A guide to fundraising - British Lung Foundation

A guide to
fundraising

£10
will
cover
the cost of
answering one
call to the BLF
Helpline from
someone who desperately needs advice
and information
Thank
you!
Thank you so much for choosing to support the
British Lung Foundation. We‘re thrilled to have you
on board!
Fundraising is all about raising money and having
fun. With the vital support of amazing people like
you, we can help the thousands of people in the UK
who have lung conditions. Every penny you raise will
make a huge difference to our work.
We‘ve created this fundraising guide to help you
organise your fundraising activity or event. It‘s
crammed with fun ideas, inspiring stories, and
advice on how to make your event a success and
raise lots of money for the urgent fight against lung
disease. What kind of fundraising activity appeals
to you? Fancy running a marathon? Maybe you‘d
like to organise your own event, at work or school.
Whatever you do, our events team is on hand to
support you every step of the way. If you have a
question about your event, or want to suggest a
fundraising idea, do get in touch. We’d love to hear
from you.
Once again, a huge thank you. Happy fundraising!
In this guide
02 Thank you!
03 All about the British Lung
Foundation
04 Fundraising – where to start?
06 A–Z of fundraising ideas
08 Let‘s get started – how to organise
an event and make it sparkle!
10 Top fundraising tips!
11 Brand and resources
12 Keep it safe; keep it legal!
14 Getting publicity / After your event
“We did a sponsored walk
around our local village and
finished with a small party to
celebrate. We raised £427”
The Wilson family
The British Lung Foundation events team
Call 020 7078 7912
Email events@blf.org.uk
Visit www.blf.org.uk/events
2

All about the
One person in five in the UK is affected by lung
disease. Millions more are at risk.
We are the UK’s lung charity and we are here for every one
of them, whatever their condition.
Lung disease can be frightening and debilitating. We offer
hope and support at every step so that no one has to face
it alone.
We promote greater understanding of lung disease
and we campaign for positive change in the nation’s
lung health.
We fund vital research, so that new treatments and cures
can help save lives.
We are the British Lung Foundation.
Leading the fight against lung disease.
Without voluntary donations such as yours, this vital work
couldn‘t continue. You‘re about to make a big difference
to someone‘s life. Thank you, and good luck with your
fundraising!
Lung fact
The lungs are the largest organ in the body and
the only internal organ exposed to the external
environment
3

Fundraising –
where to
start?
Want to do a parachute jump? Sell your homemade
cakes? Organise a pub quiz? Fundraising
is all about having fun while raising money for
an important cause. You may already be taking
part in a challenge that you could be sponsored
for. Or maybe you’d like to come up with your
own event. Here are some ideas to inspire you!
In the community
Fundraising is a great way to stir up community spirit.
Try involving your neighbourhood sports centre or gym,
local place of worship, shops, pubs, sports groups and
youth clubs. You could raise lots of money and make
some new friends while you’re at it.
Here are a few ideas:
£11
could
pay for a
BLF Nurse to visit
a patient for half
an hour
Spring/summer/
autumn/winter fair
Supermarket bag
packing
Local collection
A stall selling
homemade jam, cakes
or cards
Street party
Choir evening
Music evening
Pub quiz
Historical walk of your
local town
Theatre show
4

