Thank you for boosting the kitty!

Transcription

1 Thank you for boosting the kitty!

2 Our Vision To ensure that every cat is given the chance of a life where it will be treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs Dedicated to Britain s favourite pet At Cats Protection we believe that every cat deserves a life worth living. We never put a healthy cat to sleep. That means that every cat that comes into our care stays with us until we find them a loving new home regardless of how long that takes. We help more than 157,000 cats and kittens every year. Cats Protection has simple and clear objectives to help cats: Homing finding good homes for cats in need Neutering supporting and encouraging the neutering of cats Information improving people s understanding of cats and their care Dear fellow cat lover, Thank you so much for your interest in raising money for Cats Protection. Did you know that every nine minutes a cat is rehomed through Cats Protection, making it the UK s leading cat welfare charity? There are so many fun things you could do to support the charity. Please help Cats Protection to continue making a difference to thousands of cats lives. Good luck! Julie Peasgood

3 Fundraising hints & tips Start early It is simple the earlier you start, the more you will raise. Plan ahead Plan how you will raise your sponsorship money and who you will approach. Write a list of family, friends, work colleagues and associates you know through sporting or social activities. Don t forget to include contacts you may know in business or organisations. This will save you time later as well. Fix a target People might ask you how much you want to raise. An ambitious sum may encourage people to sponsor more as they will see you are dedicated. Put the big spenders first Most people look to see how much other people have pledged and go for a similar amount so make sure you approach people you know will be generous first. Be passionate If you talk with enthusiasm about what you are doing and why, people will feel more inclined to sponsor you. Face to face People will appreciate talking to you face to face so they can see you are genuine it also makes it more difficult for them to say no. Letter, and fax are all worth a try if you are unable to visit people. Go online Create a personalised online sponsorship page. It is fast and free and means that people can sponsor you wherever they are! Go to: for more information. Ask about matched giving schemes Some employers match their employees charitable contributions. You may be required to notify them in advance of your intention to raise money in order to qualify. Different companies run different schemes so ask about what they can do. If they do not have a scheme, ask them to consider one. The benefits for them include: Improved staff morale Positive PR opportunities Enhanced corporate image and reputation Encouragement of a growing sense of social responsibility Gift Aid it! Ask people to tick the Gift Aid box on the sponsorship form this will increase your total. When you send in your sponsorship funds, do not forget to send the sponsorship forms in too as we will need them to claim the Gift Aid. Collect as you go This is particularly useful if you are collecting from people you rarely see and will save you time when chasing people later. Bank it If you plan a long-running sponsorship campaign, you can send funds you have collected to CP before the event. We can bank it and let you know your running total as you go along. Check the cheque It is easiest if people make cheques payable to Cats Protection rather than to you as they can be sent directly to us. Make sure all parts of the cheque are filled out. Do not send cash It is not a good idea to send cash in the post, instead bank any cash you raise and send a cheque to Cats Protection. Say thank you! People will really appreciate a short thank you note telling them that you completed the sponsored task and how much you raised. To save time you could keep a list of names and addresses and write out the envelopes as you go along so you do not have to do them all in one go! Alternatively, if you have a computer, you could keep a list of addresses. And finally Thank you very much for all your hard work! If you have any doubts regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact the Events Department to discuss them. You must ensure that all your fundraising follows the Charity Commission guidelines and we are able to advise you on the aspects of this.

4 Cat stories with perfect endings! Bumbles was just five weeks old when she was discovered in a plastic bag at Stansted Airport, thought to have been smuggled in from Spain. Our Colne Valley Branch promptly arranged for her to be examined by a vet before entering her obligatory six-month stay in quarantine, funded by Cats Protection. Six months later, Bumbles had grown from a fragile kitten to a playful young cat. It did not take our volunteers long to find a loving home and Bumbles was soon enjoying her new life with her new family.

