Branch Fundraising Guidance Pack
Unit 0.2, One Victoria Villas, Richmond Surrey TW9 2GW. www.nass.co.uk
Welcome to the branch fundraising guidance pack This guide outlines everything you and your branch members need to know about how to successfully fundraise for your branch and for NASS.
Contents Background ................................................................................................ 2 10 good reasons ........................................................................................ 3 Action Plan ................................................................................................. 5 Organising a fundraising event ................................................................... 6 Ideas for local fundraising activities ............................................................ 7 Individual fundraisers and supporters....................................................... 15 Gift Aid – Explained .................................................................................. 17 Matched Giving – making hard work more effective ................................. 19 NASS Branch Development & Support Fund ........................................... 20 Other sources of potential income ............................................................ 22 How to write funding applications ............................................................. 26
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Background Why fundraise? Successful NASS branches find that it really helps to be in regular contact with their rheumatology department so that they get regular referrals of newly diagnosed patients. It is also advantageous to be involved with joint initiatives with their local health care professionals such as arranging awareness evenings or information stands. Ideally, NASS branches need to be able to connect with lots of areas of their local community and get the word out there about what they are doing and why it is important for people with AS to know about them and to get involved. Awareness raising activities can often have a cost attached and at the same time NASS branches also need to raise funds to pay for their physiotherapists' time and sometimes even towards the hire of their facilities. Here is a list of possible areas that a branch might need to raise money for: • • • • • •
Sending branch physiotherapists on the specialist AStretch training Branch member travel expenses to attend conferences related to NASS/Branch Development etc Equipment for the hydrotherapy pool/gym for NASS branch members to use Awareness evenings for people with AS Fundraising events General branch promotion
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10 good reasons
1.
Fundraising not only raises vital funds but also raises awareness of AS amongst the local community and health care professionals.
2.
Raising money in addition to charging members subscriptions provides the
branch with financial security, which ultimately could bring down the cost of the subs.
3.
A healthy bank account stops branches from worrying about how many
members will turn up each week and whether they can pay their physiotherapists.
4.
Financial stability will allow a branch to offer subscriptions at a reduced rate to
those members on state benefits or who are retired who may not be able to afford the full rate.
5.
Awareness raising and fundraising could attract new members to the branch,
especially if the subscriptions are low.
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6.
Raised awareness of a NASS branch will strengthen your local profile in your
community and establish how important the branch is to local people.
7.
Branches who fundraise have been able to help fund their physiotherapists to
attend courses on AS, making sure their members have access to informed physiotherapy treatment.
8.
Many branches have successfully fundraised and bought new equipment for
their venues.
9.
The act of fundraising brings branch members together: it helps people really
feel like they belong and are important to the future of the branch.
1 0.
NASS is a registered charity which receives no government or state funding, it
relies on its members and branches to give donations to keep it working towards a better future for people affected by AS.
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Action Plan Successful fundraising relies on good planning. Try following this simple action plan to make the most of your efforts.
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Arrange a meeting or create a sub-committee to discuss fundraising
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Discuss: o why you need funds, o how much do you need to raise o what specifically will you be spending the money on o when you need the funds to be available
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Decide on what method of fundraising will be most suitable and agree on who is doing what and when
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Organising a fundraising event -
Decide what you want to do and when – pick a date
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Decide who is going to be involved in organising the event
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Organise a planning meeting just for the event
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Write a list of tasks and ask people to volunteer to lead on each area e.g.: o Catering o Venue hire o Invitations o Publicity (e.g. media, posters, radio) o Equipment (e.g. a BBQ, PA system etc) o Safety
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Plan when each task needs to be completed and by who – stick to the plan!
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Let the NASS office know what you are planning – we can advertise and maybe come along!
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NASS has a comprehensive guide to organising an event – just email
[email protected] to get a copy.
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Ideas for local fundraising activities Natter with NASS
Each year in the week before the NASS Conference and Annual General Meeting NASS asks its members to help raise awareness of AS amongst friends, family and colleagues as well as raising much needed funds for NASS by holding a summer tea party. Whilst this is primarily to raise money for the national charity’s activities, there is nothing to stop a branch from using the idea and adapting the materials to have their own branch Natter with NASS. There are lots of downloadable materials to help organise an event on the NASS website or you can contact Jill by email at
[email protected] or call her on 020 8948 9117 to get template documents, or collection boxes and information leaflets. List of materials available: i.
Planning your event
ii.
Invitation template
iii.
Poster template
iv.