At work
Fundraising at work can be great fun. It builds team
spirit and you’ll get to know your colleagues a bit better.
Be creative and make it a day to remember! Could
you get your clients, suppliers and other departments
involved too? Think big, and you might just be surprised
at how much money you can raise.
Here are a few ideas:
Swear box
Dress-down day
Donate an hour’s/
day’s wages
Coffee morning
Sweepstake
Walk-to-work week
Wear the colour red
for the day
Think about who your friends and family work for. Could
their company sponsor you or donate a prize for your
raffle? Maybe they could promote your event in the
company newsletter or on their intranet. Could you put up
posters around the office asking people to sponsor you?
Many companies offer a ‘matched giving‘ scheme where
they ‘match‘ the amount you raise. If yours doesn‘t
already, why not suggest this? It‘s an easy way of
doubling your sponsorship.
Finally, if you work with a company that has a chosen
charity, please let us know the details. We’d love to be
selected. Contact our corporate team on 020 7078 7914
or email corporate@blf.org.uk.
“I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro;
it was the most amazing
experience. I really enjoyed the
challenge and fundraising for
the British Lung Foundation”
Susie
Bring a pound to work
Office Olympics: speed
typing, chair races etc.
Caption competition
Jail break: get the
farthest away from work
in a certain time with
the smallest budget
Bad tie day
At school, college or university
Make a difference at school, college or university
by sharing your commitment to the British Lung
Foundation. How about organising a fundraising week
or a fun event? With all your friends, fellow students
and teachers on board, you could raise awareness of
this important cause, and lots of money too!
Here are a few ideas:
Non-uniform day
Treasure hunt
Cake sale
Easter egg hunt
Spelling bee
Walk to school
Pupils vs. teachers
Cover a distance with
coins (e.g. the length
of the school hall with
£1 coins)
Does your school or university have a chosen charity?
If so, please nominate us. We would love to be involved.
Contact us on 020 7078 7912 or email
events@blf.org.uk.
Lung fact
Egg and spoon race
Sports day / mini
Olympics
School fair
Jump rope competition
Football tournament
Fashion show
Sponge the teacher
Talent show
The surface area of the lungs is roughly the
same size as a tennis court
5

A Z
to
of fundraising
ideas
A
Aerobics – organise a class and
charge everyone to take part
Arm wrestling competition
Abseil
Art exhibition
Auction – auction off promises
/ unwanted goods
E
Eating contest
E-bay – sell those unwanted
presents and donate the funds
to us
Egg and spoon race
Exhibition – sale, auction,
entrance fee etc.
B
C
D
Barbeque
Bike ride
Bingo night
Blind date
Book sale
Bowling competition
Bring-and-buy sale
Bring a pound to work day
Car boot sale
Car wash
Card games night
Cheese and wine evening
Cocktail evening
Coffee morning
Collect spare change
Come Dine With Me evening
Concert
Craft fair
Create and sell a calendar
Cricket match
Curry night
Dance-a-thon
Dinner party
Disco
F
G
H
I
J
Farmer’s market stall
Fashion show
Fete
Film premiere / show
Football tournament /
collection
Fun day
Garden party
Give up something you love
Ghost walk
Guess the weight / number
Golf day
Guy Fawkes party
Hampers
Halloween party
Hockey match
Hollywood night
Host a dinner / lunch
Ice cream eating competition
Ice skating
Italian evening
Jigsaw puzzle race
Jumble sale
K
Karaoke night
Kite-making competition
Knit-a-thon
6

£50
will cover the cost
of testing and
finding one of the
missing millions
of people with
undiagnosed COPD
L
M
N
O
P
Learn a skill
Left-handed day
Lunch money – ask everyone to
donate their lunch money
Marathon
Medieval dinner
Midnight walk
Murder mystery party
Nature walk
New Year’s resolutions
Non-uniform day
Online sale
Outward bound – hiking,
climbing, camping etc.
Party
Picnic
Piggy back race
Plant sale
Pub quiz / crawl
S
T
U
Set up an online sponsorship
page
Shave
Silence
Skydive
Slave auction
Slimming contest
Sponsored
– walk
– swim
– cycle
– trek
Sporting event
Street / supermarket collection
Talent competition
Tea party
Three-legged race
Tombola
Triathlon
Treasure hunt
University challenge
Q
Quiz
V
Valentines dance
R
Run
Raffle
Races
Read-a-thon
Rowing machine race
Rugby match
Red day – dress head to toe in red
W
X
Y
Z
Walk
Wine tasting
X Factor evening
Yacht race
Zombie party
Zzzz – sleepover
Don’t forget seasonal events such as Easter,
Halloween, Christmas and New Year. These are
always great times to arrange a themed event
and do a spot of fundraising!
7