5 Where your money goes can help to pay for vital supplies such as food and vaccinations 5... could contribute towards a kitten s initial health check with a vet can help pay for urgent veterinary care and life-saving medicines can feed one abandoned cat or kitten every month can pay for one cat to be neutered

6 Go online for greater results! Setting up an online sponsorship page is easy to do and simplifies your fundraising. Just visit and click on the link Raise money for this charity. Here you ll find all the information you need to set up a page for Cats Protection. Now press the Create your page button! Once your online sponsorship page is up and running, you are free to start using it to collect sponsorship immediately. Most people do this by sending round an to all their contacts containing a brief explanation about their motivations for taking part in the event, why they have chosen Cats Protection to benefit from it and a link to their sponsorship page. Here are a few ideas to maximise its potential as well, some of which will be more applicable than others: Think laterally when deciding who to contact: Sponsors come in many forms! Apart from contacting close friends, family and colleagues, why not contact overseas friends, former colleagues, college friends, fellow members of church and sports clubs as well? Add a link to your page to your signature at work and/or at home: Adding your link to your signature helps ensure that all your contacts are made aware of your efforts and you may even gain some unexpected sponsors! Don t forget to ask permission about your work signature. Send updates on your progress: It is very important to engage your supporters when you can make sure they know where you are up to on your training and sponsorship. People often intend to sponsor you but don t quite get round to it on the first request. It helps to keep reminding them. Ask to be on your company s website: Ask your webmaster/web editor at work whether they would be prepared to add your site to the company or organisation website or intranet. Workplaces enjoy promoting the public spirited efforts of their staff and you could gain a lot of extra sponsorship. Publicise your efforts on a notice in your gym, church, college, children s school, pub, etc: Request one of our blank posters to tell people about what you are doing and why, and ask any interested parties to sponsor you via your page. You would be surprised at the amount of people who receive sponsorship from complete strangers.

7 Fill in your details on one of our event posters and ask your local shops, libraries, schools, sport centres, community hall etc to display it. Take this opportunity to ask if they would like to get involved Ask your employer if they would like to support the event by advertising it on the company intranet or internal newsletter. You could also ask them if they would support your event financially by matched giving or donating a raffle prize Compose a personal to your friends, colleagues and family and ask them to forward it on to anyone that might be interested. Include why you have chosen to raise money for Cats Protection make your request real. Include a link to your Just Giving website if you have set one up to encourage donations. Do not forget other contacts including former colleagues, old school friends, club members, family friends etc updates on your progress let people know how much you have raised and what that buys for Cats Protection. Update people on how the event is going for example, if you are training for a marathon, tell them how your mileage is increasing Research local event websites you may be able to post information about your event for free. Look at your local council and tourist attraction sites N.B. Please be aware that for any events held at private addresses you must get permission to publicise. Publicise your event

8 Organising an event Events can be highly effective at raising money and awareness. This guide is a starting point of things you need to consider, but it s not a definitive list so please get in touch if you have any questions Let s start at the beginning What kind of event do you want to organise? Ensure that your aims and objectives for the event are clear. Write down all the reasons you are organising this event and everything you hope it will achieve. Audience Who are you going to target the event at? How will you make the event attractive to them so they are motivated to pay more money to attend? Plan out the work and delegate! The more people who can help you, the better, but make sure that you stay in control. Where are you going to hold the event? Points to consider when looking at venues: Location, parking, disabled access Stage, sound, public address system, projection, lighting, other equipment Dressing, changing rooms, toilets, cloakrooms Fire regulations, insurances Catering facilities, access for deliveries, helpful staff Cost of hire Capacity minimum/maximum restrictions? Keep it safe, keep it legal For more information, please see our Keep it legal and Raffle Guidelines sheets. How much are you spending? Some items to include: Venue hire Publicity/printing costs/advertising Hire of equipment Decorations Entertainers Prizes, refreshments Transport Phone bills, postage and other admin Insurance First aid provision St John Ambulance or Red Cross volunteers can provide this at low cost Volunteer expenses It is a good idea to add on 10 per cent as a contingency money in case something occurs that you had not anticipated. How are you going to make money? Entrance fees? Sponsorship? Raffles? Sale of refreshments and/or goods? Money-making sideshows and stalls? Charging stallholders or catering suppliers? Programme/brochure? Car parking? Then do your sums are you raising enough to cover the costs of the event and more? Tell everyone about it! For more information, please see our Publicise your event sheet. Use volunteers you have recruited for the event to put up posters, send s etc D-Day! Factor in extra time to get everything ready Meet with all your volunteers to ensure they are comfortable and confident Have a list of phone numbers of all your contacts Make sure all rooms/activities are adequately signposted Have a volunteer greeting people as they arrive How does your venue look? Finishing touches are important Try to record the event in photos and get some quotes from people that attend Relax and enjoy it! You have done it! Congratulations on holding a successful event! Collect the income, count it and bank it as soon as possible if it s a large amount, ask someone to escort you. Thank all the volunteers and everyone who helped you carry out the event, including any companies that may have contributed. Send your money back to Cats Protection and give yourself a pat on the back!

