Start fundraising for Macmillan today

Laura and Susan, fundraisers

Macmillan Cancer Support89 Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7UQ

0300 1000 200fundraising@macmillan.org.ukwww.macmillan.org.uk

We’re thrilled to hear that you have chosen to support Macmillan Cancer Support. Life with cancer is still life – let’s help people live it.

By 2020 almost one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetimes. At Macmillan, we know cancer can affect everything. Your body, your relationships, your money, everything. But Macmillan is here to help people live life, no matter what. And now thanks to your incredible efforts, we’ll be able to reach even more people who need us.

Whatever the reason, you can rest assured that every single pound you raise for us will help us improve lives every single day.

In the meantime, good luck with Your Event. Thank you for choosing to support us and help give people with cancer the support they need to hold on to who they are and what’s important.

Best wishes,

Claire Singlehurst Director of Relationship Fundraising

Set a target

Fundraisers often tell us that they find it helpful if they set themselves a fundraising target. Not only does it help them to stay motivated right up until the big day, but it also helps boost the total that they raise, so it’s definitely worth considering. After all, the more money you raise, the more people affected by cancer you can help.

To discover how the vital funds you raise will be used to help people affected by cancer, take a look at the Where your donations go section.

be.macmillan.org.uk

Welcome to the wonderful world of be.Macmillan – our fabulous website designed to support you inyour fundraising efforts.

If you need an eye-catching poster to advertise Your Event, a flyer, invitation or tickets, you can

choose from hundreds of templates. All you need to do is add your event and contact details, download it to your computer and print. Simple.

You can also check out all the great merchandise we have to support you from t-shirts, balloons and collection tins through to our famous green wigs and more.

And, if you’d like to find out how other Macmillan supporters have promoted their events using be.Macmillan, just take a look at our videos at be.macmillan.org.uk/supporters

Publicity and PR

Promoting your fundraising activity through the media will help you shout about your efforts and ultimately raise more money for Macmillan. You could obtain excellent publicity in your local media, be it local newspapers, radio stations or even TV stations.

Social media

If you have a Facebook page, or if you’re on Twitter, make sure you tell your friends and followers all about your Macmillan fundraising efforts. Social media is a great way to keep everyone updated. We’d love you to share your amazing fundraising achievements with us too, so make sure you connect with us at:

/macmillancancer

@macmillancancer

This guide has been created to help make Your Event as successful as possible, so here’s everything you need to know about getting the most out of your efforts.

Tribute funds

You may have chosen to take on an activity for us because a loved one, friend or colleague has been affected by cancer. If you’re fundraising in memory of someone, you may wish to consider setting up a Macmillan tribute fund. This is an inspiring and positive way of remembering someone and supporting Macmillan at the same time – you can find out more at macmillan.tributefunds.com

justgiving.com

You can make it easier for people to support you and Your Event by setting up a JustGiving page where you can collect donations from friends and family online. That means no more paper sponsorship forms.

It’s super simple to create your own page. Just go to justgiving.com and share the link to let your supporters see how your fundraising is going.

Set up a unique text code

Why not make it even easier for people to support you with a unique text code? It will mean that anyone can send a donation by text and it will be added automatically to your JustGiving total. Genius.

Setting up a unique text code is a piece of cake. First of all you’ll need to make sure your JustGiving page is set up, then you just log into your account and follow the instructions.

Once you’ve got your code, make sure you let everyone know about it. Pop it on all of your fundraising materials and post it proudly on social media.

For more information, and to download a text giving support pack, head to justgiving.com/justtextgiving

Gift Aid

It’s no secret. At Macmillan we love the taxman as much as we love you and your supporters. That’s because for every £1 the people who are sponsoring you donate (provided they are paying tax at the time of the donation) HMRC will give us an extra 25p at absolutely no cost to them. So, in order for us to magically turn every pound you raise into £1.25, please make sure all of your supporters use Gift Aid on their donations. If every supporter who qualifies agrees to Gift Aid their donation, we will be able to raise even more money to support people living with cancer. In fact, Macmillan raises millions of pounds each year from Gift Aid alone.