Let‘s get
started
How to organise an event and
make it
sparkle!
Have you decided on your event?
Congratulations! The next step
is to pull up a chair, grab a pen
and paper, and plan, plan, plan!
Organising an event, large or
small, is great fun. All it takes is
a little planning and you’ll be on
your way to helping us beat lung
disease. Here are some top tips
for success:
£150
could pay for a BLF Nurse to
test people’s lungs at a lung
testing event for one day
1
Plan
Now that you’ve chosen your fundraising idea,
it’s time to start organising it. Think about how
much money you want to raise and how big your
event needs to be. Who else will be involved? Can
anyone help you organise it? Remember, we’re
here to help. Let us know what you’re doing and
ask for any resources you might need.
2
Budget
There may be costs involved in getting your event
off the ground and it’s important to keep track of
those costs. A good rule of thumb is to raise around
three times as much as you spend. Think about how
much you’d like to raise and work out an estimate
of any costs involved. Remember, every penny of
profit makes an important difference.
3
Choose a date
Give yourself enough time to organise everything
and then set a date (large events can take three to
six months to organise). Make sure you don’t clash
with any major fundraising/sporting events.
8

9
Lung fact
Each day an average person breathes about
25,000 times. By the time a person reaches
the age of 70, they will have taken at least
600 million breaths
4
Find a venue
It’s crucial to raise as much money as you can, so try
and get a venue for free. You could ask to use your
local school or community village hall (don’t forget
to get permission from the owner). Remember to
consider disabled access. If the event is outside,
you’ll have to be prepared for all sorts of weather!
6
“Running for the British Lung
Foundation was fantastic. The
support offered in the run-up
to the day was great. I enjoyed
it so much!” John Baldock,
London Marathon runner
Remember to keep it
safe and legal
Your event needs to comply with all health and
safety laws and have public liability insurance
cover. Make sure you read all the information on
pages 12 and 13.
5
Promote your event
Get the word out! Your enthusiasm will spread and
that’s the key to success. Contact your local radio
station and newspaper. Put up posters in your local
shops and on community notice boards, and ask
your friends and family to do the same. See page
14 for more tips on promotion.
9

Fundraising
tips
Raise money online
Fundraising online is easy and effective. It takes five
minutes to set up a page and you can personalise it
with photos and a few sentences describing your event
and telling people why it’s important. We recommend
Virgin Money Giving (www.virginmoneygiving.com).
Don’t forget to add a link to your email signature! If
you’re on Facebook or Twitter, you can invite your
friends and spread the word far and wide.
Training help
Training for a sponsored run? We’re here to help!
Contact us for a training guide. We have 10k, half
marathon and full marathon guides to help you achieve
your goals.
Other ways to get involved
Join an organised event and work up a sweat for us!
Our running, cycling and trekking events are lots of fun
and a great way to raise money for the fight against
lung disease. We have places in the London and
Brighton Marathons and the Great North Run. If you
want to volunteer at the events, that’s great too. We
would love your help with cheering and supporting
our teams. Email events@blf.org.uk with your details.
Top tips
Online fundraising can also be used to raise money on
your birthday or anniversary, or in memory/honour of
someone close to you.
Set yourself a personal target so you have something
to aim for.
Make sure the first donation on your sponsorship form
is high to encourage others to follow suit.
Be enthusiastic and thank everyone who supports you.
Tell everyone you meet about your fundraising activity.
Carry your sponsorship form everywhere you go.
Ask your supporters to Gift Aid their donations if
possible.
“I took part in last year’s Great
North Run and raised £303.
The support received on the day
was great and really make the
race special” Alan
10

