Guide to Successful Fundraising

Successful Fundraising

Before you begin your fundraising event or activity ask yourself the question “Why am I raising money for the Niemann-Pick Disease Group?” Once you are clear about your reason for raising money you can then tell potential sponsors and supporters where the money will go and what sort of things it may go towards. People like to know what their money will be put towards and it will help them to understand the motives behind your fundraising activity. If you would like to talk to a member of the NPDG (UK) about the sort of things that your fundraising may be used for please do not hesitate to contact us.

Fundraising can be lots of fun but it requires time and energy so think things through before you start. Consider the following five points first, these will help you to be successful and enjoy fundraising:

1. What type of event are you going to organise?
2. Who could you ask to help you organise the event?
3. Make a list of all of the people or sources that you could approach to financially support your event i.e. friends, members of the family, work colleagues, your children’s school friends, playgroups etc.
4. Decide on a date(s) for your event to take place.
5. Think about how much money do you want to raise?

OK so you want to do some fundraising and you have read through the five points above so you are now ready to start making your plan of action.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

How We Can Help You

Caroline MacDonald is the Fund-raising Co-ordinator for the Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK) and is assisted by the Executive Director and Administrative Officer.

If you decide to become involved in fund-raising, please let us know at the Niemann-Pick office, 11 Greenwood Close, The Pastures, Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear NE38 8LR, telephone 0191 415 0693, email Niemann-pick@zetnet.co.uk as we may be able to offer advice and guidance. When the activity is completed, tell us how you got on as we like to include fundraising activities in our newsletter ‘Niemann Pick News’. You can do this by post or e-mail to the main office.

Here at the office we have a number of resources that you can tap into to help you with your fundraising, these include:

• Letter headed paper, information leaflets
• Cardboard collection boxes
• Stickers
• Christmas Cards
• Posters
• NPDG (UK) Logo
• Fact Sheets on Niemann-Pick A, B and C
• Ideas on fund raising events
• Wristbands
• Balloons
• We will supply one t-shirt with each pack.

All these resources are available free from the office on: 0191 415 0693 or by e-mailing us at: niemann-pick@zetnet.co.uk

It contains a huge amount of information about the Group and is an excellent source of information on the Niemann-Pick diseases.

Important Information Before You Get Started

I. Basic procedures
All funds raised should be sent to the main office with a complete record as to how they were raised.

Main office address:
Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK)
11 Greenwood Close
The Pastures
Fatfield
Washington
Tyne and Wear NE38 8LR

II. Getting the facts right.
When communicating details of the Group's activities or details of the Niemann-Pick diseases, it is important to ensure that the information you are passing on to the public is 100% accurate. Make use of the Group's leaflet, which is an excellent explanatory document, and also the newsletter, or call us for advice and information on 0191 415 0693. Additional copies of all these documents are available from the Niemann-Pick Office.

III. You need to know that…
Raffles: If you decide to run a raffle it is important to remember that, if you are selling tickets over a period of time and in different locations, you will need a licence. The Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK) has a licence that can be used. If you are proposing to run a raffle at a specific event in one location and on a given date, then you do not need a licence. Tickets, in all cases, must not be more than £1 each and you are not permitted to sell them at a discount, e.g. you may not sell a book of ten tickets for £9 instead of £10 simply because the customer is buying a whole book.

Collecting Boxes: As a registered charity we are able to provide our own collecting boxes for static use in local shops, pubs, clubs, surgeries, etc. In fact anywhere you have seen other charity boxes displayed. The boxes are a good way of collecting small, but regular amounts for the Group. Some families have even placed one near their own telephone to enable family members and friends to contribute if they so wish.

It is important not to use any of our boxes other than as outlined above. One very important non use is in any situation involving a collection where the box is carried and possibly shaken. It is against the law to shake collecting boxes to encourage donations. Furthermore, a licence is required for street collections. If you are willing to help by placing a box, then please contact the NPDG (UK) office on 0191 415 0693. In addition to the traditional plastic collection boxes the Group now has cardboard collection boxes available to send out.

The collecting boxes are available on the following conditions:

• Details as to the location where the box is to be displayed and the name of the person responsible for displaying the box are notified promptly to the Main Office.
• The box is emptied regularly (at least every six months).
• You count the contents of the box with the person responsible for displaying the box and you issue a receipt to that person. The office will supply you with blank receipt forms when they send you the box.
• A copy of the receipt, together with a cheque or postal order for the total amount made out to the Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK), should be sent to the NPDG (UK) office who will then acknowledge the receipt of the payment from you and send a letter of thanks to the appropriate location.

