YOUR FUNDRAISING GUIDE 2019/20

At Sparks we’re dedicated to helping children with rare and complex conditions. Research is the only hope for these children and their families. With your support, we can fund life-saving child health research across the UK. Your support can make a real difference.

For critically ill children, there’s no time to lose. Thank you for supporting Sparks.

OUR MISSION

Sadie’s collection of conditions is so rare that her family don’t have a diagnosis. Only research will help them get the answers.

Between 2015 and 2018, we funded research into

conditions that affect

children in the UK each year.

20,000

£10 MILLION

could fund over 70 new research projects.

OUR RESEARCH CAN SAVE

LIVES

Thanks to Sparks Charity funding, Dr Sara

Benedetti is leading a new research study to help

children with Krabbe disease, a rare and life-threatening

condition that causes progressive brain damage.

KICKSTART YOUR FUNDRAISING!

There are lots of ways you can fundraise for Sparks. As well as asking friends and family for donations, you can hold fundraising activities and events.

Remember to break up your fundraising into achievable goals. Assign yourself smaller targets which will then help you achieve your overall target. Starting early is key too – supporters who start early always find it easier to reach their target.

The easiest way to fundraise is online. We recommend using justgiving.com

Make your webpage personal. Include information about Sparks and the event you are participating in.

Share your story Tell people why you’re going to all that effort. The more that people understand your motivation, the more they’re likely to sponsor you.

Put a photo or two on your page and you could raise an additional 14%. (source: help.justgiving.com).

Set yourself a target. People with a target on their page raise on average 46% more than those who don’t.

Be your own first sponsor. People are more likely to give to a page that already has a first donation on it.

Set up a JustTextGiving code and make it even easier for people to support you. This is easy to do when you set up your JustGiving page.

Spread the word about your fundraising to your friends and family.

Whether it’s sharing a Youtube clip of your running training, posting photos of your headshave or thanking everyone on social media – make sure everyone’s in the loop!

Use your company’s communication channels (corporate newsletters, Intranet sites, message boards, etc) to publicise your fundraising event and online fundraising page.

Change your email signature to include a link to your fundraising page. This means that every email you send promotes your web-page and catches people’s attention.

Whatever you do, make sure you set yourself a target!

FUNDRAISE YOUR WAYFootball or sports tournaments You could get all your friends together and arrange 5-a-side tournaments for £5 per person. You could also do this as a FIFA tournament on the X-box or PlayStation.

Raffle Source prizes from local businesses, or family and friends, and sell raffle tickets. You might even have some unwanted gifts around the house. You could even do a raffle as part of another fundraising event such as a quiz or bingo night.

We can send you an authorisation letter to say that we’re aware of your event and grateful to anyone who supports you with raffle or auction prizes. If you would like a letter to support your event, please email us: info@sparks.org.uk.

Quiz nights Quiz nights are fun and can be easy to run – you may find a local pub or village hall will allow you to hold one. Remember to mention that you are raising funds for Sparks and they may not charge anything.

Curry nights and bingo nights Get together with friends and family at your local Indian restaurant or bingo hall. Charge a little extra for the price of an average meal or game and put it towards your fundraising. This is also an opportunity to do other fundraising activities like raffles.

Cake sale Bake some cakes and sell them at work or as part of another fundraising event, to help raise a few extra pennies.

Trevor’s little girls, Elsie and Rosabelle, passed away from a rare disease. He fundraises for Sparks in their memory.

FUNDRAISE AT WORK

QUICK WINS

Dress down Swap your corporate attire and dress down for the day.

Sponsored challenge Take on a sponsored stair climb or a step challenge!

Tuck shop Have your colleagues got a sweet tooth? Create an office-style tuck shop!

Establish a network of charity champions who will help to drive fundraising in the office and motivate colleagues to get involved!

Get your colleagues working together to raise money for Sparks and help us to fund vital children’s medical research.

Other ways to support Sparks

Golf day Organise your own company golf day or attend one of our Sparks golf days: www.sparks.org.uk/event-type/golf-events.

Charity of the year Partnering with Sparks as your chosen charity is a fantastic way to unite your company and increase employee engagement. Our friendly team are experts in delivering mutually beneficial partnerships and will help you with fundraising advice and materials along the way.

Matched giving Don’t forget to check whether your company runs a matched giving scheme – it could be a chance for you to double your money! Please make sure you let us know if your employers are planning on matching your sponsorship.