Brand and resources
The British Lung Foundation brand
The British Lung Foundation logo must only be used with our prior
permission. Please contact the events team for permission to use the logo
and for a copy of our guidelines. Our registered charity number must appear
on any fundraising materials as ‘Registered charity in England and Wales
(326730) and in Scotland (SC038415)'.
We ask that you remember you are representing the charity and use the logo
appropriately. Please only use the logo on a white background. If you resize
it, make sure it stays in proportion. Try and leave space around the logo
to give it the greatest effect. Finally, please use our full name (‘British Lung
Foundation’) on all materials and always state that you are raising money
‘in support of the British Lung Foundation’.
Fundraising materials
Your support for us is essential and we’ll support you in return. We have
banners, balloons, posters, t-shirts and collection tins – everything you need
to make your event a success! If you’d like any of these fundraising resources,
please contact the team on 020 7078 7912 or email events@blf.org.uk.
We’re delighted to provide these materials to you free of charge.
But there are costs involved for the British Lung Foundation so before
you order, please think carefully about what you need and how many.
Questions? Contact the
BLF events team on:
020 7078 7912
11

Keep it
safe;
£1,000
will help pay for a lung testing machine
and equipment
keep it
legal!
Legal, health and safety
Fundraising is all about raising money and having
fun, but safety matters too. There are lots of rules and
regulations around certain types of fundraising. To make
it simple, we’ve given you some guidelines here. Please
remember that the British Lung Foundation cannot take
responsibility for any injury, loss or damage caused or
sustained as a result of fundraising events or activities held
in aid of the British Lung Foundation. It’s the responsibility
of the event organiser to comply with legal and safety
regulations. All events must comply with the Health and
Safety Act 1974 and all other relevant fundraising acts.
Risk assessment
Writing a risk assessment is a great place to start. This can
cover all aspects of health and safety relevant to your
event. Think about any hazards, things that could go
wrong, the safety of participants and possible weather
conditions. Visit www.hse.gov.uk for further information.
Collection law
If you want to hold a collection in a public place, you’ll
need to get permission. But who from? That depends on
where you’re collecting. If it’s a street collection you’ll need
permission from your local council. If the collection is on or
outside private property (e.g. a supermarket) you’ll need
permission from the manager. Don’t hesitate to contact us
for further guidance on collection law. Please return the
collection tins to us as they’re expensive to produce and
we can reuse them to save on costs. Always make sure
there are two people present when opening the tin.
When you’re ready, remove the security stickers and
unscrew the top of the collection tin. Please pay the
amount raised into your bank account and then write a
cheque (made payable to ‘British Lung Foundation’) and
send it to us with the empty collection tins. Please do
not put cash in the post as it is likely to go missing.
Raffles and lotteries
There are strict laws around raffles and lotteries,
especially larger ones. Please do not hold a raffle or
lottery without contacting us first.
Handling money
Please ensure that there are two people present when
you count money raised at an event. Log everything
that has been raised. Make sure it’s stored in a secured
money tin and take it to the bank to be cashed as soon
as possible.
First aid
If your event is going to involve lots of people, you
should have someone on site qualified to provide first
aid. Contact St John Ambulance or the Red Cross.
Food hygiene
You need to be careful when handling, selling or making
food for events. Safe preparation is key and you should
follow the guidelines on www.food.gov.uk.
Data protection
All events should comply with the Data Protection
Act 1998. As a rule, please do not store the contact
details of people taking part in your event any longer
than necessary. Make sure all documents are safely
discarded and do not share data with anyone else
without permission.
Fundraising with children
Check that proper adult supervision is in place and
that parents/guardians have given permission for their
children to be involved.
12

