Fundraising tips

Thank you for considering MY Hospitals Charity and how you can help

Each year we are astounded by the generosity of our patients, relatives, staff and members of the public who devote their time and effort to fundraising for our hospitals.

That generosity has helped us to purchase new equipment and improve facilities across our hospitals benefitting both our patients and staff.

If you would like to fundraise in aid of MY Hospitals Charity please contact 01924 546017 or email midyorks.myhospitalscharity@nhs.net so we can offer our support.

Getting Started

Keep it simple

Don’t over complicate your fundraiser. It’s better to keep your ideas simple than to take on more than you had bargained for. Sometimes less is more

Play to your strengths

Think about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing, this might help you to come up with a really good fundraising idea, without having to create lots of extra work for yourself!

Many of our fundraisers choose to take part in exercise-related fundraising. We know that for many people taking part in these events can be something of a challenge, and the sense on completion feels like a massive achievement and reward in itself. Exercise-related fundraising offers many major health related benefits including; It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30% (NHS Choices, 2018).

However, individuals' wellbeing is always our priority. If participating in fundraising activities involving exercise would be harmful to someone's health, we discourage them from taking part. There are lots of alternative ways to fundraise. See our A-Z of Fundraising Ideas for more information.

With this in mind:

• Please do put your health first and don’t take part in any fundraising activity or training that could put your health and wellbeing in jeopardy. If you have any current health issues, or concerns about the suitability of fundraising activities, please contact your GP.
• Our friendly fundraising team is here to help you find the right event for you. Get in touch on 01924 546017 or email myhospitalscharity@midyorks.nhs.uk.

Guidelines for Under 18s

• If you are under 18, please ensure that your parents or guardians are fully aware of any fundraising activities you have planned, whether they involve exercise or not.

  Please note, under 18s must not fundraise through street and house to house collections, raffles, or an event involving alcohol.

  Children under 16 must not be left with overall responsibility for handling money and/or counting collected money.

  * MYHC does not accept any responsibility or liability for your fundraising activity.

Ask your friends and family to help

Don’t be scared to ask your friends and family for help and advice. They may have contacts that can help you, or they may be able to help promote your fundraiser at their place of work.

Just Giving Page

There are many ways you can reach your sponsorship target. Start by setting up a personalised page. It is quick, easy and once set up you can share the link through social media, text and email. Sign up to Just Giving then simply search for ‘MY Hospitals Charity’ and hit the ‘Fundraise for us’ button.

Sponsorship forms

Just Giving takes out the run around of signing people up and collecting cash, but we’ve attached a sponsorship form because nothing beats describing your undertaking face to face.

Think outside the box

It isn’t always easy to ask for sponsorship so why not organise something other people can get involved in? You could host a cake sale, a dress down day at work or get your friends together for a fundraising sports match.

Gift Aid

Donations by a UK tax payer may be eligible for Gift Aid. This is a government scheme that enables us to reclaim 25p for every £1 donated. Donors will need to give their address on the sponsor form / on Just Giving.

Your image

Please remember that people will see you as an extension of the hospital so consider if your fundraising activity is appropriate for the promotion of healthcare.

Social Media

Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can keep up to date with our news and we can help promote your fundraising efforts this way. Love it or hate it, social media will help you reach more people and they’ll engage with your challenge if you bring them on the journey – don’t forget to include your Just Giving page link!

Important Information

Fundraising Authorisation Form

Found at the end of this pack, the Fundraising Authorisation Form is an official document which once completed can be used to prove that you are fundraising for MY Hospitals Charity. Just read it, sign it and send it to us. Then we’ll review your fundraising idea and if approved we return it to you. You may also use this form to order any fundraising materials.

Legalities of Fundraising

Please be aware that there are certain procedures that must be followed when fundraising. These are laid down by central and local government in order to protect you, the fundraiser, and your donors. If you are unsure about any aspect of fundraising legalities, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help. Further information can also be found on; www.charitycommission.gov.uk

Public collections

To conduct street collections you must have a permit from the local council. We kindly ask you not to run door-to-door collections.

Banking

To protect you, we strongly advise against the use of personal bank accounts for the collection of charitable donations. Online giving such as Just Giving are excellent as the donor pays online and the money is sent to the charity directly. Please do not send cash through the post. Our Office is open 10am-4pm weekdays so feel free to pop by. We accept cheques made payable to MY Hospitals Charity

Liability

MY Hospitals Charity cannot accept any responsibility for your fundraising efforts.

Raffles/ Lotteries

There are laws and regulations pertaining to raffles and lotteries. These must be fully complied with and you can find out more at www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

 Hints and Tips to make your fundraising go smoothly

Fundraising is all about having fun and raising money but it’s also subject to laws and legislation. Please read this information and get in touch if you have any questions.

Health and Safety

It is important to carry out a risk assessment before organising an event. This will help you foresee any potential problems and how they can be avoided.

You will also need to think about accessibility. Is the venue fully accessible to all? It is important to make sure that you address any concerns before opening the event to the public.

It is generally the responsibility of the venue to complete an access assessment and to take 'reasonable' steps to prevent discrimination but there is no fixed definition of 'reasonable'.

You may wish to have an assessment completed yourself or make sure you choose a venue which will enable access for all. Access auditors may be able to help you establish the venue's accessibility.

Food and Drink

If you wish to have food and drink at your event, there are additional requirements that you need to meet.

Any food that is being supplied must comply with the Food Safety Act 1990, the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and other regulations applying to specific types of food.

Insurance

Public Liability Insurance is not mandatory, but it may be prudent to get if your event is open to the public. If hiring equipment or a service, you will also need to check that the provider has full insurance before signing the contract.

Laws and fundraising regulation

No matter how you decide to fundraise, you should have effective systems in place so that your event complies with the law and fundraising legal duties. Further information can be found at; www.charitycommission.gov.uk .

Overseas challenges

When fundraising for an overseas challenge, you need to state orally and in writing that a proportion of the money you raise will be spent on the costs of the challenge. The exact amounts are on your sponsor form and the wording should be as follows

Venue

If you need to book a venue, check availability, capacity, sanitary facilities and things like parking and access. See if the owners will let you use it for free first.

Is it in a public place or private – do you need to apply for any licences?

Weather

If your activity or event is going to be outside, then cater for unpredictable weather.

Budget

Set a realistic income target. Will there be expenses? Have you included them in your proposal and made your donors aware? Make sure your costs are covered.

The Big Day:

1. Make sure you have enough helpers for the event to run smoothly and: check safety and security plans are working well
2. let people know who and what they are raising money for
3. watch all your hard work come together
4. enjoy yourself!

Sponsorship Form

Gift Aid Form

Please contact midyorks.myhospitalscharity@nhs.net to access the above documents.

Afterwards, don’t forget to thank everyone who helped with the event and/or donated prizes.

When In Doubt, Ask!

No question is a silly question. Don’t be afraid to contact us if you have any worries or need any support, we are happy to help!

Don’t forget…

As an NHS charity, we need to know who is fundraising in MY Hospitals Charity’s name. Please could we ask you to fill in a Fundraising Form. This will enable us to support you in the best way possible and keep you legal by providing a letter of authorisation to fundraise for the charity; this acts as permission to use the charity’s name and logo.

Occasionally our fundraisers have a personal connection with a particular area in the hospital and therefore request that their donation is spent on a specific ward/department. If this is the case with your fundraising, please indicate this on your Fundraising Form. If you are happy to fundraise for the charity as a whole this is fantastic as the money can then be used in high priority areas

For Fundraising Packs and Forms please contact midyorks.myhospitalscharity@nhs.net