Fundraising Toolkit Remembering Srebrenica s fundraising toolkit aims to provide you with all the information you need to confidently fundraise for us. Why should you fundraise for Remembering Srebrenica? Remembering Srebrenica is the only UK charity dedicated to commemorating and raising awareness about the Srebrenica genocide and its legacy. A mere 50 years after the international community uncovered the Holocaust and swore never again, European soil bore witness to a genocide, which claimed the lives of 8,372 innocent men and boys at Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We believe that to promote a stronger, more cohesive future for all, it is essential to learn lessons from these events. With your help we can do just that, assisting us to promote a better, more tolerant society here in the UK. A society that prizes understanding and cohesion. And a society that promises always to learn, yet never to forget. Money raised for Remembering Srebrenica might typically go towards: Lessons from Srebrenica visits programme Education resources for young people on Srebrenica challenging behaviours associated with intolerance and discrimination Memorial events to honour the victims of genocide and give survivors and their families a continued platform to tell their story Working to engage and bring together communities around the lessons from Srebrenica and promote social cohesion in the UK Exhibitions and cultural events to keep Srebrenica and its legacy alive Before you begin o Be knowledgeable People want to know that the money they are donating will be spent in ways they are comfortable with. This being the case, it is important that you familiarise yourself with Remembering Srebrenica, and the projects and partners associated with our work. Fundraising at its best is a transparent, collaborative process in which all involved are clear on the proposed goals and achievements. By keeping a clear focus in this way, it will become easier to engage people and build enthusiasm for the cause. In turn, this will be reflected in an increase in the number of donations you receive. You can keep up-to-date with recent fundraising developments on our website (http://srebrenica.org.uk/) and via our social media accounts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/srebrenicauk). Staff are also on hand to support you so don t hesitate to contact our fundraising officer, if you require additional information, or just want a chat about your fundraising goals:
Sajidah Ali Sajidah.ali@srebrenica.org.uk 0121 454 3343 Be confident & determined Be confident in your approach. People will be more willing to support your cause if you are able to promote your idea in an effective and clear manner. For instance, be sure what aspect of Remembering Srebrenica you wish to raise money for. Are you raising money for a specific project (e.g. Flowers For Srebrenica)? Or carrying out general fundraising to support the continuation of the charity and its public education campaigns? Fundraising can be a difficult process and you may need to test and adapt your strategy for greater success. Note that people are regularly approached for donations so make sure that your approach stands out from the rest. Be organised It is crucial to draw up a plan of action that is both realistic and achievable. Remembering Srebrenica will assist you in developing this once you have established what kind of fundraising you d like to do and the timeframe in which you want to do it. Once this has been decided, we can set specific targets for key objectives, as well as a clear event plan. Build a contact list Have a list of people who are willing to assist you before and during the event. Add to this list the people you know will attend your event/donate, and the people you know they will be able to persuade to get involved. For example- if you are holding an event in your community- perhaps contact the council to ask for the details of individuals/organisations which might be able to attend etc. Have several lists of attendees if you re holding a ticketed event as there may be drop off- don t be discouraged if you have low response rate at first just follow people up as they may simply be busy etc. How can you fundraise for Remembering Srebrenica? Flowers For Srebrenica Flowers for Srebrenica is the current flagship campaign for fundraising at Remembering Srebrenica. You may already have seen the Srebrenica flower and if you have attended a Lesson From Srebrenica visit, you will have worn one yourself on your trip. Handmade in Bosnia, the Srebrenica flowers is the symbol of the Srebrenica genocide. The flowers have eleven petals reflecting Srebrenica Memorial Day on 11 July and are white and green representing the innocence of those who were killed, as well as hope for the future. I hope that you will agree that they are a special and unique way to celebrate diversity and remember the genocide. A significant proportion of the funds raised will go directly to the
