through Everyday Hero and encourage your friends and family to donate and support fundraising activity from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand. Visit www.suncorpgroup brighterfutures.com.au/ fundraise to sign up. Note: If you want to fundraise as part of a particular charity appeal or activity (e.g. Run Melbourne) register directly through the event or charity website. Once you set up your page, follow our tips to maximise your online fundraising: Aim high Set an ambitious, but achievable goal. If you hit your target, or are less than $100 away, increase it! If people think you are close to meeting your target they may not donate as much. Give people an idea of how much to donate e.g. $10 will provide 5 blankets or $100 will provide 10 meals.

Repairlink WA raised $8,900 for the Leukaemia Foundation. Mullets were grown, many phone calls made plus lots of chopping, colouring and bleaching for the World s Greatest Shave. Network overtime Use your personal email account, your work email account and your social networking accounts to get the word out and share the link to your fundraising page. Ask, and ask again. Don t bombard your contacts, but don t give up after one attempt. People often need a friendly nudge. Keep it fresh Update your donors and potential donors with your progress. How is the fundraising going? What obstacles have you come across? Change your pictures, update your story, and tell people how your preparation is going, and send a new ask out to your networks. Dollar matching Last, but certainly not least, remember to apply to Brighter Futures for Dollar Matching. Employees can apply once per year for up to $500, and teams can apply as many times as they like, as long as each application is for a different charity. Thank your supporters After your fundraising activity has taken place, update your fundraising page and get in touch with your networks. Thank them for their support, let them know how it went, and encourage those who haven t yet contributed to make a donation. Make them feel proud to have supported you! Personalise your page Remember to include pictures and videos of yourself. People want to see who they are donating to. Tell your story and let supporters know what your personal motivation is. Lead by example Be the first! By donating to your own supporter page you are showing your commitment to your fundraising and setting the benchmark for other donations. People usually base their donation on amounts already donated, so set the bar high or contact your most generous friends and family for support first. From clicks to bricks Bring your online fundraising campaign offline and into your physical environment. Place posters, flyers or tin collections in local businesses, offices, shops, gyms etc. Make sure to include the URL of your fundraising page on all your posters and flyers. Contact your chosen charity and let them know what you re doing for them. Ask if they have any materials to help you raise as much money as possible. I love Brighter Futures dollar matching and so do the people sponsoring me, because I always tell them that their donation will be doubled thanks to Suncorp. Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 6

Promoting your fundraising Social media Social media and fundraising are a perfect match, and for this reason, social media sites are often saturated with messages promoting fundraising activities. Get creative to make sure your voice stands out from the crowd. How to use your social media presence Give your entire social media presence a fundraising facelift for the duration of your campaign. Use your cover photos, profile photos, usernames, and your biographies to promote your fundraiser. If you re on Twitter, encourage your supporters to Please Retweet the link to your fundraising page. Create an event on Facebook or, if your event isn t happening at a particular time, create a group and invite your friends to join remember to include a personal message in your invite. Include your story, upload photos, make a video, and suggest sponsorship amounts. Take a screenshot of your fundraising page and upload to your feed. Use photos on Facebook and Instagram to keep your followers in the loop with the behind-the-scenes of your fundraising challenge, like morning training sessions. Be sure to use hashtags so your images crop up in a range of searches on Instagram. How to use your cause s social media presence Find your charity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and like their page, or tag them, post on their wall connect! They ll love hearing from you. How to use your supporters social media presence Thank your friends personally on their social media pages when they donate money. Ask them to donate their status update or cover photo to you for a day to promote your fundraiser. How to use the Brighter Futures social media presence Like our page and join our Yammer group. You can post details of your event to our wall so our fans will see it. Tag us in your status updates and photos. I love that Suncorp goes the extra mile to offer dollar matching. Truly is amazing.