Recipes for “orange” food and drink
v.
Draft press release
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Local Branch Lottery Some of our branches have successfully run little lotteries to gather funds for their branch activities. This is an excellent way of raising regular funds, however there are some strict rules in running a local lottery which are laid out below. Branches are allowed to run a simple, private society lottery
Definition of a lottery In simple terms a lottery is a kind of gambling that has three essential elements: • • •
payment is required to participate one or more prizes are awarded those prizes are awarded by chance.
This is set out more formally in the Gambling Act 2005 which defines two types of lottery, a simple lottery and a complex lottery. An arrangement is a simple lottery if: • • •
people are required to pay to participate in the arrangement in the course of the arrangement one or more prizes are allocated to one or more people in a class the prizes are allocated by a process which relies wholly on chance.
Types of lotteries that do not require a licence or registration These are: (a) incidental non-commercial lotteries – commonly held at charity fund raising events (b) private lotteries • • •
private society lotteries – only members of the society and those on society premises can participate in the lottery work lotteries – only people who work together on the same premises may participate residents’ lotteries – only people who live at the same premises may participate
(c) customer lotteries – only customers at the business premises may participate
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Private lotteries 1. There are three types of private lotteries permitted by the Act: • private society lottery • work lottery • residents’ lottery. 2. Private lotteries must comply with conditions relating to advertising which state that no advertisement for a private society, work or residents’ lottery may be displayed or distributed except at the society or work premises, or the relevant residence, nor may it be sent to any other premises. 3. Private lotteries must comply with conditions set out in Schedule 11 of the Act relating to tickets. In summary these are: • a ticket in a private lottery may be sold or supplied only by or on behalf of the promoters • tickets (and the rights they represent) are non-transferable • each ticket must state the name and address of the promoter of the lottery, the people to whom the promoter can sell or supply tickets and the fact that they are not transferable. 4. The price paid for each ticket in a private lottery must be the same, must be shown on the ticket and must be paid to the promoters of the lottery before anyone is given a ticket. 5. The arrangements for private lotteries must not include a rollover of prizes from one lottery to another. 6. Private society lotteries can only be promoted by an authorised member of a society. 7. The society can be any group or society, provided it is not established and conducted for purposes connected to gambling; for example private members clubs can organise such lotteries. 8. Tickets can only be sold to other members of that society and to people on the premises used for the administration of the society. 9. The lottery may only be promoted and raise proceeds for the purposes for which the society is conducted 9|Page
Pub Quiz The planning stages •
Remember to use someone who can research interesting and factually correct questions or you can also buy quizzes on line e.g. www.Instant Quizzes.co.uk
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Decide how many rounds you would like. You can probably do 6 – 8 rounds in about an hour and half, with 10 question in a round.
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Next decide how many there are in a team and how much you will charge as an entrance fee. We suggest no limit on team numbers with a charge of £1 per person to play. There is no real advantage in having a bigger team and small teams of 2 should not be discouraged from entering by a per team entrance fee.
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Next decide on prizes. Why not ask your local brewery or other suppliers to donate prizes to the quiz?
The advertising stage •
Make sure you advertise your night as far and wide as possible.
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Let people know that you are running a quiz by posters, word of mouth, local media such as radio stations, newspapers etc. and boards outside your pub.
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Once you have advertised the quiz – think about where you can advertise some more!
Finding the right volunteers •
You will need a Quiz Master, who is someone confident speaking in public and reading out the questions clearly.
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•
You might need a microphone and speakers if the pub is a bit noisy – otherwise your Quiz Master might struggle to be overheard – particularly if not everyone will be taking part in the quiz.
•
It might a good idea to get another volunteer to help mark the questions – or you could let the teams swap papers and mark their neighbours quiz.
The Quiz Night has arrived •
Announce the time of the quiz half an hour before and then again 10 mins before to remind people to enter.
•
If people want to join in the quiz get them to register with the Quiz Master and pay their entry fees and provide a team name.
•
Give each team some answer sheets for them to complete with their answers and make sure you have some spare pens!
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Make a record of each team as they register and then as you start the quiz read them out to check everyone is ready.
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Each question should be read out once, a short break then repeated, and then at the end of the round, quickly recap all 10 questions.
•
Collect sheets from teams for marking (perhaps announcing that if they’re not handed in within a minute, the team gets 0 points) or get teams to swap papers then read out each question then its answer.
Remember the golden rule – the quizmaster is always right and the idea of the quiz is to get the answer on his or her answer sheet.