If in doubt about any of the foregoing, please contact staff at the NPDG (UK) office who will be pleased to advise or help in any way they can.

Sponsored Events: Any sponsored event that is likely to attract large numbers of participants or onlookers needs to be notified to the police who will advise whether a permit is required or not. Sponsorship forms are available on request from the office.

Personal Fund-Raising: It is of vital importance that none of the Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK) publications or publicity materials is used for raising personal funds for any individual child or adult.

All funds raised using such material are for the good of all affected children, adults and their families through the Trustees. Similarly the Group's Charity Number must not be used in connection with personal fund-raising for any individual child or adult.

IV. Some "Do's and Don'ts"

• It is a requirement that, when funds have been raised at a charity event, two people should count the money and sign a statement confirming the amount raised and the details of the event, i.e. nature, date, location, etc. Please notify the office as to the amount raised and the relevant details of the event.
• The money should be sent to the Niemann-Pick Office, 11 Greenwood Close, The Pastures, Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear NE38 8LR. Cheques should always be made payable to the Niemann- Pick Disease Group (UK).
• In the case of donations, the money should be sent with details of the donor's name and address. The donor will be sent a receipt and acknowledgement.
• In the event of a generous response from a donor, it is tempting to approach that person on a regular basis. Discretion should at all times be used and care taken to avoid being accused of pestering any one individual.
• As a registered charity, the Group is in a position to claim Gift Aid. This means we are able to reclaim the tax on any donation received, provided the donor is paying income tax or capital gains tax. The amount that can be claimed back currently stands at 28p for every £1.00 that is donated. Please contact the office for more details.
• It is important to observe strict discipline in the management, implementation and conduct of any fund-raising event, which will of course be subject to audit. Comprehensive records must be kept.

V. The Media
The media can help you get the Niemann-Pick story across to the public and also advertise special fund-raising events. At all times be accurate in the information you communicate. If you do not know the answer then say so and confirm that you will try and get an answer from a Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK) representative. It would be extremely helpful if a copy of any relevant newspaper article or, where appropriate, details of any relevant T.V. item be sent to the NPDG (UK) office.

Please Note – No family should be mentioned by name without their permission.

VI. Advertising
People need to know that you are planning to organise an event, if people don’t know about your event then they won’t be able to come and support you, so it is advisable to advertise it, obviously as inexpensively as possible. Publicising your event is one of the most important ingredients to successful fundraising. This area of your planning can be broken down into three sections;

1. Before the event
2. On the day
3. After the event

1. Before the Event

• Put together a poster or flyer to tell people about the event, this can be done by hand or on a computer, if you know someone who is creative ask them to help you. Think about the type of people you want to attract to your event and place the posters and flyers in public places. Many public places are happy to let you leave a pile of leaflets in their venue or put up a flyer on notice boards. It is important to ask their permission first though. All fund-raising materials, including advertisements, must show our registered charity number (1061881) and logo.
• See if the local newspapers have a space advertising local events, speak to the paper and ask if you could write a short press release about the event. Remember to give a contact name and number and include why you are raising funds. If you need help writing press releases please do not hesitate to contact us.
• If you have a local radio station see if they have a slot where they could advertise your events.
• Remember to check the deadline dates for your local newspapers and radio station to avoid missing the opportunity to publicise your event.
• Be sure to include all relevant information regarding your fund-raising event. This could include some or all of the following:
• Name and nature of the event.
• When is the event being held – day, date and time?
• Where is the event being held?
• Who is sponsoring the event?
• Objectives of the Group.
• Cost of the event, i.e. admission.
• How to participate and who to contact.
• Where are tickets available?
• Where to send donations.
• Any prizes or special guests.

2. On the Day:

• Make sure you have some information about the Group available on the day for people to read and take away with them if they want to. The Group produce a small introduction leaflet on Niemann-Pick Disease. Please contact us if you would like some leaflets.
• Make sure that there are people around on the day who know about the Group and the work that it does as people may want to ask about where the money will go and what it may be used for.

3. After the Event:

• Do a follow up in the local newspaper telling people how well the event went, how much money was raised and where the money will go. Make sure you take lots of photos of the event and send a selection to the local paper. Remember to include a big thank you to everyone who supported the event.
• Contact us at the NPDG (UK) and tell us about your event, we can share your news and success with other members and include details of your fundraising in our newsletter or on the website.

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Niemann-Pick Disease Group (UK), we wish you lots of luck in your fundraising efforts!