A huge thank you

Finally we just want to let you know how grateful we are that you’ve chosen to fundraise for Macmillan. We hope that you will enjoy raising money for us. Life with cancer is still life – let’s help people live it.

You’ve planned your fabulous fundraising activity and you can’t wait to get stuck in. You’re keen to get Your Event raising bundles of dosh.

Here are just a few easy-peasy ideas that are guaranteed to get your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues digging deep.

They’re also excellent ways of getting out there and promoting your activity. Whether you choose to celebrate an occasion or do your own thing, you’ll know that you’re helping give people with cancer the support, energy and inspiration they need to feel like themselves again.

The early bird…

Sell tickets ahead of the event – that way you get the funds even if the person decides not to come on the day.

Get your business on board

Ask the business you work for to support you either by making a donation or holding an event for employees like a dress down day or cake sale. Some larger companies offer matched funding for fundraising activities their staff take part in; ask the HR department to see if they offer this.

Sponsorship

If your event will be open to the public, consider approaching local businesses to sponsor you. In return for a donation, you can offer them advertising opportunities on printed materials, within your event promotion and at the event itself. Some local estate agents may also be willing to sponsor advertising boards in your community – with the double benefit of a donation and extra advertising for your event.

Raffles and auctions

Raffles and auctions are a great way to raise some extra money at any type of event. Don’t bother with securing hundreds of raffle prizes – people will buy raffle tickets anyway. Raffles are strictly regulated, so to stay within the law please ensure that all tickets are sold at the event location during the event itself. If you are struggling for raffle prizes, why not hold a table game instead? Everyone puts in £20 and the winner from the draw keeps half (the rest to Macmillan). No prizes to source and often the winner of the cash donates it back. If you are doing an auction, make sure you remind people about the charity and the difference the donations will make just beforehand so people dig that little bit deeper.

Tell your story

If you are doing a personal challenge, consider doing a blog or documenting your experience via social media. You could build up a bigger following than you expect, and find that donations come in from friends of friends and even strangers.

Collections

Collections are a great way to raise money, especially in a busy area. However if you’re planning a collection that takes place in a publicly owned place then this is governed by strict legal requirements and must be licensed by your Local Authority (Northern Ireland has slightly different regulations).

Before you approach your Local Authority for a license, please advise us of your plans and await approval. Licenses are not required on privately owned land – just ensure you have the permission of the owner or business. Collecting house to house or business to business (including pub to pub) is subject to strict regulations. We therefore do not endorse house to house collections by our supporters.

Raffles and lotteries

Raffles, lotteries and prize draws are all governed by legislation – so before holding one and spending money on getting tickets printed, please contact our Fundraising Support Centre. Also, be aware that lottery laws cover any events which are purely down to luck or chance, such as duck or balloon races.

Data protection

Make sure any electronic or paper records you keep about people involved in a fundraising event comply with the Data Protection Act. As a rule of thumb, don’t keep information about people any longer than you need to, and don’t share information or data

about someone without their permission. For further details of our Data Protection policy please refer to macmillan.org.uk/termsandconditions/privacypolicy.aspx

Insurance

When you organise a fundraising event, you’re responsible for making sure it poses no risk to others. That’s why we’d recommend you take out public liability cover for events such as a sponsored walk or sports event. Unfortunately, Macmillan’s own policy won’t cover you but we can advise you about the kind of cover you need. Just get in touch with our Fundraising Support Centre.

Food hygiene

Please take great care when handling food and work to basic rules for safe preparation, storage, display and cooking. No one likes a poorly tummy, especially as a reward for raising money for charity.

