Fundraising to support CARA's work

 

We welcome anyone who wants to fundraise or make a collection for CARA!  You can find a few ideas of ways to raise money and some tips and hints to get you started below.

 

Take part in a challenge event

Get your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours to sponsor you. Sponsored runs, swims, bike rides, fire walks and countless other challenge events take place all over the UK and across the world and participants are usually welcome to raise funds for any charity they choose. Why not choose CARA? 

 

You can a list of running events here.

You can find a list of charity bike rides here.

 

Tips and hints for getting sponsorship

• Set a target and tell people about it. Aim high! Be proud of what you are doing - you are not asking for money for yourself but to help victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse.
• Create a fundraising page through Just Giving and click on "Fundraise for us". Make sure your page is compelling and explains your motivation.
• Ask everyone you know to sponsor you - friends, work colleagues, family, school, neighbours - and ask them to ask their contacts too. Start early and time your donation requests - people are more likely to be generous after payday. Start high - ask close friends and family to donate first as other people may then match their generosity.
• Don’t forget to ask for Gift Aid. Gift Aid increases the value of the money you raise by allowing us to claim tax on donations.
• Spread the word through social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs. Use lots of pictures to attract attention. Some fundraisers even prepare a video diary for YouTube. 
• Let the CARA team know what you are doing so we can publicise it!  Contact sarah@caraessex.org.uk. and tell her about the challenge event you are doing.

Organise an event and raise money for CARA

Involve your friends, family, work colleagues, neighbours, school, place of worship or club in an event or activity to raise money for CARA.

You can do just about anything, but the list below gives a few ideas:

• Coffee mornings, barbeques, garden parties, any sort of party!
• Concerts, pub quizzes, sports matches, sponsored walks.
• Non-uniform and dress-down days at school or work.

Tips and hints for organising events

1. Check the date:  Make sure that nothing else is happening locally (or even nationally like a major sporting event) that day. Consider piggy-backing another local event if appropriate or organise it to tie in with national or international awareness events - such as  Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week in February, International Women's Day (8th March) or 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (end of November - early December).
2. Location:  Choose somewhere suitable and try to get it for free, or at a reduced price. Make sure your agreement is confirmed in writing and the venue is suitable for your event and easily accessible. Check whether you need any special equipment.
3. Get a good idea or theme, and think about who you are trying to attract: Consider minimum and maximum number of guests. 
4. Break down the event planning into manageable actions: Develop a timetable working back from the event date.
5. Get people involved in helping you and spreading the word: Make sure everybody knows what is expected of them.
6. Be realistic: It might be better to start with a few smaller events which work well, rather than one large event. Have a contingency plan - for example for bad weather.
7. Keep it safe and legal:  You are responsible for your event. You may need to check with your local council or the police, you may need to consider first aid cover, insurance or an entertainment licence. Check fire regulations, max numbers etc.
8. Tell CARA about what you are doing so we can publicise your event and support you!  You can contact sarah@caraessex.org.uk

Organise a collection for CARA

You can organise a collection or a fundraising day for CARA at work, school, your place of worship of any community group you belong to.  

 

If you would like to organise a collection for CARA, even if it is part of an event you have organised, you should consider whether you need to obtain a licence. Different collections have different rules associated with them. Some of the most common are:

• Street collections: If you are holding a collection in the street, you will need to obtain a licence from your local authority.
• Private collections: If your collection is open to the public, but being held on private property such as within a shopping centre, hired venue, rail station or private house, no licence is needed but you MUST obtain permission from the owner or manager.
• Static collection boxes: Boxes must be secure and tamper proof. You do not need a licence to place these in a shop or business, but you MUST get permission from the business owner.
• House-to-house collections: Licences must be obtained from the relevant local authority.

If you do need to obtain a charity collection licence, make sure you allow plenty of time. The time it takes to process applications varies greatly in different local authorities. In some areas licences can be obtained within a week, whilst in others it can take up to 12 weeks.  And let the CARA team know if you are planning a collection by contacting sarah@caraessex.org.uk.   We can provide CARA collection boxes and buckets.

 

The company you work for may also consider supporting CARA.  You could ask them to:

•  Make a donation: If you work for a company which makes donations to charities, you could suggest they consider giving to CARA. Many companies say that they prefer to support charities that have a personal connection with a member of their staff.
• Match funding: Some employers are willing to support any fundraising activities undertaken by their staff to support charities. Some will even match £1 for every £1 that you raise.
• Charity of the year:  Does your organisation operate a Charity of the year scheme? If they do, please tell us how CARA could be put forward for selection by emailing helen@caraessex.org.uk.

Thank you for supporting CARA!