Rachael from Vero NZ raised over $900 for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ. She raced up 51 flights of Auckland s Sky Tower in full firefighting kit which weighs over 25kgs! Publicity for your fundraising attracts support from different areas within the community. First things first, contact the charity you re fundraising for and let them know what you re doing. They may be able to assist with promoting your event, and provide their logo for you to use in your publicity. Charities may also have requirements for large fundraising events held in their name in terms of administration and collecting funds. Flyers and posters Think of a catchy name for your fundraising to get people talking, and prepare eye-catching flyers (different shapes or sizes). A printing company might even be willing to print them for free or a discounted cost. Don t forget to check out the posters and flyers you can personalise on the Brighter Futures website. Enlist local support Don t be afraid to ask for help to promote your fundraising. Local businesses and shopping centres are often happy to have posters in their window if proceeds are going to a good cause. Your children s school may allow a notice in the newsletter or, if you re a member of a community club, they may too, ask around. Local media If you re fundraising publicly it s worth contacting your local paper or radio station with details of your event (and a unique angle to your story) to see if they ll run a story. Having a local personality or entertainer involved is likely to draw more attention. A note on media If you re fundraising as a representative of Suncorp, please contact the relevant Corporate Affairs staff member for your Line of Business before approaching the media. Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 8

Suncorp Simpson Desert Trekkers raised $65,000 for Youngcare. Four employees trekked 300km through the Simpson Desert to raise funds to help young Aussies living in aged care homes.

Frequently asked questions I d like to organise an event to raise funds for my favourite charity. Where do I start? Contact your charity first to see if they have any fundraising guidelines you can refer to and whether you need to register your event with them. How much should I aim to raise? The sky is the limit! As a general rule, community fundraising events should aim for 4:1 return for every $1 you spend you should aim to raise $4. Can I donate toys, clothes, food or other items to charity? Many charities are grateful to receive donations or gifts. It s best to check in with them directly about whether there are any preferences for items needed or restrictions (e.g. children s hospitals can only accept brand new toys). Will my fundraising event be covered under Suncorp Group insurance? Activities that take place on Suncorp premises during business hours should be covered by our insurance. If you re unsure please check with brighterfuturescommunity@suncorp.com.au Any fundraising taking place offsite out of business hours will require you to arrange your own insurance e.g. a gala dinner. Do I need a licence or permit for my fundraising activity? Fundraising activities in public places may require a permit from the property owner or council. Certain fundraising activities such as raffles or the sale of alcohol may require licences. Check if you need a licence by contacting your State s government department overseeing gambling, liquor, gaming etc. See our section about useful websites for details. What support can Brighter Futures provide to help me promote my fundraising event? Where possible we can share details of your event on our Yammer and Facebook page and other social media. Depending on our availability, a member of the Brighter Futures team may be able to present to your team and give an overview of fundraising ideas and Brighter Futures initiatives such as Dollar Matching. It s wonderful to work for a company that advocates its employees charitable causes. Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 10

I cannot describe to you the impact this has had on our life. I love the Brighter Futures program and believe it really brings giving to the attention of our employees. I thought it may be difficult, but the fairly simple and proactive communication by the team was terrific. Also heard lots of positives from others in my team about how good the system is. We held raffles, competitions and free dress days in the lead up to Australia s Biggest Morning Tea and raised over $1,600 for the Cancer Council.

Your kit is fully equipped! Congratulations on being a Brighter Futures fundraiser. Getting started is the hardest part. To help you raise as much as possible for your chosen charity, we ve provided a range of fundraising tools on the Brighter Futures website. Pop online to download poster and invitation templates and a fundraising tracker. Good luck! www.suncorpgroupbrighterfutures.com.au/resources Useful websites Australian Taxation Offi ce www.ato.gov.au New Zealand Inland Revenue Department www.ird.govt.nz Gambling Compliance Group, Department of Internal Aff airs New Zealand www.dia.govt.nz/gambling ACT Gambling and Racing Commission www.gamblingandracing.act.gov.au NSW Offi ce of Liquor, Gaming and Racing www.olgr.nsw.gov.au NT Director-General of Licensing www.nt.gov.au/gls QLD Offi ce of Liquor and Gaming Regulation www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/liquor-gaming SA Offi ce of the Liquor and Gambling Commissioner www.cbs.sa.gov.au Tasmanian Gaming Commission www.treasury.tas.gov.au Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation www.vcglr.vic.gov.au WA Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor www.rgl.wa.gov.au Another way Brighter Futures is making a difference 12

Talk to us The Brighter Futures team is always happy to help. Email us at brighterfuturescommunity@suncorp.com.au SuncorpGroupBrighterFutures #BrighterFutures www.suncorpgroupbrighterfutures.com.au