If you have any further questions, or if you have any specific fundraising ideas you want to discuss you can contact our friendly fundraising team on 0300 1000 200 or at fundraising@macmillan.org.uk

Fundraising is all about having fun and raising money but it’s also subject to laws and legislation. Don’t worry though: we’ve broken down this need‑to‑know info for you.

Sara was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2014.

‘I have always had long, thick, blonde hair and I found the idea of losing it really horrendous. Then I realised that this was going to happen anyway so I decided to do something positive about it.’

Sara set herself the challenge to wear a different hat every day for a year. The 365 day headgear challenge gained huge momentum, and Sara has raised many thousands of pounds for Macmillan. The 365 days have now passed, but Sara continues to wear different hats and share photos to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Top tip: Set a target

Sara set herself a stretching target when she first began her challenge. Each time she hit her target, she increased it again. She celebrated her fundraising milestones with her followers too, making everyone feel involved in her success.

Top tip: Spread the word

Sara used Twitter (@fizzysnood), Instagram and Facebook to get her daily headgear photos out to her quickly-growing audience, as well as regularly updating her JustGiving page. Her images were shared widely and a following of thousands has built up around her and her fundraising.

Thousands of people across the UK choose to organise their own fundraising events for us each year. Here are four of them, whose stories might give you some inspiration or ideas to support your own plans.

Sara, Macmillan supporter

Jo’s Dad, Mark, was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 41.

‘Nothing in life will ever prepare you for the way that diagnosis will change your lives and the way in which you operate. That’s when we met Macmillan. Macmillan help us as a family in various ways, whether it be support and information on the website or seeing and speaking to the nurses. The journey we face every single day is made that tiny bit easier by the support network we have around us and we are eternally grateful for that.’

Jo, together with her brother Tom, father Mark and a network of family and friends who they call ‘Team Lay’ decided to do something positive to support the organisations which had helped them and raise money to ensure that families who don’t have a support network like theirs don’t have to face cancer alone. They have organised a series of fundraising events, culminating in a comedy night for 200 guests, with local comedian Romesh Ranganathan headlining, and a raffle, auction and speeches.

Top tip: If you don’t ask …

Jo and the family knew that they would attract more guests and raise more money with a famous name supporting them. Mark approached a well-known comedian who he knew lived locally, explained what they were doing and why, and he agreed to perform at the event.

Top tip: Build up a support team

An event of this scale was only made possible by Jo roping in all the members of ‘Team Lay’ to lend a hand. Everyone played to their strengths, so those with the best contacts were tasked with securing auction prizes, and it was all hands on deck for big tasks like setting up the venue for the night.

Jo, Mark and Tom, Macmillan supporters

Top tip: Get the whole community involved

Joe worked with the local football club, his football team and the whole community to get his event going. He also managed to source auction and raffle prizes which he knew his friends would be keen to win.

Top tip: Do something you love

Joe and his brothers all play football, and so do all their friends. This event worked so brilliantly because they already had contacts and a ready-made audience who would come along to support them.

In July 2015, Joe’s brother Sam was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17.

‘I chose to support Macmillan after seeing the incredible work that helped my brother and the level of support that was available to him and my whole family. I wanted to do something to not only say thank you to the people that looked after my brother but also help the next wave of people and families who also have to go through this tough time.’

Joe decided to organise a football tournament at his local club, to raise money for Macmillan and bring the community together. They had a raffle and auction alongside the match, and had a hugely successful event.

The teams at Joe's football match

Joe (Centre) and his brothers Zacand Mikey, Macmillan supporters

Kate and Nick made their wedding in August 2015 a fundraiser for Macmillan.

When Kate and Nick were planning their wedding, they both agreed that they didn’t need any more towels or bits for the kitchen. Instead, they set up a Macmillan tribute fund, and asked their wedding guests to make donations. They were delighted when they received generous wedding gifts for Macmillan to help people living with cancer benefit from their special day.

