Raising your sponsorship money can seem daunting. The key to success is in the planning and making sure you try all sources available to you.
Top ten fundraising tips
Be realistic
Think about all areas of your life, work and family commitments; what can you realistically achieve.
Is there a busy time of the year for you at home or at work during which you might not have to time to organise fundraising? Do you have any hobbies or clubs that you can tap into?
Plan ahead
Don't leave it all to the last minute.
Try and make a plan now and start contacting the relevant people. Remember that if you need permission from councils or police approvals can take some time.
Check your dates
Try to avoid your fundraising activities clashing with any major sporting or social events (such as the FA Cup Final).
Weigh up your experience
Have you organised an event before or raised a substantial amount of money before?
If not an event that requires a lot of time and expenditure might not be for you, perhaps you could stick to simpler fundraising, such as a collection, car boot sale, pub quiz.
Spread the word
Use every means available to you to let people know what you are doing. Use email, work notice boards, intranet, local press, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.
Get everyone involved
Friends, family, colleagues and suppliers. The more people who know what you are doing the more support you will get.
You could organise a fundraising committee of people to help you either with your events or to run their own and give you the money raised.
Make it personal
Why are you undertaking this challenge?
Let people know why you are fundraising for RNIB. This will encourage them to support you.
Double up on ideas
Boost your profits by adding one idea to another
For example, if you are organising a pub quiz, hold a raffle as well - you will already have a captive audience.
Be diverse
Don't rely on just one idea, no matter how successful you think it might be
Similarly, don't depend entirely upon sponsorship forms or justgiving for all of your fundraising.
Be inspired by the season
Sell mince pies at Christmas, have barbeques in the summer and charge entry, hold Easter egg hunts at Easter.
Use celebration days as an excuse to fundraise!
Some ideas to get you going
Nice 'n' easy tips
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Auction
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Ball
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Bingo
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Book fair
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Bring and buy sale
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Board game evening
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Bowling competition
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Car boot sale
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Car wash
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Cheese and wine tasting
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Coffee morning
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Concert
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Exhibition
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Face painting
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Fancy dress night
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Fashion show
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Give it up
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Garage sale
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Horse race night
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Jumble sale
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Jazz evening
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Karaoke evening
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Lawn mowing/gardening
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Market stall
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Murder mystery
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Music evening
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Non-uniform day
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Pub quiz
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Piggy-back other events
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Pool contest
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Pub crawl
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Pub games night
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Quiz night
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Race night
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Raffle
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River boat trip
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Talent night
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Themed party/dance
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Tombola.
With the office
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Bacon butty sale
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Cake bake
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Caption competition
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Guess the baby competition
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Guess the weight/value
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Matched giving
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Office collection day
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Office lottery
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Promises auction
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Swear box
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Sweepstakes
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Ugly tie competition
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Yes day.
Throughout the Year
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Afternoon tea
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Barbeque
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Easter egg hunt
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Fete
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Firework display
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Greeting cards
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Open gardens
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Unwanted gift sale
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Valentines party
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Xmas cards
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Xmas draw/party/dance.
Fit and Healthy
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Golf tournament
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Five-a-side football tournament
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Fun run
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Long Distance Walk/Cycle
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Three legged race
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Tug of war
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Walk a dog.
For the more adventurous
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Beard shave
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Head shave
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It's a knockout
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Knockout competitions
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Paintball
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Quasar night
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Sponsored challenge
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Treasure hunt.
Things to bear in mind
When fundraising, it's not worth taking any risks with safety or law. Below are a few things for you to consider but if you have any doubts or questions please call us.
Paperwork
Include the Charity's full name and registration number (Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) 226227) on all promotional materials. If you would like to use the charity's logo, please get in touch so that we can send you this and approve copy.
Collections
There is a huge amount of legalities surrounding collections of any kind, on streets, private properties or even in your own home. For more information on this please contact us.
Insurance
For some events you may want to hold you will need public liability insurance. RNIB is unfortunately unable to supply you with this. For more information contact the fundraising team.
Raffles and Lotteries
These are classed as the same thing - games of chance where a payment is made for a chance to win a prize. There are two different types of lotteries that are listed below and do not need registration as long as certain conditions are met.
Small lotteries
These are run during an exempt entertainment (a bazaar, sale of work, fete, dinner dance, sporting or athletic event or other entertainment of a similar character i.e. not being an event in which the lottery is the main attraction) can be promoted without the need for registration or a return being made to a regulating authority. However, they must not be run for private gain.
No more than £250 may be used from the proceeds of the lottery for the purchase of prizes and no cash prizes may be awarded. The value of donated prizes is unlimited.
Although there are no regulations governing the printing of tickets, tickets must only be sold within the time and place of the entertainment.
Private lotteries
Private lotteries, like small lotteries, do not require registration but do require tickets to be printed in conformity with the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.
The principal restriction on private lotteries is that no publication of the lottery is permitted outside the premises of the organisation or group of people for whom the lottery is being promoted.
The sale of tickets must be confined to people living or working in the same premises or who belong to a society that exists for purposes other than gambling.
All proceeds must be devoted to prizes and/or the purposes of the society, but the cost of expenses may be deducted.
If you would like to run a raffle that doesn't fall into either of these categories please contact us.
Remember - we're always here to help!
If you have decided what you want do or if you need more ideas please call us on 0845 345 0054 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email fundraising@rnib.org.uk and we'll send you everything you need!
Also, if you need any information about RNIB and the work we do to aid your fundraising please get in touch.