Whatever you’re interested in, there will be the perfect idea for you in this guide!

FUNDRAISINGGUIDELINESPlease follow these fundraising guidelines and ensure you adhere to all laws and health and safety regulations when organising and holding your event. Please do not conduct any door to door requests for donations or sponsorship in aid of the charity. These require a license from local authorities and we do not support this activity, other than using trained third-party organisations.

Liability Please make it clear that you are fundraising in aid of Sparks and that your activities are not representing or organised by the charity. The charity cannot accept any responsibility for your event or anyone who participates in it. We advise that all fundraisers seek advice regarding public liability insurance if your event involves the public. There are a range of companies available to provide this.

Collection tins and buckets All street collections or collections on public property will need to be registered with the local authority, who will issue a collection licence. Those on private property will require the permission of the property owner or manager. We will need to see a copy of this license or permission before issuing you with charity collection boxes or buckets. Under 16s are not permitted to collect money through public collections.

If you would like collection tins or buckets at your event, please

feel free to give us a call and we will be happy to help.

Raffles and lotteries Holding a raffle at your event is a great way of generating big funds with minimal costs. However, as raffles fall under strict laws relating to all lotteries, there are some cases where you may need a licence from your local council.

To make sure your raffle is legal and successful, please look at the Gambling Commission’s Guidelines: gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ PDF/quick-guides/Running-a-lottery-quick-guide.pdf

Your event Ensure your event is organised efficiently and safely by completing a risk assessment and considering what insurance cover or any special licences you may need from your local council. All promotions of your event/activity should clearly state whether all funds raised at the event will go to the charity or whether any money will be used to pay for any costs.

The Health and Safety Executive has further information on event safety at hse.gov.uk.

If selling food, contact the Environmental Health department at your local council for advice.

Child safety Ensure that your event is properly and adequately supervised. Where children are involved, this should include providing proper adult supervision and carrying out appropriate background checks if adults are to have unsupervised access to children.

Using the charity logo If you would like to use the charity logo to advertise your event or fundraising, please request approval from the Fundraising team by emailing info@sparks.org.uk. The charity’s ‘in aid of’ logo may be provided with guidance on its use and all materials need to be approved before printing or publishing.

Tell us about your event The charity has a Moral and Ethical Fundraising Policy, to ensure fundraising activities do not damage the reputation or standing of the charity. To this end the charity will not accept donations that are derived from tobacco manufacture or the manufacture of weapons. Additionally, the charity will not be associated with or accept donations from supporters participating in boxing related events or activities that may be considered to be detrimental to children’s health and wellbeing, or may be likely to damage the reputation of the charity in some way.

Please do give the Fundraising team at the charity full details about your activity and they will be on hand to support you and offer advice.

Between 2015 and 2018,we funded

research into

children in the UK each year.

20,000

FAQS

Where does my money go? Sparks raises money to fund pioneering child health research across the UK, helping to find new treatments and cures for children and families who desperately need them. Find out more about us and the groundbreaking children’s medical research that Sparks fund at sparks.org.uk/research-type/current-research

What kind of support will I get from you? We’ll be on hand to help you with your ideas, give you advice on event planning and send you promotional materials to help make sure your fundraising is a success and you hit your target!

I would like to share my story. We’re always looking for personal stories to encourage other supporters to fundraise, and to raise the profile of Sparks.

Please feel free to post on our Facebook page and tag @SparksCharity on Twitter.

Please do contact us if you have a story you would like to share.

The fundraising team will support you right from the start.

At Sparks we strive to treat families, supporters, volunteers and anybody else involved in fundraising for the charity with fairness, respect, tact and dignity. We expect anyone involved with fundraising for Sparks, or anyone representing the Sparks charity brand, to uphold these values too.

Joseph will grow up to celebrate his fifth birthday thanks to Sparks research that saved his life.

Sparks. Registered charity no. 1003825 (England and Wales) and SCO39482 (Scotland).

Contact us Please give our friendly team a call or email if you need any more information. We’ll be happy to help in any way that we can.

Sparks, 40 Bernard Street, London WC1N 1LE E: info@sparks.org.uk T: 020 7091 7750 sparks.org.uk

Every moment counts. Your support could help change the lives of tens of thousands of children with rare and complex conditions in the UK.

For critically ill children, there’s no time to lose.