Reaching the target: the art of fundraising
Whether you're hosting a garden party, abseiling down your local shopping centre, or trekking in the darkest corners of the Earth, once you've decided to raise money for charity, you're faced with the second biggest challenge - raising cash
Where to start
First, take a deep breath. Fundraising can seem like a daunting prospect, but add a touch of ingenuity, confidence and preparation, and it can also be great fun. The amount you need to raise will very much dictate what sort of event or moneymaking scheme you adopt. An afternoon fete will get you well on the way to raising a couple of hundred pounds for your local school, but would not go near the four figure zone often expected for a sponsored event or overseas project.
Get help
Coordinate a team of trustworthy friends to delegate tasks out to. Once your team is in place, your action plan will suddenly seem more do-able. Choose people who have skills that you can utilise. For example, if one is good with figures, make them treasurer, another good at art, get them working on flyers.
Getting donations by mail
With email so prevalent, many people appreciate the efforts of a good old-fashioned letter. Make a list of people that you know who might be interested in donating; this is a good time to call upon the generosity of particularly well-heeled friends and relatives. People can be surprisingly generous if they get a feel for your enthusiasm and effort, which is why a thoughtfully composed personal letter will win over a brief group email.
It's important that people really believe in what you're fundraising for - so give your reasons as to why you chose to support this charity. Try to tailor your letter to personal contacts and business relations, taking the time to think about whom you're writing to.
Include practical examples of how the money will be spent, and how you plan to reach your target. Also include any extra information they may be interested in, perhaps a route map of your planned trek or some photographs of yourself training for a sports event.
Keep a list of who donates, when they donated and how much they sent. This will help the charity claim a 28 per cent tax bonus from the Inland Revenue - which, incidentally, could also be another good selling point for those in the higher tax bracket!
Online donations
These are great for people who you think would like to donate just a fiver here or there. JustGiving.com and Bmycharity.com are the leading charity websites that allow fundraisers to set up their own web page. It's free and once you have activated your page, sponsors can donate using debit and credit cards direct.
Both sites allow you to track your fundraising, and you can personalise your web page with information such as how you are progressing. Donations are automatically transferred to your charity, and the charity again gets an automatic 28 per cent tax bonus from the Inland Revenue from donations made by UK residents.
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Created: 22/06/2004 Updated: 13/07/2004
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