Raising money for Teach First

YOUR FUNDRAISING

GUIDE

How your fundraising helps

“I was 12 when I first arrived in the UK. My English wasn’t good and school was quite a difficult environment. Three teachers – all from Teach First – were really inspirational and changed my life. They helped me to become more confident and able to express myself.”Haengeun, pupil from Hammersmith

“I used to hate English. I had little confidence and seriously doubted my ability to succeed. I was always getting into trouble and being sent out of lessons. Mr Nott started teaching me in Year Ten. He was exciting, full of enthusiasm and he never looked down on anyone. Mr Nott made me realise everything that English had to offer and I started to enjoy it a lot more. It was the comfort, the warmth the classroom started to offer – the weird and funny thing was, it started to feel like home.”Shazaib, pupil from Birmingham

How your fundraising helpsHow well you do in school should not depend on how much your parents earn. But in the UK, it does.

There are 3.7 million children living in poverty in the UK. They are far less likely than those from wealthier backgrounds to do well at school and go on to live happy, healthy lives.

It all starts in the classroom.

The classroom is one of the most influential environments in a child’s life. It should also be one of the most dynamic and inspiring. But for children from low-income homes, the classroom can become the starting point for a cycle of underachievement and frustration, simply because of their background.

We believe this can change.

Your support will help us to recruit and train inspirational classroom teachers in schools in low-income communities across England and Wales and run programmes which build children’s skills and confidence and broaden their horizons.

Together, we can help every child realise the future they choose for themselves, not the one they inherit.

£20 £300

£75 £500

£175 £2k

Could match a talented young person from a low-income background with a mentor, helping them get into university or choose the right career path

Could provide specialist training to our teachers, to help them support pupils with special education needs and behavioural problems

Could provide a specialist training session to an Early Years teacher, helping them to support children who enter school unable to speak English

Could support one pupil on our Higher Education access programme, Futures, with a year’s support and mentoring

Could provide a taster lecture at Cambridge University for 25 gifted and talented young people from low-income backgrounds

Could provide a full year’s training and support for one teacher on our Leadership Development Programme, working to support up to 150 pupils from low-income backgrounds

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1. Enrico from Citi raised £1,595 running

the London Marathon and Run the River

2. Rachel ran an art show, raising £1,520

from entries and sales

3. Harry and David from Bank of America

Merrill Lynch raised £1,012 in the Royal

Parks Half Marathon

4. Farzana and SOAS Teach First Society

raised £429 with a bake sale

5. Jen, Davida and Kate swam in the Great

North Swim, raising £1,178

6. Ed ran a poker night for his colleagues,

raising £160

7. Caroline ran the Brighton Half Marathon,

raising £721

8. Mauro from Citi raised £742 in the Royal

Parks Half Marathon

Join our community of fundraisersHere are just a handful of our fantastic fundraisers! Whether you’re into running, baking, swimming or mud – there are plenty of ways to raise money and have fun in the process.

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9. A team from Owl Tutors raised a

whopping £8,380 cycling from London

to Paris

10. Rafe from Egon Zehnder raised £1,300

after speeding through the Wolf Run

11. Caroline’s pancake party on Pancake

Day raised £105

12. The Oxbridge Varsity Ski Trip raised

£1,000

13. Sophie from St Marylebone CE School

raised £413 running the Royal Parks

Half Marathon

14. Jamie and colleagues from PA

Consulting raised £908 for the Wolf Run

Join our community of fundraisers

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One of the simplest and most effective ways to raise money is to ask people to sponsor you. You just have to make it really easy for people to do so and show them how much their support matters to you.

Here are our top tips for maximising your sponsorship.

Your first step is to set up your fundraising page online. Virgin Money Giving is an easy-to-use platform which allows you to collect sponsorship from your friends and family online.

Just go to virginmoneygiving.com/charities/teachfirst to link your own fundraising page to Teach First, so everyone can see what you’re raising money for. Our page has photos and messages about our work which you can use to build your own page.

Your commitment and connection to ending educational inequality will be what inspires people to donate, so show them what the charity means to you and how hard you’re working to fundraise or train for a challenge.

Add some photos of your efforts to your Virgin Money Giving page and share some of the facts about the cause to remind people why you’re fundraising. Feel free to use pictures and words from our website to provide a bit of context.

When your page is ready, email your friends and family to ask them to support your efforts. Tell them why you’re fundraising for Teach First and be sure to include a link to your page.

