Fundraise & Community.

Fundraise for us.

Taking part in, or setting up an event, is a great way to fundraise.
Organising an event? Click here to download our event form

Fundraise for us

Once you have decided what you want to do to raise funds, make a list of your contacts and then invite them to support you, either by donating online or through sponsorship. The more personalised the approach, the more likely you are to get a response. Send out emails, add some images to show what you are doing.

Tell your friends and supporters, letting them know how much you are doing to ensure your event is a success, how many hours you are training and the sacrifices you will make in order to achieve your goal. If you are using sponsorship forms don’t forget to ask your supporters to complete the Gift Aid column as this will increase their donation by 25%.

Top tips
  • Set up your own online sponsorship page on Just Giving or one of the other giving websites. Email the link to potential supporters. Donations will be sent directly to the Royal Berks Charity and credited to your nominated fund.
  • Leave copies of your sponsorship forms at your company reception desk or staff restaurant.
  • Try to collect the money as people add their names to your sponsor form. If not, collect it as soon as the event is over. The longer you leave it, the tougher it gets

Keeping it safe and legal

Provided your activities are safe and within the law, there are many ways to raise funds. This could be your own personal activity, or one that involves other people. You might be challenging yourself to do something that you have never done before, like a Tandem Skydive, or abseiling down the side of a tall building. Make sure that any organised event you take part in has been approved by the local authority, has been awarded the necessary certificates of authorisation and has the relevant health and safety documents. We hope this advice will help you to identify and plan the activities that will achieve the best results for you.

Top tips
  • Plan your fundraising. You will be planning your training and it will pay dividends if you plan your fundraising too
  • List every one you know—think about where they work, who they know, their skills and interests. How can they help you? Personal sponsorship, raffle prize, venue or entertainment for an event?
  • Keep your supporters informed of your progress – let them share your success!

Rounding up the workplace

If you work, you will no doubt be urging your colleagues, bosses and business associates to add their names to your sponsor form, but don’t let that stop you dreaming up other ways of persuading them to give you their support and donations!

You probably spend as much time with them as their own families and this puts you in a good position to know what kind of event they are most likely to support, e.g. a race night, quiz in the local pub, or a cake sale at work. Think about the activities they have supported enthusiastically in the past, before making your plans.

When are they most likely to support it – lunch time, after work or at the weekend?
How should you advertise your fundraising activities – email, intranet, poster, or a newsletter?

Some of the best ideas actually take the least time to organise, for example a dress down day or sweepstake guessing how long you will take to run the half marathon.

Top tips
  • Ask the boss! Many employers are keen to support the fundraising activities of their staff. Support may be on an ad hoc basis, or there may be an official company policy; it is well worth checking this out
  • If your colleagues are keen to support you but it is difficult to fundraise at work, ask the landlord of your regular ‘Friday night’ pub if you can organise something there – a theme night, quiz, pub games tournament or karaoke…

Gathering support from people or organisations

When you have exhausted your contacts for personal sponsorship you may want to consider approaching local businesses. Try and find out who the manager is, or establish the name of the key decision maker in the organisation. Speak to the individuals face to face if you can, or by phone, emailing should be the last resort as there is no guarantee it will be read.

Do not be tempted to plan an event before thinking about those who might support it. It is much easier to work the other way round and identify the people who might like to support you, than choose something to suit them.

Plan well ahead and check that the date does not clash with a local or national event or a crucial time in your training schedule! Recruit volunteers to help so that you are free to oversee the smooth running of the event.

Top tips
  • Piggy Back! Before organising an event from scratch, check if there is an existing event coming up (perhaps at work or your sports club) to which you could add a fundraising element. For example you could add a raffle or auction to a quiz or karaoke night
  • Wherever possible, sell tables (dinners) or team entries (quizzes) rather than individual tickets – it’s easier to get your friends to pull together knowing that they are in for a fun night out supporting you

Please add at the bottom of the text:  If you would like more information on fundraising and how we can help you, please drop us a line at [email protected] or give us a call on 0118 322 8860.

You are our community.

Gathering support from people or organisations

Every year, many individuals and community groups support us through organising and taking part in fundraising activities and events.

A community approach to fundraising involves building a relationship between us, and the people who support us – you! Are you part of a group such as a WI, Running Club, School or University? We would love to work with you to help raise the vital funds needed to help us continue providing the support our hospitals and services need to provide enhanced care and experiences for our patients, staff and their families.

Remember – we are here to support you in any way we can. Please get in touch for our “proudly supporting” logo to help advertise your event.

If you would like to support us but aren’t sure where to start, below is a list of the most popular community events that have been held on our behalf.

  • Ball
  • Auction
  • Car boot sale
  • School Fair
  • Party
  • Festival
  • Concert
  • Coffee mornings Sports events
  • Marathon
  • Golf tournament
  • 5k runs

Whatever your idea, we would love to work with you.

To have a chat with our friendly team about your fundraising idea, please contact our Community Fundraising Manager, Martin Butler on 0118 322 6969 or drop an email to [email protected]