•
At the end of the quiz collect the scores. Have a tiebreak question ready (usually a number answer with the first correct answer or closest answer as the winner).
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Stretch for NASS Stretch for NASS is a simple stretching activity that anyone can do whether at home or in the gym or at work or with a NASS branch on or as near as possible to World Arthritis Day (usually in October) to highlight the importance of exercise for people with AS. It's easy to organise, will be fun to do and will help to raise the profile of AS throughout the UK. Everything you need to know to organise a Stretch for NASS event can be found in the simple guide on the NASS website, or by contacting the NASS office for a copy. We have also provided a variety of materials to help you promote your event including: •
A sample press release to attract press coverage
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An invitation for your MP
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An `I stretched for NASS` poster for individuals and a ‘We stretched for NASS` poster for groups for your Stretch for NASS photo
Stretch for NASS is also a great opportunity to stretch that little bit further to raise funds towards the branch support and development fund that every NASS branch will be able to access to support such things as physiotherapist training, awareness days and recruiting new members.
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Public raffle & collection buckets Thinking about holding a raffle? Raffles are a great way to raise money for NASS as well as awareness of AS. Whether you are planning a small raffle at an event or if you are planning a larger raffle which involves selling tickets over a longer period of time there are some rules that come under the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 which must be followed. Running a raffle on the day of your event A raffle that is run on the day of an event is classed as a small lottery and so it does not need to be registered with the local authority. There are some conditions that need to be met though: - No cash prizes - The sale of tickets and announcing the winners must take place on the day of the event - The total sum of prizes on offer should not exceed £250 unless the prize was donated - You can only offer alcohol as a prize if your event takes place on licensed premises The easiest and cheapest way to hold a raffle is probably to buy a book of cloakroom tickets which can be sold in singles or in strips of 5. Pre-promoted raffles As only NASS and not individuals can promote selling raffle tickets for NASS we would strongly recommend that you do not organise a pre-promoted raffle. If you do feel strongly that you would like to organise one, then please contact the NASS head office on 020 8948 9117 to discuss it in more detail. Collection buckets Collection buckets cannot be used without a permit from the local authority (either the local council or police depending on the region) and written permission from NASS to collect on our behalf.
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Licences are needed for all boroughs that are being collected in. Most councils ask that the collections are stationary although there are exceptions (e.g. London Marathon). There are London-wide licences available from the Metropolitan Police but these have strict restrictions as to what days of the week and which week in each month charities can collect. Charities are usually only allowed to collect once a year in each borough. There is usually approximately a 2 month waiting period to get a licence. Councils may have their own variations such as waiting periods and when charities can collect. If you would like to organise a collection please contact the NASS office on 020 8948 9117 to discuss this in more detail.
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Individual fundraisers and supporters NASS – Ways to support NASS pages These pages are just full to the brim of inspiring ideas for all ages to raise some money for your branch. If you know anyone who is really sporty and loves a challenge why not suggest that they have a look. NASS will be able to provide advice and guidance and also a NASS tshirt to anyone who decides to raise money for your branch. There are non-sporty activities like Natter with NASS and Stretch for NASS which our supporters are also able to access support and advice about. Here is the website link: http://www.nass.co.uk/ways-to-support-nass/ Alternatively you can also ring the NASS office 020 8940 9117 and we will be happy to send you out a pack in the post for whatever activity you might be interested in. These are just some of the activities that people get involved with: - triathlons - marathons - walking - open water swimming - extreme events
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Just Giving & Virgin Money The electronic revolution has made it so much easier to raise money through sponsorship, for a very small fee websites such as Just Giving and Virgin Money will sort out all your online giving requirements and all you need to do is send a link out to all your friends and family. This is a easy and secure way to collect your sponsorship money.
Once you have completed your event, these companies then send the money directly to NASS. We have a full guide on how to set up a page in the Doing an Event for NASS section on the NASS website here: www.nass.co.uk/ways-to-support-nass/doing-an-event-for-nass/set-up-a-fundraisingpage/ However if you ring the NASS office we can also guide you through this process.
