Fundraising for Age Cymru Swansea Bay
Thank you Thank you for choosing to support Age Cymru Swansea Bay. Every penny that is raised by you will help us to continue providing our free services to older people in Swansea. Our fundraising pack is full of ideas to help you get involved in raising vital funds for Age Cymru Swansea Bay. The pack also includes tips on how you can publicise your event and what to do when you ve raised the much needed cash. The key thing to remember is that fundraising should be fun and enjoyable. We are here to help every step of the way so please get in touch at any time!
Fundraising calendar January Make space for your Christmas gifts and get rid of old things at a car boot sale or sell items online and donate the money to Age Cymru Swansea Bay April Hold an easter bonnet competition or raffle off a big easter egg. If you fancy a challenge, why not enter the London Marathon July Invite friends and family to a picnic or barbeque charging a fee for food and drink. Include some party games at the event to raise even more money! October It s getting darker and colder outside so spread the warmth by holding a Winter Warmer event February The month of love. Celebrate St Valentines day by selling home made cards or heart shaped cup cakes or hold a romantic film night with friends May Host a cheesy Eurovision song contest party and charge your friends and family a small fee to come over and enjoy some european food and drink and some top notch music! August The Great British Bake off is back on our screens, why not hold a bake sale November Beaujolais day! Be the height of sophistaction and host a wine and cheese tasting evening! March Celebrate St Davids day as part of Age Cymru s Big Welsh Month. Dress up in traditional welsh costume, buy an Age Cymru leek or hold a Twmpath June Dust off those knitting needles and start making cute bobble hats (25p from each sale goes to Age Cymru Swansea Bay) September Embrace the sequins and have a Strictly Come Dancing sweep stake. If you re feeling more active run the Swansea Bay 10K December Hold a carol concert, buy some of our fab Christmas cards or take part in supermarket bag packing events
Planning your event Step 1 Sit down and put together an action plan of what you are going to do. If you're new to fundraisng, pick something that is simple and easy to plan and pull off. This event doesnt have to take over your life, have fun! Step 2 Get friends, family and colleagues involved, then work out who will be in charge of what. There are plenty of enthusiastic people out there willing to help! When you know what you want to do, set a date, set targets and choose a venue. Step 3 Tell us about your event as we can provide you with promotional materials. Promote your event through social media, press, posters and word of mouth. Step 4 Stay safe - Carry a first aid kit, familiarise yourself with the fire exits and check that the equipment you are using is in good working order. Organising an event can often be quite stressful, please keep in touch with us as we are here to help. Step 5 When things get tough, remember why you are doing it and think about the people your money will be helping. Most importantly: have fun and enjoy the experience!
Promoting your event The more people you tell about your event, the better! Get friends, colleagues and family members to spread the word for you. We can provide you with useful resources to advertise your event like posters and sponsership forms. We have a Twitter and Facebook page which we can use to help publicise your event. You could also set up your own Facebook or Twitter page to keep people updated. Using social media can boost the total amount of money you raise by up to 40% Setting up a fundraising page If you are doing a sporting event or something people can sponsor you for, why not set up a JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving page? They are quick to set up and people can sponsor you through them easily and safely. Shout out loud about your event!
Local press Advertising your fundraising event through the local press is a great way to encourage more people to support it. We can provide you with details of local press organisations and a letter template to use when contacting them. If the local press are happy to advertise your event, check to see if they could send a journalist or photographer on the day. If a journalist can t make it to your event you might be asked to write a press release. You should: Cover the 5 W s Who, What, Where, When & Why Keep it simple; avoid waffling, using jargon or abbreviations Remember to include a contact name, telephone number and the registered charity number Take plenty of photographs too. These can be used alongside your press release and even if the local press aren t involved we would love to see pictures of your event!
Keeping it safe and legal Food hygiene Food safety laws apply wherever food is available whether it is for sale or not. You must ensure you follow food hygiene procedures. Contact your local council for information about food hygiene regulations at events or visit: http://www.food.gov.uk/. Licences Ask your local authority whether or not you need to obtain any special licences (e.g. public entertainment, collection or alcohol licences). If you are holding the event in a public place, you must have permission from the council or landowner. Raffles If you hold a small raffle on the day of your activity you do not need a licence, so long as all ticket sales and the draw itself take place during the main event, (it is okay if your event lasts more than one day). Tickets must be sold for the same price with no discounts applied. You must make it clear who is running the raffle. Check the latest information and advice at: www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk. Risk assessments Identify any hazards and assess any risks at your activity that you ll need to consider. Ensure you have adequate first aid cover available for the scale of your activity. If you re not sure, check with your local council. Insurance Please remember you are responsible for the activity and Age Cymru Swansea Bay cannot accept liability for any fundraising activity or event you undertake. If you are planning an activity that involves the general public you ll need to budget for public liability insurance, which can be obtained from any insurer. If you are holding the event in a venue which has liability insurance (such as a village hall or pub) check they have the appropriate insurance and that it covers your activity.
The money For your own protection, if at all possible, make sure you count the money you've collected with another person present and have them verify the total amount raised. Please ask people who want to make a donation by cheque to make it payable to Age Cymru Swansea Bay rather than you personally. Make sure any cash donated is kept in a secure place and is banked as soon as possible. Gift Aid it Gift Aid allows us to claim back the tax on every eligible donation. That means for every 1 you raise, we ll be able to claim an extra 25p. After your event All funds that have been raised through your JustGiving or Virgin Giving page should come directly to us. However, any other money should be sent to our head office, Tŷ Davies. Please make all cheques payable to Age Cymru Swansea Bay and let us know your name and telephone number too. Age Cymru Swansea Bay Tŷ Davies Tawe Business Village Swansea Enterprise Park Swansea SA7 9LA Thank you for choosing to fundraise for Age Cymru Swansea Bay and we hope you think of us again in the future!