9 Cat stories with perfect endings! Four tiny kittens who had been locked in the boot of a stolen car were only discovered when a young man heard their cries. The car was due to be crushed but the young man found them just in time. He immediately rushed off to buy some kitten milk and bottles to feed the kittens; then he took them home and phoned his local Cats Protection branch. When the branch went to pick them up, the kittens were very thin and dehydrated and in need of intensive feeding. Thanks to the young man s quick thinking and the branch s around-the-clock care, all four kittens began to thrive after a slow start. They were all rehomed with loving families.

10 Keep it legal When it comes to fundraising events and activities that involve the public, there are a great many rules and regulations. You are responsible for ensuring that any event you organise in aid of Cats Protection complies with the law. Cats Protection cannot and does not accept liability for events run in its name. Always seek advice from your local council to check for any necessary permissions, licensing, trading standards and health and safety issues. Contact your local police if you are planning an event in a public place. Food and drink If food is to be sold at a fundraising event, food safety laws must be complied with. You can obtain guidelines on these from your local Environmental Health Department, and further advice from: A licence is needed to sell alcohol at an event unless the venue already has one. To obtain a temporary licence, contact the Licensing Justice at your local Magistrates Court at least one month before the event.

11 Raffle guidelines A raffle taking place at an exempt entertainment event (eg A fete, dinner dance or sporting event i.e. not an event in which the raffle is the main attraction) does not have to be registered with a local authority or gaming board. However, some conditions must be met: The raffle should not include any cash prizes The sale of tickets and the announcement of the winners must take place on the same day as the event The total sum of bought prizes on offer should not exceed 250. Donated prizes in excess of 250 are acceptable You can offer alcohol as a prize without the need to obtain a liquor licence but you must not sell tickets to under 18s. We recommend that you buy a book of cloakroom tickets which can either be sold individually or as a strip. However, you must not offer an incentive of five for the price of four, for example. If you wish to run a raffle which is not considered part of an exempt entertainment event, there are very strict and complex laws relating to raffles and lotteries, and individuals MUST consult Cats Protection or the Institute of Fundraising before organising a raffle or lottery.

12 How can Cats Protection support you? Who? If you have any questions regarding your fundraising, then please do not hesitate to contact our Events Department: T E fundraising@cats.org.uk What? We can send out promotional material to support your event or fundraising. Please get in touch using the contact details above to request any of the items: Official CP branded running vests Balloons Badges Stickers Pens Collecting boxes Bookmarks Car stickers Posters A variety of leaflets

13 What to do with the money afterwards Congratulations and thank you for raising money in aid of Cats Protection. We hope you had a great time. Now that your event is over, please complete and return this form with your cheque and sponsor forms to: Cats Protection, Fundraising Department, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath RH17 7TT. Cheques should be made payable to Cats Protection. (PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH.) My event on raised For branch or adoption centre (if applicable) OR Sorry, I was unable to hold an event, but please accept my donation of Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss First Name Surname Address Postcode Supporter reference (if applicable) Daytime telephone number Mobile telephone number We would love to know more about your event the idea behind it, the fun you had and the people involved. You can attach a further sheet of paper if you want to and please feel free to include photographs or anything else that tells us more about your event and your support of Cats Protection. We would love to be able to use the photographs you send either on our website or other press material. If you would rather we did not, please tick the box. Data Protection Yes, I would like Cats Protection to contact me via . No, I do not wish to receive further communications from my local branch. No, I do not wish to receive further communications from Cats Protection. No, I do not wish to receive further offers from other carefully selected companies. Source code: FUNP

