Tips for a great event
You know why you want to raise funds for the RNLI. Now you need to consider: what, when, where, who and how. Here are some tips:
What?
Fundraising can be done in almost any way. You may want to organise an event in your office, school or club, such as a dress-down day or a cake sale. Or you may prefer to go it alone or with a couple of friends and challenge yourself to something like a triathlon or sailing event. It may be an activity you love and are good at, or it may be something new that you've always wanted to try. Whatever the idea, there is always a way to fundraise alongside it.
The RNLI also has a number of off-the-shelf fundraising ideas available for you, including quiz and game packs. Contact your RNLI community fundraising office for more information.
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When?
- Choose a date that's realistic and gives you enough time to carry out all of your planning and promotion.
- Pick a suitable day or time of year (such as school holidays, Summer) for maximum attendance.
- Do some research to ensure your event doesn't clash with, or come immediately after, a similar event or one that is for the same audience.
- Pick an event or activity to fit in with key dates or holidays, such as carol singing or an Easter egg hunt.
- Start fundraising as soon as you can to ensure you raise a fantastic amount for the RNLI's volunteer crew members.
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Where?
Your location will be determined by a number of factors. How many people are likely to attend? Will car parking, catering facilities and toilets be required? Depending on your answers, you may be able to host the event in your own home or garden, or you may need larger premises such as your office or a local restaurant. Contact your local police before planning an event in a public place.
Once you've secured a venue, consider decorating it, and don't forget to promote the RNLI. We can supply materials.
If your event is an outdoor one, make sure you have toilets nearby and an indoor venue in case the weather gets too cold or rainy, or even too hot.
If you are planning a challenge event where you will be travelling from one destination to another or using several bases, consider the logistics of this including accommodation, transport and support. Please note that due to the fact that volunteer crews man most of our lifeboat stations, visits to lifeboat stations are strictly limited and must be agreed in advance with your community fundraising office .
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Who?
Who is the event designed for? Is it just your family, friends and colleagues, or do you want as many people as possible to come along? Try to imagine the sort of person who will support your event as this will help you promote it.
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How?
Planning your fundraising
Set yourself a financial target, break it into manageable chunks, then decide how you're going to raise each bit.
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Promoting your event or activity
- Build in enough time to promote your event.
- Ask family, friends, colleagues and contacts for their ideas, help and support.
- Speak to your employer and other local businesses and ask them to donate prizes for fundraising raffles etc.
- Talk to your community fundraising office about sending a press release to your local papers, radio and TV stations - it raises the profile of your event and of the RNLI.
- Use social networking websites to tell people about your event.
Producing event materials
It is important that your event materials make it clear that you are raising funds in aid of the RNLI and do not represent the RNLI.
We can provide pre-printed RNLI fundraising materials with space for you to insert details of your planned activity. These will save you time and effort.
If you do want to create your own materials using the RNLI logo, images of the RNLI's lifeboats or any other RNLI trademarks or images, you will need to complete a Request to use RNLI trademarks or RNLI images in fundraising materials form, available from your RNLI community fundraising office. You will then need to get the RNLI's approval of each different piece of material you produce using the charity's trademarks or images.
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Raising money
Use official RNLI sponsorship forms and encourage people to sign up to Gift Aid, which enables the RNLI to claim a further 25% on every donation from a UK taxpayer. Get a generous sponsor at the top of each sheet to set the standard.
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Online fundraising
Set up an online fundraising page and email it to everyone you know. Post a link on your Facebook/Bebo/MySpace page. You should also send the link to your RNLI contact for reference.
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Matched giving
Make sure you ask your employer for their support as many will match or part-match the total amount you raise, a great way of getting your sponsorship total doubled.
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Cost of the event
You must inform your sponsors and donors (and the RNLI) if any of the costs of your event or activity will come out of the money being donated.
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Approaching large companies and organisations
Please do not approach charitable trusts to raise money in aid of the RNLI. Also, please also do not approach any large companies unless you have a direct link (for example you work for the company or have a relative who works there) without discussing it with your RNLI contact first. The RNLI needs to coordinate any approach to big organisations to make sure we get the most from the approach and the organisation doesn't get over-asked.
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After your event or activity
Well done, you did it! Don't forget to say thank you to all those who helped you and/or donated money. Send us your photos along with a few words for us to publish on our website or in our magazines.
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