Top tip: Use an occasion

The newly-weds used an occasion, when they knew people would want to give them presents, to do something wonderful for people affected by cancer instead.They made it easy for their wedding guests (and those who couldn’t make it) to give them a gift that really mattered.

Top tip: Online giving

The couple used a Macmillan tribute fund to enable their friends and family to donate online. The link to their page could be shared widely, and there was no need for the couple to sort out cash or cheque donations and pass them on to Macmillan after their big day.

Nick and Kate, Macmillan supporters

Text from Kate and Nick's tribute fund page

could pay for a Macmillan nurse for an hour, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

£28could pay for a Macmillan social worker or family support worker for a month. They work with community and social services agencies to help people manage the social and practical problems of living with cancer.

£2,329

could pay to run the welfare rights element of our phone service for a day. In this time, they could, on average, deal with 79 individual cases and help secure £191,834 in unclaimed benefits.

£4,917

could support a multi-disciplinary community of professionals, bringing them together to share expertise and work on joint projects for a year.

£10,000

could help run a small Macmillan information and support centre for a day. This would mean more people affected by cancer would have someone to answer their questions and talk to about their concerns.

£224

could pay for a Macmillan professional to attend an advanced course in pain and symptom control. This would help the professional provide better advice to people with cancer on how to control their symptoms and deal with the pain caused by treatment.

£450

Thanks to supporters like you, Macmillan can be there to help more and more people affected by cancer.

It’s thanks to your generosity that we’re able to offer the support, energy and inspiration that people affected by cancer need to take back control of their lives.

The figures below show what the money you raise could fund. If you wish to set a fundraising goal, why not use these examples to demonstrate the impact you are making in helping people affected by cancer?

Macmillan relies on donations from supporters like you for 99% of our funding

Where your donations go

Please follow these guidelines for the different methods you can use to pay in the money you have raised or donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Head to the bank

If you’d like to make a donation in person, you can pay in cash and cheques at the bank. For a paying in slip that you can use at any branch of NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank please contact our Fundraising Support Centre. Call us on 0300 1000 200 or email fundraising@macmillan.org.uk and make sure you leave your details with us so that we can send you an acknowledgement letter.

Pop to the post box

Cheques made payable to Macmillan Cancer Support can be sent by post to:

Freepost RTHE-KYHB-TRTJ, Supporter Donations, Macmillan Cancer Support, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ

Please make sure you include the donation form included in the pack and don’t forget to tell us about your amazing fundraising efforts.

Hop online

You can pay your money in to us directly at Donate online or you can make a bank transfer or BACS payment. Just contact the Fundraising Support Centre (you’ll find our details above) and we’ll provide you with a reference number and our account details. Or, why not set up a page on justgiving.com? It will collect money from your supporters automatically and take all the hassle out of collecting your sponsorship.

Please do not fill in the form on someone else’s behalf or as a couple.

We need your support

Please read the information below to help us benefit even more from Gift Aid. If you require more fields on your form you could photocopy it, or alternatively download a copy from be.macmillan.org.uk

Raise even more with Gift Aid

Using Gift Aid means that for every £1 you give, Macmillan Cancer Support can claim back 25p from HMRC, helping your donation go further.

This means that £100 can be turned into £125 just so long as donations are made through Gift Aid. Imagine what a difference that could make – and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

So if you want your donation to go further, Gift Aid it. The money raised from Gift Aid goes a long way tohelp to make sure that people get the support they need to face one of the toughest fights of their lives

could keep a Macmillan information and support centre stocked with free cancer information leaflets for an hour.

spent on running our benefits advice service could help someone with cancer claim £190 in entitled benefits.

could pay for a Macmillan nurse for an hour, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

Guide to Gift Aid

Write your full nameTo claim Gift Aid, the form must be clearly completed in the sponsor’s handwriting.

Fill in your home addressPlease do not include your work address as HMRC need to know where you live to claim Gift Aid.

