At Redventure, we really want it to be a success for you. So as soon as your place is confirmed, we are here to get your fundraising off to a good start. And don’t worry – most people who decide to go on a trek of this kind are doing it for the first time. We’re here to help, so don’t feel you’re on your own.

Above all make it fun, and try to give your supporters something back. You will have an amazing experience thanks to them, and you will make a difference in people’s lives where previously little hope existed. If you can, send them an email with a picture of you on the trek, to show them you made it, and to say thank you on our behalf. We are grateful for both your, and their support.

• Quick Starts
• Set Goals
• Who Do You know
• Holding an Event
• Be Able To Talk About Cure Leukaemia
• What’s In The Seasonal Aisle?
• A Few Legalities

Quick Starts [back to top]
However you choose to raise money, the first thing to do is set up a page on www.justgiving.com/cureleukaemia/raisemoney. Its so easy, and will allow your nearest and dearest to donate easily and quickly. If you want us to help you set it up, please do ask.

It gives you the chance to say what you’re doing for the charity and talk about any events you’re holding, plus you can send people to the site to have a look. You can link through to Redventure and Cure Leukaemia, and start to see the money coming in straight away.

Plus, don’t forget, when your friends donate through a site like Justgiving.com, the charity will receive Gift Aid on top of the donation, from any UK Taxpayers. (Please note, this doesn’t count towards your total)

Set Goals [back to top]
Set yourself realistic goals for both the amount you have to raise, and the time you have to do it in. Please don’t wait until the last month to start and try not to tackle the whole amount in one go. It will seem less daunting that way.

Break it into chunks, with separate targets, i.e.

Begging friends and family – £250
Pub Quiz – £500
Cake Day at work – £100
Your Boss and work contacts – £200
eBay unwanted items – £100

Who do you know [back to top]
Dig deep for this one.

Think of people you know, what skills they have, and how they could help. i.e. if they’re a good windsurfer, will they let you sell a lesson with them?

Who do your friends know? Where do they work? How many friends have you got on Facebook? Who do they know? Tell EVERYONE you can think of about what you’re trying to do, and ask for help. Send them a link to your JustGiving page, and tell them about the events, auctions, eBay items. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Holding an event [back to top]
Don’t be afraid to hold an event. Just make sure you publicise it well, and get some support from us and the venue. We can help you publicise it, and look into publicising it too. When people get something back for the money they donate, you will find it easier to persuade them to take part and support you.

More importantly, stick with what you know. Do something you love and know about, and you’ll be able to make it a great event for your guests, i.e. if you swim, do a swimathon, if you play in a band, organise a special gig. Don’t organise a golf day if you’ve never played and don’t enjoy it, just because someone said it would be a good fundraiser.

There are lots of different types of events. Hopefully the ideas below should inspire you and get you thinking about what you can do in your local area for your supporters.

EVENING & WEEKENDS
Pub Quiz
This will give you lots of support, as they will be able to publicise it for you as well. Maybe the pub could donate a sum per drink, or host the quiz for you. Make sure you put the effort into the quiz itself though, link it back to what you’re doing, it’ll be well worth it.

Car Washing
Do you live on an estate? Can you offer to wash cars for a day? Or weekend? Will the local supermarket let you wash cars in the car park? If you publicise what you’re doing it for, you can take additional donations over the cost if offered. We can give you all the official documentations, to give your customers the reassurance that you’re genuine. We might even come and help!

Ebay
Its like a car boot sale from home. Find those things you don’t use, or presents you don’t like, and sell them on ebay. Really, people will buy anything. And if you don’t try, you’ll never know. If you need help setting up your eBay account, let us know.

Sponsored chores
What will people sponsor you for? Leg waxing? Shaving your head? Just keeping quiet? Mowing their lawn? Doing their ironing? What about washing up at work for a week?