mothers of Srebrenica. We have a track record of working with the Mothers and individuals in Srebrenica to provide funding where necessary. For example, we recently provided heating for the memorial centre in Potocari to help those who wishes to visit the complex and spend time with their loved ones there during the winter months. We are asking for the flowers to be sold at a price of 11, a poignant figure reflecting Srebrenica Memorial Day on 11 July. This cost also facilitates the production, shipping and distribution of the flowers. The funds raised from this campaign will go both directly to the Mothers and to our own projects. Such as the Lessons From Srebrenica visits programme and our public education campaigns. These benefit citizens here in the UK as well as survivors in Bosnia through allowing them a continued platform to voice their story. We envision putting together a specific project which will benefit solely the Mothers of Srebrenica. We are working with our Bosnian contacts to develop projects in-country with the Mothers and will keep our partners and delegates updated when we have further information. General Fundraising You understand the value of Remembering Srebrenica s work, and you are keen to support us through fundraising. Below are some ideas and inspiration to get you started on your fundraising journey! Sponsored events These can range from the daring extreme of skydiving, to the arguably equally difficult sponsored silence. Don t limit your creativity; you can convince family and friends to sponsor you to abstain from your favourite food for a few days, or your favourite item of clothing. Charity dinners Ask your local restaurants and businesses to sponsor a dinner in aid of Remembering Srebrenica. Guests can purchase tickets at a reasonable amount, and profits are donated to the charity. Consider some form of entertainment too, for example, your local budding artists would love the opportunity to showcase their talent. Community/Family fun days Create a local event geared around bringing different communities together. You can set up family friendly entertainment, food stalls, and arts and crafts and bring it all together by a short inspiring speech about why you are gathered to raise funds and awareness about the Srebrenica genocide. March for Peace - One event unique to Bosnia-Herzegovina is the Annual Peace March, or Mars Mira, as it s more commonly known. This commemorative walk honours the 15,000 men who formed The Column and embarked upon a perilous 63-mile walk from Srebrenica to Tuzla, in an attempt to escape the Bosnian-Serb forces entering the Srebrenica enclave. Just 3,000 survived.
The three-day walk, starting on 7 July each year, welcomes participants from all over the world. You can request sponsorship to participate in this event. Sponsorship gives you endless opportunities to raise money in various ways: face-to-face, by letter or email. Speaker programmes and Lecture Tours Organise a series of lectures in community and educational spaces to bring to light the importance of educating our communities on the worst European tragedy since World War Two. Remembering Srebrenica may be able to assist in inviting survivors to speak at your events. Schools/Colleges Schools, colleges and universities are accommodating when it comes to students partaking in extra-curricular activities. Enrich your student experience with fundraising and event management skills hold a simple bake sale or organise something more elaborate to get your student community engaged. Film screenings showing a film related to the Bosnia War is a relaxed way to get people engaged. Charge people as they would normally for a trip to the cinema, provide some popcorn and create a space for discussion after. There are many films to explore; Angelina Jolie s In the Land of Blood and Honey is a popular one although you may not always be able to charge for screening so be creative in what you charge money for. Golden Rules o Set yourself a target and don t be daunted by the amount you can raise it in small stages. o Ask everyone you know from family and friends to work colleagues (ask your line manager if you can use your company s internal mailing system to promote and gain support). o Make it as easy as possible for people to give. Set up a JustGiving (www.justgiving.com) page and link it to Remembering Srebrenica s so it is clear where the money is being directed. o Contact people who are likely to give the most first. This will encourage other people to donate similar amounts on your sponsorship form. o Make sure that you make people aware of when you will be collecting sponsorship money, or aware of the overall target for your challenge/event. o Always maintain contact, keep people involved and above all else thank them for their contribution. Playing our part As well as working closely with our fundraising officer from the very start, we can provide you with the following:
Publicity: we will publicise your activities on our blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. Media: we can provide you with all the how to information you ll need if you want to publicise your activities in the press. Marketing: we can offer marketing materials, such as leaflets about Remembering Srebrenica and its goals, for you to share. Experience: you will work with an experienced team at Remembering Srebrenica that are used to fundraising for our cause. Merchandise: we can provide merchandise such as t-shirts for those wanting our official branding while carrying out their fundraising activity. Materials: we can provide access to films that Remembering Srebrenica own copyright to, as well as Remembering Srebrenica literature, educational resources for assemblies and PowerPoint presentations. Whatever you choose to do, the Remembering Srebrenica team is here to support you every step of the way. Call 0121 454 3343 and ask for Sajidah or email her at Sajidah.ali@srebrenica.org.uk, and get started on your creative fundraising journey today.