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Set up a fundraising page online

Make it personal

Reach out to your nearest and dearest

Want to raise sponsorship offline?

You’ll find a paper sponsorship form at the back of this pack or there are copies available on our website.

Tell a story! Was there a teacher in your life who really made a difference to you?

Send your page to close friends and family membersfirst – they’ll sponsor you the most and set the going rate!

TOP TIPS

Maximise your sponsorship

Why not write a training blog, tweet about your training or fundraise on Facebook? This will give people plenty of opportunities to be impressed by your commitment and remember to sponsor you.

And keep everyone up-to-date with how you’re getting on. Don’t be afraid to keep asking, especially as your fundraising event draws closer.

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Keep shouting about itWhenever somebody sponsors you, thank them publicly onFacebook and include a link to your page. This gives you lots of chances to nudge all your mutual friends about your fundraising indirectly,without repeating the same ask.

TOP TIPS

Two ways to boost donations:

Make sure your sponsors remember to Gift Aid

Ask your employer to support you

If your sponsors are UK tax-payers and tick the box agreeing to Gift Aid when they sponsor you, we will be able to claim extra money in tax relief on your hard-earned funds – another 25p on every £1 at no cost to them.

If you work for a for-profit business, ask your employer if they have matched giving. Lots of companies double the money employees raise for good causes – just ask, or check out the matched giving policy on your intranet.

Maximise your sponsorship

Planning a

V.I.Ps

The most important people at your event are those who will donate, as well as any friends or family members who might help out on the day. Make a list of who to invite and remember to get the date in their diaries early. Consider sending invitations and promoting your event widely with posters or through social media.Download our events poster from teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

Ready, steady…

The first thing you should look into securing ahead of your event is a venue if you need one. You should also consider what equipment you might need to make it a success. Finally, have a think about what activities or refreshments you will offer and whether you plan to decorate the space.Download our events checklist from teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

If you have an ambitious target or just feel like having a bit of extra fun with your fundraising, holding an event can be a great way to get your friends, colleagues or relatives together to donate towards your target!

And it’s not as difficult to organise as you may think…

Go!

On the day of your event, be sure to tell everyone why you’re raising money for us. Share your connection to the cause with people and tell them how their money will make a difference.Download our flyer from teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

Show me the money

Don’t forget to ask people for their donations – it’s easy to forget when you’re having fun! Why not take a sponsorship form, leave some buckets or collection tins around the venue and remind people to Gift Aid if they can. Don’t be shy!Find your sponsorship form at the back of this pack and download payment resources from teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

Thank you

Your fundraising will make a huge difference to the lives of the young people we work with. We’re incredibly grateful for your support, and we’ll let you know the impact it has. Don’t forget to thank everyone who sponsors and supports you too – it will help us spread the word further about the work we do.Download our thank you templates from teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

One idea

You just need one simple idea for an event: it could be a bake sale, a pub quiz, a dinner party, a fancy dress day… Just think of what will be fun for you to organise and for others to take part in, and then decide where and when it will take place.Download our A-Z of fundraising ideas at teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise

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fundraising eventPlanning a

Event inspiration

Dinner partyEveryone loves going out for dinner. Why not invite over your nearest and dearest, and on top of the usual ‘bring a bottle’, ask for a donation towards your fundraising? You could raise extra money on the night by selling drinks, or even running a mini raffle or quiz.

Give it upWhat’s your vice, or the one item you couldn’t do without? Whether it’s swearing or soap operas, tea or texting – try going without for a week or even a month. Ask people to sponsor you or put some of the money you save towards your total.

Bake saleBake sales are a great way to raise money at work, appealing to mid-afternoon munchies. Ask colleagues to bring their speciality cakes and treats, or challenge them to a bake-off, charging non-bakers to ‘judge’ your efforts and pick a star baker.

Dress up / down dayAsk your employer if you can arrange a dress-down Friday or even something more adventurous or topical (Hawaiian shirt day or Christmas jumper day). These days can be great fun, and are a good opportunity to run other things like sweepstakes, bake sales or raffles.

There are plenty of small activities and events that you could run to help you reach your fundraising target. Be creative and topical – here are a few ideas to inspire you.

Cyber-jumble saleWe all have a few gadgets or items of clothing we don’t use any more, or perhaps some unwanted gifts. Set up a stall at a car boot sale, or sell your unwanted items on eBay.com and donate your profits to Teach First with eBay for Charity.