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Gift Aid – Explained General guidance The following receipts by branches qualify for Gift Aid: - Donations from members of the public who are not members of the branch. - Donations from branch members provided that member has not received, or is not receiving, treatment at branch meetings. - Donations from branch members in excess of normal branch subscriptions provided such donations are paid separately and are accompanied by a letter from the member specifically stating the donation is separate from and in addition to branch subscriptions. For a donation to be in excess of “normal” the normal level must be set at a reasonable rate to reflect the value of the treatment received by the donor. It will also be necessary to check that a member in this situation is fully up-to-date with normal subscriptions. - Proceeds from fund-raising events provided that each donor is separately identified. The following receipts do not qualify: - Regular branch subscriptions from members who receive treatment at branch meetings, whether or not they attend. - Casual payments by members who do not pay regular subscriptions but pay when they attend. - Contributions to refreshments. - Grants from charitable trusts or other corporate bodies. In all cases that qualify the donor will need to be a UK taxpayer and will need to have completed a standard Gift Aid form.
Procedure at branches - The Branch Treasurer is responsible for implementing the required procedures at branch level. - The branch must obtain a Gift Aid form from the donor. The original of the form should be sent to NASS HQ and the branch should retain a copy of all Gift Aid forms preferably in alphabetical order by surname.
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- The branch should prepare a schedule of qualifying Gift Aid payments received in the relevant period summarized by donor. The schedule should show the following details: o Name of donor o Address of donor o Date of Gift Aid form signed by donor o Date of donation (or first date if a series of donations) o Amount of donations received from each donor o Whether the donor is a branch member or not o If the donor is a branch member the date of the donor’s letter confirming the donation is in addition to any subscriptions paid. - The amount of donations should be totalled. - The schedule should be signed and dated by the Branch Treasurer. - The completed schedule should be sent to the NASS office for checking and processing.
What happens next The information sent will entered onto a centralised Gift Aid claim which may include other branches and/or donations received centrally. Payments received from HMRC, together with any interest, will be paid back to the branch in full by cheque. Sample Gift Aid forms are available from the NASS office.
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Matched Giving – making hard work more effective Many companies support and encourage their employees fundraising efforts in a variety of ways and often at no cost to the employee! Various companies, such as those displayed opposite, offer matched funding schemes, matching pound for pound the money you raise through events and activities that you organise such as cake sales, dress down days, sponsored quizzes, marathons, raffle tickets or even your donations. Matched giving also can include companies offering donation for the time an employee has given up for charitable purposes. For example LloydsTSB’s matching giving scheme can give up to £500 per employee who has time given to eligible charities, out of working hours. Some companies operate payroll giving programmes, such as Give As You Earn, that make it easy to donate on a regular basis. Not only is there a tax advantage to the employee as the donation is withdrawn before you pay tax but the company will often match your donation like for like. Other companies, if they are asked, will often make a corporate donation to support the causes their employees are affected by. If the company you work for does not operate a matched giving scheme there is useful information on the Charities Aid Foundation website www.cafonline.org on setting up a scheme and there are tax advantages too. Companies don’t have to pay Corporate Tax on the money they use to match employee giving but more importantly, matched giving boosts morale, encourages team building, raises the company’s profile and generates positive PR .
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NASS Branch Development & Support Fund The NASS Council of Management has set up a new fund to support NASS branches. The purpose of this fund is to help branches: -
engage in activities that will raise awareness of AS in local area improve local knowledge of the AS through educational events recruit new members to NASS branches and help retain existing members help fund branch physiotherapists to access training specifically on AS
Source & Funds NASS branches will be able to apply to the Fund Sub-Committee for grants for any or all of the above purposes, using the application form set out below.
The Branch Development & Support Fund Sub-Committee The Fund Sub-Committee will be comprised of 3 NASS trustees and 3 elected branch chairs who will collectively make decisions based on applications received. The 3 NASS trustees will be appointed by the Council of Management. The branch chairs will be elected by ballot amongst all branch chairs/committees for a term of 3 years.
Eligibility In order to be considered eligible to apply for a grant, a branch must - Demonstrate that it is unable to afford to pay for the planned activity from branch funds. - Complete an application which sets out a clear plan of how the money will be used and for what purpose. - Submit a copy of the current financial records and budget for the next 12 months with the application.