Insurance
If your event involves others, you need to make sure you
are covered by public liability insurance. This will cover
you against any claims made against you. Please note
that your event cannot be covered by the British Lung
Foundation insurance.
Photographs
We love seeing photos of your events! Photos are a
brilliant help to us because we can feature them on
our website, in our magazine and on other fundraising
materials to help inspire others. Remember, if there are
children involved you will need written permission from
their parents/guardians. Please email any photos to us at
events@blf.org.uk.
British Lung Foundation merchandise
In order to avoid incurring VAT for the charity, we
recommend that you ask for a suggested donation for
any British Lung Foundation merchandise that you have
available at any event you organise.
Lung fact
At rest, an adult breathes about 14 to 16
times per minute. After exercise this can
increase to over 60 times per minute
Company approaches
Local businesses can be a great source of help.
They’re often happy to help with local fundraising
events by providing raffle prizes, for example. If you’re
approaching any large national or international
companies for sponsorship, prizes or auction items,
please do let us know beforehand as we may already
work with them.
Licences
If you plan to sell alcohol at your event, you will need
to obtain a liquor licence. Please contact your local
council for more information.
Gift Aid
Every penny and pound you raise is important in our fight
against lung disease. You can make your donation worth
even more by asking all your sponsors (if they are UK
taxpayers) to Gift Aid their donation. All they need to do
is tick the Gift Aid box on the sponsorship form or online
fundraising page and fill in their full name and address.
Gift Aid is a scheme run by the UK Government that
allows charities to claim back the tax from HMRC on
donations. For every pound that is donated to us, we can
claim back an extra 25p. That makes it hugely important
to us. It won’t cost you anything, but it means we can
provide even more support to people with lung disease.
“I took part in the
Manchester 10k and
dressed all in red. I raised
over £200 in sponsorship”
Ali
13

Publicity
This is your 15 minutes of fame, so make good
use of it! Publicity is the key to successful
fundraising. The more people who know about
your event or challenge, the more money you
are likely to raise. Press coverage is a great
way to gain publicity for the British Lung
Foundation and your efforts. Contact your local
paper and radio stations and don’t miss an
opportunity to talk about your event!
Here are some top tips for getting
into the public eye:
Give your event / challenge a catchy title
Make sure you include the key information
– what, where, why, when, who and how
Use photos or colourful images where possible
Ask for the news desk when you contact
local papers
Tell a story; keep it brief but make it personal. For
local media make sure there’s a local connection
Provide contact details (including your online
fundraising page) so that the media team can
contact you to find out more and also include
our charity contact details too
Invite the media to attend and / or make yourself
available for interviews
Finally, try and include a photo as they have
a great impact
If you’re not sure how to write a press release, we can
send a template for you to customise. Please email the
team on events@blf.org.uk. Remember, if the press do
want to interview you, try and think about what you’d
like to say beforehand. It’s nothing to be nervous about,
but having some prepared notes will really help you
make an impact. Please contact us for a factsheet on
how to do radio interviews.
Other ways to promote your event include putting up
posters in local community areas such as supermarket
notice boards, churches, pubs and village halls. Ask all
your friends to email their friends and spread the word!
£1,700
could pay towards ongoing training
of a BLF Nurse
After the
We’d love to hear all about it!
Offline fundraising
After your event is over, you need to collect your
sponsorship money together, pay it into your bank
account and then write a cheque for the amount raised.
Cheques need to be made payable to ‘British Lung
Foundation’ and returned to us with any sponsorship
forms to ‘Events, British Lung Foundation, 73–75 Goswell
Road, London, EC1V 7ER’. Please include a note clearly
stating your name, the event name and the amount
raised. Please do not send cash in the post as it is
likely to go missing.
Online fundraising
If you raised money purely online via Virgin Money
Giving or Justgiving, you don’t need to do anything.
Just let us know how your event went and send in
any photos. We’ll send you a thank you letter to
acknowledge how much was raised.
Thank you
event
We cannot thank you enough for all the hard work
and time you have put into raising money for the
British Lung Foundation. Once we have received your
sponsorship money, we’ll send you a thank you letter.
Please let us know if you’d like a certificate to display in
your local community!
14