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Extra fundraising ideasEach month we provide you with some extra fundraising ideas to help you reach your target. AugustTips from the current leadersBT Business Ireland, Team 46, are steaming ahead with their fundraising efforts and have raised over €2,000 in just 3 days – that's enough money to provide over 100 people with a lasting supply of safe water, sanitation and hygiene education! They have also already broken the target to obtain one bonus minute for their team and are set to add another over the coming weeks.
"We approached partners and customers and found the response to be overwhelmingly generous. This year BT once again have two teams from Ireland, so a little bit of internal friendly rivalry has also helped us to generate interest and support for the event within the company. It's great to see the BT Business Ireland Team steal a march on our more experienced colleagues and we hope to carry this form into the event in September!" To see how your team compares against the current champions visit the League Table Match givingAn easy way to double your pledges is to check your company policy for fundraising. There are many companies who reward their employees efforts by matching the amount raised or through making a contribution. Your company could help you to beat your target and gain you those extra bonus minutes and clues – all you need to do is ask what their policy is and with the Charity Cup up for grabs they could help you walk away as true winners. Dress down dayHave a casual clothes day in the office where you charge your colleagues for the privilege of being able to swap the suits for a bit of comfort. Charge an appropriate amount and charge double to those who don't ditch the suit! To add a twist to the day then why not theme it with a colour, movies or even superheros? Don't forget to send some fun photos to us to use on our webpages! Boss in a boxWho in your organisation has all the right contacts and, most importantly, the right negotiation skills to pull in those last minute donations? Identify who would be the best person to take on the challenge, give them a target and lock them in a room with a telephone and a sufficient supply of water - don't let them out until the target has been reached! You'll be surprised how quickly your target is met. July 2008Set your targetThe fist step to reaching your target is setting it. How much can you raise as a team? If you haven't decided on a figure yet sit down together and consider the following:
Let people knowThe more people who know about your challenge the more people you'll have supporting your team, so set up your online sponsorship page and email all your contacts. Don't miss anyone out! Contact your friends, family, old school friends, clubs and groups, colleagues, corporate contacts and suppliers plus anyone else you can think of. You'll be surprised at who will support you. You may wish to contact some people/organisations personally if you're asking for sponsorship or high value donations so consider your audience and tailor your messages to keep them engaged. Your supporters will want to know how your team is getting on so send them regular updates on your training and progress with reaching your target and, most importantly, thank them for their generosity. Summer sizzleThe summer is on its way, so they say! Here in the UK we're suffering heavy rain but there's bound to be some glorious sunshine on the horizon and no summer is complete without a barbeque with friends, family or colleagues so get everyone together and treat them to some great food whilst raising money for your challenge. How to organise your summer sizzle
Raising money at the event You can choose how you would like to raise money through the Summer Sizzle, you could charge people per item of food they order or you could charge an entry fee. Why not make the event more exciting by adding some entertainment for your guests or run other fundraising activities such as sports day races (with a fee for entry) or running a raffle? For more ideas please download the Fundraising toolkit ( Auction of promisesAn Auction of Promises is a great way to raise money with very little resources and time required. It's a fun and simple way to get all your colleagues involved and also find out their hidden talents and interests. Get your colleagues to come forward and make a 'promise' that you can put under the hammer at an auction. The WaterAid staff held an Auction of Promises recently and raised over £3,000 in a one hour lunch break with promises such as:
June 2008Suit sponsorshipChallenger World provides every team with their own personalised running suit for the challenge; why not sell logo space on your suit trousers to your corporate partners and suppliers? It's a fantastic way for your sponsors to get involved and also provides them with great benefits too:
Your team can sell up to 10 logos to appear on each suit, there is space for five logos on the front right leg and five logos on the back left leg at a size of 100 x 70 each. The cost of printing the logos will be invoiced to you at a cost of £1.50 per suit, per logo, so with such a minimal cost there's scope to raise lots of cash! How to get started
How much do we charge? Essentially this is up to the discretion of your team, but considering the potential exposure they may get you could charge a significant amount. Some suggested amounts could be:
These amounts are to be used as a guide, so of course you can charge less or more depending on your sponsors! May 2008Sharpen your business skills through fundraisingYou can use the fundraising element of the Cisco Euro Challenge to develop some key business skills for your graduates or colleagues. Challenging them to manage the project of reaching your fundraising target will not only encourage the involvement of your whole organisation, but it can also form a part of their learning and development programme, as listed below. Skill set development
Personal aptitude development
How does it work?
Case study - Severn Trent
The results "This was a fantastic opportunity to follow a project through from idea concept to completion. The range of skills required to achieve this project were wide and varied, often putting the team outside of their comfort zone to experience new activities and styles of working." "It's been hard work, but really rewarding to see it all come off and have everyone in the office talking about it the following Monday morning. It's definitely built my confidence; I've had the opportunity to understand the business, get to know my peers and also develop my financial skills."
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We asked the team captain Paul Convery how they did it.
PDF 261Kb)to see what's on offer.
Word 284Kb) and return to Challenger World along with the logos by 14 August 2008
A project team of nine graduates organised a raft race as part of their learning and development programme. They invited employees and suppliers, making up 30 teams, 150 participants and 100 spectators. This raised £20,000, double their project target!