WORK
Free Lunch day
Ask the best cooks you know to prepare enough to feed people at your work place for lunch, (Fridays are probably best) and ask your colleagues to pay a sum for it. If you have just 25 people eating, at £5 per head, you’ve got £125. An admirable sum.

Dress Down Day
Easy one. Just talk to the boss. Let us know and we’ll send you banners and posters to publicise it.

Corporate Support
Ask if they’ll double what you raise. Or give you extra holiday for your trip, so you can donate the pay. Or let you publicise your trek internally. Ask for any support they can give. Will they let you charge for tea and coffee for a day? Or give a day or a week’s takings from the coffee machine to your cause?

What other companies do you work with? Will they donate? Offer to take some pictures for them on the trek for them to use in their own publicity. Will they ask all their staff and colleagues for support?

SCHOOL
Is there a school play on the horizon? Can you persuade them to donate a portion of ticket sales to your cause?

Has the school got a license to sell raffle tickets? Can you gather together enough decent prizes? Can you talk the local pub or curry house into giving away a free meal, and offer it up as the first prize?

Will the mums give you old clothes to sell at a car boot sale? Will they sponsor you to do the school run for them for a week?

Have a look in the loft – what don’t you need any more? Can you sell it and donate the proceeds?

Be able to talk about Cure Leulaemia [back to top]
We love having your support. And we could talk about it all day. As our research nurses do. So ask us whatever you want to know, so that you can tell people what their money is going towards. The more they know and understand, hopefully the more likely they are to support you.

If there are a lot of you doing it together, we may be able to come and talk to your company or school about Cure Leukaemia, the trek, and what we do to help our patients, in order to raise awareness and sponsorship for you.

What’s in the seasonal aisle[back to top]
Easter – set up an easter egg hunt and sell tickets.

Christmas – Have a mulled wine and mince pie day – either lunch at work, or at yours in the evening. Charge for the wine and mince pies and don’t give them change for their notes.

Halloween – get carving out those pumpkins and sell them. Get sponsored to dress as a witch or zombie at work.

Mothers Day – absolutely ripe for raising money. Offer to be a slave for someone else’s mum for a day, for a handsome fee. Or, if you have siblings, do it for your own mum and charge them for your dedication. (Always make sure your own mum isn’t neglected of course). Take in ironing from any Mum you know, to give her a week off, and charge the family. There are similar things you can do for father’s day of course, it works both ways!

Valentines – offer to be chef and butler for a couple, do the washing up and scarper. Well worth a few quid, and will save them the expense of going out. Or offer to babysit for your friends who do go out, and put the money into your kitty. (Again, please don’t neglect your own partner!)

Birthdays – you were having a party anyway, right? And people can’t say no to your birthday…. So have a few drinks at your place, ask them to bring the wine, and then charge them for the glass….

Ask them to bring a present and auction them back to the group. You may have to forfeit a few presents, but it’ll be worth it!

A few legalities [back to top]
These are mostly common sense, but if you’re in any doubt at all, please contact us.

Events that involve music and dancing:
If this event is deemed by the local authority to be for charity then they should provide the license required free of charge.

The sale of alcoholic beverages:
You will need permission for alcohol to be sold at any event under the Licensing (Occasional Provisions) Act. It is possible for a local Landlord to apply for the license for you and then run the bar at your event.

Flyers, posters, leaflets etc:
It is very important that the your charity’s Charity Registration Number appears on all printed documents and that you ask their permission before using their logo.

Rules for collecting money:
The legal minimum age for collecting money is 16, although in London it is 18 years of age.

In order to make a collection in a private area, for example, your local shopping centre or supermarket, then you will need the permission of the owner. In order to make a street collection you will need to contact your local authority for a license and be prepared to submit a final total.

And most importantly:
Your safety is paramount. We don’t recommend that you raise money for your event by collecting on the street.
Please do not do anything unsafe or illegal.

When holding events in public areas please make sure you are covered by the local authority public liability insurance and that you have the appropriate licences