Pamper nightHair masques, massages and manicures – there are lots of ways to pamper your mates for a couple of hours. Get some luxury products together, along with some chocolates, candles and a relaxing playlist – an indulgent treat worth splashing some cash on for your guests!

Pub quizA perennial favourite! Invite your mates and neighbours to your local pub and try your hand as Quiz Master. You just need to compile some questions and perhaps ask local businesses to provide some prizes.

Crafternoon teaDo you have a craft or skill that you could teach others? Knitting, crochet, or even DIY or coding? Invite over some friends and get creative, asking for a donation towards the new expertise they’re learning. Throw in some tea and cake and have a crafternoon tea!

With friends

In the office

Out there

Just you

Online

Set up an online fundraising page at virginmoneygiving.com/charities/teachfirst. The donations you receive will automatically come into our bank account so there is no need to chase the money.

By post

Send your cheques, made payable to: ‘Teach First’ to Teach First Fundraising Events Team, The Mitre Building, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0ER.

Email

If you have collected cash, email: events@teachfirst.org.uk and we’ll send you information on transferring funds straight into our account.

Keep it legal

Fundraising is all about having fun and supporting a good cause, but it is also important that you remain safe and don’t break any laws. Please go to: teachfirst.org.uk/fundraise to find some basic guidelines that you need to bear in mind.

If you have any questions about sending us your fundraising, please get in touch.

There are a number of ways to make sure your hard-earned money reaches us and helps tackle educational inequality.

Getting down to business

Your support will help us ensure that every child has access to a brilliant education, regardless of their background.

And if you’re a UK taxpayer, you can help us make an extra 25% on your donation just by ticking the Gift Aid box below and providing your full name and postal address, including the postcode. Every penny helps!

SPONSORSHIP FORM

Full name Address including postcode Amount pledged

Date paid Gift Aid* Tick for more info about us**

e.g.

* Gift Aid allows Teach First to claim tax back from HMRC on all your donations (that means an extra 25p for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you). To qualify for Gift Aid you must pay enough income tax and/or capital gains tax in the tax year to cover the amount that Teach First and all charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that you donate to will reclaim on gifts for that tax year. By ticking this box I confirm that I am a UK taxpayer and I want Teach First to treat all the donations I have made, and will make in the future, as Gift Aid donations, until I tell Teach First otherwise.

Fundraiser/team name:

Address including full name & postcode:

Event name/date:

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** The details you provide will be kept on our database and we will use them to tell you more about our work, activities and the impact of your donation.

Sponsorship form continued...

Remember to tick the Gift Aid column to increase the value of your donation at no cost to you.

Please return this form along with your donations to: Fundraising Events Team, Teach First,

The Mitre Building, London SE10 0ER Or email: events@teachfirst.org.uk

Full name Address including postcode Amount pledged

Amount paid

Gift Aid* Tick for more info about us**

Total donations: Total:

teachfirst.org.ukRegistered charity no. 1098294

Every pound you donate can help young people from low-income communities to work towards the life they choose for themselves.

£5 £75

£20 £175

Could pay for a pupil to attend a taster lecture at Cambridge University, giving them a taste of life in Higher Education

Could provide a specialist training session to an Early Years teacher, to help them to support children who enter school aged four unable to speak English

Could match a talented young person from a low-income background with a mentor, helping them get into university or choose the right career path

Could provide a taster lecture at Cambridge University for 25 gifted and talented young people from low-income backgrounds

THANK YOU!

“I’ve got ten siblings and I’m the only one who went to university. My mother and father weren’t particularly great – when it came to nurture, they weren’t there. My mum was an alcoholic. I was 13 when she left. My father got a new girlfriend and moved her in about five days after.

“That’s where my teachers came in. Where I didn’t have that nurturing at home, I had it at school. My geography teacher was

probably the first Teach First teacher I had. Everyone looked forward to her lessons, and that was when it all started to change.

“I know people go on about success stories, like Richard Branson, and how he didn’t have GCSEs. And if you’re really lucky, you might end up like him, but you probably have more chance of winning the lottery.

“For the majority of people, education is the most crucial thing for success. I was fortunate because I had many teachers who were an inspiration to me.”

By fundraising for Teach First you could be helping young people like James. That’s why our dedicated Fundraising Events Team is here to support you every step of the way.

If you have questions or need advice, contact us on: Email: events@teachfirst.org.uk Tel: 020 3117 2350

Registered charity no. 1098294

teachfirst.org.uk

Meet James