14 Help cats to land on their feet! Tel: (Helpline) Other ways to help Want to learn more about Cats Protection? Tick your areas of interest and return to Cats Protection at the Freepost address below. We will be back in touch with you soon! PLEASE WRITE IN BLOCK CAPITALS Name: Address: I would like more information on: Adopting a cat Helping out at my local branch or adoption centre Making a donation Becoming a member Becoming a regular supporter Cat Sponsorship Applying for a Cats Protection credit card Receiving the charity s gift catalogue Remembering Cats Protection in my will A general overview of Cats Protection s work The Cats Protection Lottery Source code: FUNP Daytime phone number: address: Data Protection clauses Yes, I would like Cats Protection to contact me via . No, I do not wish to receive further communications from my local branch. No, I do not wish to receive further communications from Cats Protection. No, I do not wish to receive further offers from other carefully selected companies. Send completed forms to: Freepost RTJK-TJKK-GREZ (Supporter Services) Cats Protection National Cat Centre Chelwood Gare RH17 7TT

15 Fundraising ideas Bad hair day Class collection (cat food) Craft stall Donations instead of christmas/ birthday presents Easter egg hunt Egg and spoon race Juggling marathon Keepie-uppies Kite flying Knitting Magic show Marathon dance/ football/ table tennis session Odd jobs Outgrown clothes sale Pancake race Pyjama party Quizzes Read-a-thon Sales books, cakes, bring & buy Scaletrix grand prix Sponsored silence/spell Teddy bears picnic Three legged race Tournament conkers/marbles Face painting Wheelbarrow races Fancy dress party Garage/jumble sale Wii/Playstation/ Xbox competitions Give up your favourite food/ TV/chocolate Guess the weight/ number/name Joke telling marathon

16 Fundraising ideas for your school Sales can include cakes, book, plants, comics, swap shops, bring and buy, Christmas fairs, sale of promises/favours, car boot Dress down day or blue & yellow day Collection for local branch cat food, toys, bedding Tournaments Wii, football, rounders, netball, conkers, marbles Involve the teachers challenge them to a football/rugby/netball match or put them in stocks at your local fair Pet photo competition Guess the name of the soft toy Performances fashion show, concerts, variety show, play, talent show, carolling Draw a large version of the Cats Protection logo and fill in the lines with five pence pieces Sponsored events silence, spell-a-thon, walks, swims

17 Kids Fundraising Here s how to raise money for Cats Protection: 1. choose your activity see kids fundraising for ideas 2. request a fundraising pack by phoning or ing events@cats.org.uk 3. please read the points below about keeping safe before starting your event Keep it fun, keep it safe We want you to have fun and to be safe while fundraising for Cats Protection. Always ask a parent or guardian for advice about what you plan to do If you plan an event outside of your own home, make sure your parent or guardian goes with you Do not plan events that may involve you being outside talking to strangers without a parent or guardian with you Never give your address or contact details to strangers Street collections Collecting money on the street, or by knocking on neighbour s doors is against the law Safety first Always think about the event you are planning to do are there any ways in which someone could hurt themselves? Ask your parent or guardian for advice Keep It Fun... Keep It Safe!

18 Gift Aid Gift Aid makes an enormous difference to Cats Protection because it can increase your donation What is Gift Aid? Gift Aid is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity. As long as you are a UK tax payer you can make your gift go further and make every 1 you give worth at least 1.25 For higher rate tax payers there is an added advantage in that you can reclaim the marginal rate of tax for yourself by entering details of your Gift Aid donations on your Self Assessment form. How can I give through Gift Aid? To start making the most of Gift Aid, simply give Cats Protection a Gift Aid declaration. This may be given in writing, electronically by or orally. For your convenience and for quicker administration we recommend giving us your Gift Aid declaration in writing, as the oral declaration is a longer process. Please remember that you must pay income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount that we will reclaim on your donations. Gift Aid and the Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue provides answers to frequently asked questions on its own website