Avoid ditto marksUnfortunately, we can’t claim Gift Aid on your donation if ditto marks (“) are used.

Write down your donationThe most important bit – how much would you like to sponsor someone for their event?

Tick the Gift Aid boxIf you’ve read the declaration and are happy to include Gift Aid, please tick the box.

Make every £1 worth 25p more at no extra cost to youIt’s just a little box to tick, but Gift Aid makes a huge difference when it comes to how much money we can raise to support people affected by cancer.

Title Initials Surname House name or number Postcode Date of

donationYour

donationGift Aid

(please tick)

Mrs J Smith 321 A CR1 3FG 26.04.13 £10.00

Mr P Johnson 65 GU3 2SQ 26.04.13 £15.00(Please fill in your name and home address in your own writing – otherwise we can’t claim Gift Aid.)

Total

Date paid to charity

By submitting this form you agree to us recording your details on our database, so we can provide you with the best possible support every time you contact us. We will also contact you from time to time by phone, email, text or post to tell you about how we can support you and how you can get involved with our team. Your details will be kept securely and only shared with our suppliers or partners who work on our behalf or with us to deliver and improve services for people affected by cancer. We never sell or swap your details with third parties. If you prefer us not to use your details in this way, you can email contact@macmillan.org.uk, telephone 0300 1000 200, or write to us at Macmillan Cancer Support, 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7UQ. MAC15207_2017

Your Gift Aid declaration: By ticking the Gift Aid box, I confirm that I am a UK taxpayer and I would like Macmillan Cancer Support to treat this donation as a Gift Aid donation. I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Tax for the current tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for the current tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given.

Please make sure you fill in all of these details.

Name

Address

Postcode

Email

Phone

Event name

Please return your completed sponsorship form to: Freepost RTHE-KYHB-TRTJ, Supporter Donations, Macmillan Cancer Support, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ

Need more copies? Simply download extras from be.macmillan.org.uk

Please use this form to donate money raised from Your Event.

I would like to give a gift of £

Name and address*

Postcode*Your details

Title (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other)*

Name*

Home address*

Postcode*

Telephone number

Email address

* Fields marked with an asterisk must becompleted. Please let us know if yourcircumstances or address details changeso that we can amend our records.

About your donation (what did you do to reach your target?)

17752

By clicking submit (or by submitting this form)* you consent to us further contacting you via email, text, phone and post with information about our services and other ways you can help, including ways to volunteer, take part in research, how you can donate to us and how you can get involved in our activities including fundraising, unless you tell us otherwise by ticking the boxes below.

We promise to always keep your details safe and we will never sell or swap your details. And if you change your mind about hearing from us, you can stop receiving our updates at any time by emailing contact@macmillan.org.uk or calling 0300 1000 200. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

Please do not contact me by (please tick): Email Phone Text Post

Please return this form with your gift to: Macmillan Cancer Support, Freepost RTHE-KYHB-TRTJ, Supporter Donations, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ.(If you want to use a stamp please omit the Freepost line in the address)

Thank you for helping people living with cancer by supporting our work.

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (2400969) and the Isle of Man (4694F). Registered office: 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ. MAC15207_2017

Please make your*

cheque postal order charity voucher payable to Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). MAC15207_2017

Thank you so much for raising money for Macmillan.

If you have any questions about your activity we’re here to help. Get in touch on 0300 1000 200 or at fundraising@macmillan.org.uk

At Macmillan, we know cancer can affect everything. Your body, your relationships, your money, everything.

But Macmillan is here to help people live life, no matter what. We give you the support you need to hold on to who you are and what’s important. But right now, we can’t reach everyone who needs us.

Almost half of us will get cancer, and we need your help to make sure that people get the support they need to face one of the toughest fights of their lives. Life with cancer is still life – let’s help people live it.

If you’d like support, information or just to chat, call us free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am–8pm) or visit macmillan.org.uk