A go-to guide for fundraising success

This article was created with our friends at Just4Children, who provide fundraising support to families raising children with disabilities and sickness across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Through Just4Children we've helped hundreds of families raise the funds they need. Here's how to set your campaign up for success.

Where to start?

You might want to begin by setting up a Facebook Community Page, remembering to add a “Donate” button with a link to your Campaign URL alongside a JustGiving campaign.

Now, get your family, friends and friends of friends involved in a challenge. Our most successful campaigns haven't come from people getting lots of sponsors for a single event, but when they persuade people they know to do something adventurous. Bonus points if you can get your granny to skydive!

Advise your challengers to set up their own JustGiving Fundraising Pages direct from your Campaign page – and remember to encourage your donors to set up monthly donations.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a government scheme that allows us, as a registered charity, to reclaim 25 percent basic rate tax on any gifts you make. To make a Gift Aid declaration, you must be a UK taxpayer. This includes people who are retired and still pay tax on savings and pensions. So, for every £1 you donate, we receive an extra 25p from HM Revenue and Customs.

Download your Gift Aid Form from HMRC

Feel free to print copies of the Sponsor Form and Gift Aid Declaration Form and photocopy as you wish. You may add your campaign name to the forms but any other changes could result in HMRC not accepting them.

If you plan to claim Gift Aid on donations, please remember the following:

• You will not be permitted to collect Gift Aid from donations made by family members

• You can not claim Gift Aid on funds donated by companies – it only applies to individuals

• You will not be able to claim Gift Aid unless the donor has/will pay the requisite amount of income/capital gains tax – please see the form for further details
  

Read more in this guide to Gift Aid.

Match funding

Some organisations provide funding for charities such as Just4Children through their employees. This is a very simple, yet immensely useful tool from which extra funding can be raised for your appeal.

The list of match-funding companies in the UK is long and includes many banks and well-known names, such as Boots, WHSmith and Norwich Union. Ask your friends to speak to their employers to find out whether they offer match funding.

Here are some other ideas around fundraising

• Just4Children provides support for a Skydive costing a fundraiser only £50

• Just4Children provides support and subsidised places for the Ultra Challenge Series

• Take a look at the challenges on offer from Elite Adventures

• Get familiar with Payroll Giving, a scheme for UK taxpayers to donate money to UK Registered Charities

• Check out Easyfundraising, where you can raise donations when donors shop online

• See a supporter’s guide to selling for charity on eBay

• Persimmion run a community champions scheme

• Look through this Grants Search database to see if you're eligible for funds

• For events involving the general public at a private venue, like a shopping centre, you may be asked for Public liability Insurance. Just4Children can provide this on request.

Learn more about Just4Children by visiting their website, contacting them via email (office@just4children.org), or following them on Facebook.