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Amount Grants are to be determined by the Branch Development & Support Fund SubCommittee and will generally be a minimum of £500 and a maximum of £2,000. Larger grants will be available at the discretion of the NASS Council of Management. Application Details 1. Branch Details -
Name of branch Date Branch treasurer Branch chairperson/secretary Current membership Area from which the branch can draw its members
2. Outline the aims and objectives of the branch - How much are you asking for? - When do you need it by? - What will you be spending the money on? 3. The budget A clear budget for the work, which justifies all the expenditure 4. Future outlook for funding - Subscriptions - Local companies – matched giving - Local fundraising activities
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Other sources of potential income Community foundations Community foundations manage funds from individuals, businesses and other donors who want to support causes in their local area. Because of their local basis, they are a good source of funding for small community organisations. There are around 60 community foundations in the UK. http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk
GRANTnet GRANTnet is a straightforward free-to-use service from GRANTfinder, which can help small businesses, charitable and community groups to find suitable funding. http://www.grantnet.com
Local government funding Your district or county council, or unitary authority, can be a good source of funding for community groups. Go to www.direct.gov.uk and search for “voluntary and community groups - applying for funding”
Trusts and foundations There are at over 8,000 independent trusts and foundations in the UK. Between them, they give around £3.6 billion each year to charities and community organisations. Most trusts and foundations work to strict criteria and it is essential that you approach a trust or foundation with a specific proposal – they don’t often offer money to cover general running costs. You'll need to explain why you need the money, how you'll spend it and what you expect to achieve. For more information see the section in the guide on writing funding applications.
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NASS is registered with www.trustfundraising.org.uk and by request is able to search a database of trusts on behalf of branches.
Big Lottery Fund The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is responsible for delivering around half of all funds raised for good causes (14 pence of every pound spent on a Lottery Ticket) by The National Lottery. Most of the funding is awarded to voluntary and community sector organisations. BIG delivers funding throughout the UK, mostly through programmes tailored specifically to the needs of communities in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland as well as some programmes that cover the whole UK. BIG is a nondepartmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). UK Fair Share £50 million for UK areas that may have missed out on their share of funding http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_fairshare_uk Jubilee People's Millions Projects to improve local facilities or help people get more out of their area http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/jubileepeoplesmillions
England Reaching Communities: England Reaching to the heart of England's communities and helping those most in need http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities Awards for All England A simple small grants scheme making awards of between £300 and £10,000 http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_a4a_eng 23 | P a g e
Scotland 2014 Communities Building a lasting legacy for communities across Scotland http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_2014_communities Awards for All Scotland A simple small grants scheme making awards of between £500 and £10,000 http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_a4a_scot
Wales Awards for All Wales A simple small grants programme making awards of between £500 and £5,000 http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_a4a_wales People and Places Bringing people together to make communities stronger and improve rural or urban environments http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_people_places
Funding Central This is a free website for charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The site provides access to thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and resources supporting organisations to develop sustainable income strategies appropriate to their needs. Funding Central is managed by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in partnership with j4b Software and Publishing and is funded by the Office for Civil Society. It covers national funding and finance opportunities for voluntary and community organisations operating in England from European, national, regional and local government and charitable sources. http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk
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Waitrose – Community Matters Since its launch in 2008, Waitrose's, Community Matters initiative has donated over £3 million to a wide range of charities and community groups. This unique scheme gives each branch £1,000 (or £500 in our convenience shops) to share out between three local good causes each month – such as welfare organisations, community groups, schools or local divisions of national charities. Customers vote for their preferred cause using a green token each time they shop and the money each cause is given is directly proportional to the tokens they receive. Under the scheme, customers nominate organisations, with the final decision made by PartnerVoice forums (Waitrose's local democratic bodies). Each branch has a Community Matters Champion, who finds out about potential beneficiaries. In addition, the Head Office donates £2,000 a month and the Leckford Estate farm and Distribution Centre both donate £1,000 a month.
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How to write funding applications Length & Language -
Keep it simple (KISS), no more than one page.
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Use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, bullet points, bold text to highlight key features, headings and subheadings to break up the text.
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Add the Charity Number: RCN: 272258, SC: 041347 on all correspondence
Outline the aims and objectives of the branch -
How much are you asking for? (Or are you asking for a donation?)
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When do you need it by?
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What will you be spending the money on?
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Are you wishing to hire facilities or hire physiotherapy staff to carry out landbased physiotherapy and/or hydrotherapy sessions for people with AS
Recognition of the importance of the problem -
Brief explanation of AS and refer to authoritative reports regarding AS in connection to exercise (see NASS website)
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Facts and figures on people with AS – how many people will be affected by the continuation and development of the branch?
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Human stories – personal accounts of why the branch is important to its members.
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Branch activities encourage community based equal opportunities and social inclusion. Improves quality of life.
The budget -
A clear budget for the work, which justifies all the expenditure
Who else is supporting your work? -
Try and gain support from your local MP and other local representatives.
If you need help putting together an application Catriona can help – just email her on
[email protected] or give her a call on 020 8948 9117.
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