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It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet and Spring can’t come quickly enough. For most of us there is shelter and respite waiting at the end of a day, but not everyone is so lucky. Thousands of people across the UK do not have secure housing, forcing people to sleep rough on the streets or in overcrowded bed and breakfasts or squats. It is hard to quantify the amount of people affected by homelessness - a term which does not just apply to those who sleep rough. Many people sleep on the sofas of friends or family. This means they are not counted in official numbers, making it harder to campaign for policy changes. Some people are more susceptible to homelessness. Those that struggle with mental health issues, drugs or alcohol abuse, bereavement or criminal offenders can find that, after a breakdown of a relationship or family ties, they are without solid accomodation. The knock-on effect is that other aspects of life can easily spiral out of control resulting in lost jobs and decreased health, making it harder and harder to support oneself. Whatever the situation, there are hundreds of local voluntary organisations that are there to offer support and help people get back on their feet - offering shelter or hot food, skill development to support employment and building confidence for those who have hit rock bottom. Here is a list of Localgiving members who are doing just that: St Petroc’s Society, Cornwall - Provides safe environments for 50 individuals to have a place they can call home, as well as offering individuals access to a variety of accommodation and specialist support services Sussex Night Stop, Sussex - Find a temporary safe place for young people to stay, usually host families from other members of the community, while working to find permanent housing Street Football Wales, Swansea - Aims to help end homelessness and poverty by facilitating the integration of socially excluded people back into their community Ipswich Housing Action Group, Suffolk - Relieves need, hardship and distress amongst the homeless by providing accommodation and associated amenities Calderdale Smartmove, West Yorkshire - Provides accommodation for local vulnerable people as well as many different courses such as healthy lifestyles, growing your own fruit & veg, IT skills, help with reading and writing, managing money and training to become a volunteer Launchpad Reading, Berkshire - Helps disadvantaged people in Reading turn things around by providing a home, education, training and employment skills to help them move on in life and provides substance misuse support Action Foundation, Newcastle - Provides support and opportunities to help overcome exclusion, especially working with asylum seekers and refugees The Choir with No Name, London - Helps marginalised people find their confidence and skills, make friends, and move forward in their lives through the joy of singing together in a choir YMCA Scotland, Edinburgh - Is committed to youth empowerment, supporting young people to achieve their full potential in life. One25, Bristol - 80% of the women selling sex on Bristol's streets are homeless. One25 reaches out to women trapped in/or vulnerable to street sex-work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction. Big Breakfast +, Swindon - Provides the homeless of Swindon with a hot breakfast and access to outreach workers. These are just a few examples of the wide range of services and support available. Have a look and see what's happening in your local areas here. Date for your diary: Bristol Homelessness Awareness Week, February 20th to 26th, has been set up to raise awareness of homelessness.https://www.bristol.gov.uk/homeless-awareness-week Found this blog post useful? You may also like: 5 free tools to share your organisation's story by Nisha Kotecha The Refugee Crisis: make a difference on your doorstep by Lewis GarlandThe Sky is the limit for daring Granny WendyDawn rises over Mount Kilimanjaro4846 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet and Spring can’t come quickly enough. For most of us there is shelter and respite waiting at the end of a day, but not everyone is so lucky. Thousands of people across the UK do not have secure housing, forcing people to sleep rough on the streets or in overcrowded bed and breakfasts or squats. It is hard to quantify the amount of people affected by homelessness - a term which does not just apply to those who sleep rough. Many people sleep on the sofas of friends or family. This means they are not counted in official numbers, making it harder to campaign for policy changes. Some people are more susceptible to homelessness. Those that struggle with mental health issues, drugs or alcohol abuse, bereavement or criminal offenders can find that, after a breakdown of a relationship or family ties, they are without solid accomodation. The knock-on effect is that other aspects of life can easily spiral out of control resulting in lost jobs and decreased health, making it harder and harder to support oneself. Whatever the situation, there are hundreds of local voluntary organisations that are there to offer support and help people get back on their feet - offering shelter or hot food, skill development to support employment and building confidence for those who have hit rock bottom. Here is a list of Localgiving members who are doing just that: St Petroc’s Society, Cornwall - Provides safe environments for 50 individuals to have a place they can call home, as well as offering individuals access to a variety of accommodation and specialist support services Sussex Night Stop, Sussex - Find a temporary safe place for young people to stay, usually host families from other members of the community, while working to find permanent housing Street Football Wales, Swansea - Aims to help end homelessness and poverty by facilitating the integration of socially excluded people back into their community Ipswich Housing Action Group, Suffolk - Relieves need, hardship and distress amongst the homeless by providing accommodation and associated amenities Calderdale Smartmove, West Yorkshire - Provides accommodation for local vulnerable people as well as many different courses such as healthy lifestyles, growing your own fruit & veg, IT skills, help with reading and writing, managing money and training to become a volunteer Launchpad Reading, Berkshire - Helps disadvantaged people in Reading turn things around by providing a home, education, training and employment skills to help them move on in life and provides substance misuse support Action Foundation, Newcastle - Provides support and opportunities to help overcome exclusion, especially working with asylum seekers and refugees The Choir with No Name, London - Helps marginalised people find their confidence and skills, make friends, and move forward in their lives through the joy of singing together in a choir YMCA Scotland, Edinburgh - Is committed to youth empowerment, supporting young people to achieve their full potential in life. One25, Bristol - 80% of the women selling sex on Bristol's streets are homeless. One25 reaches out to women trapped in/or vulnerable to street sex-work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction. Big Breakfast +, Swindon - Provides the homeless of Swindon with a hot breakfast and access to outreach workers. These are just a few examples of the wide range of services and support available. Have a look and see what's happening in your local areas here. Date for your diary: Bristol Homelessness Awareness Week, February 20th to 26th, has been set up to raise awareness of homelessness.https://www.bristol.gov.uk/homeless-awareness-week Found this blog post useful? You may also like: 5 free tools to share your organisation's story by Nisha Kotecha The Refugee Crisis: make a difference on your doorstep by Lewis GarlandThe Sky is the limit for daring Granny WendyDawn rises over Mount KilimanjaroFeb 03, 2016 4846 -
Heavy rain and gale-force winds are expected again today to hit parts of North and West Yorkshire, including the Calder Valley, which experienced severe flooding on Boxing Day. While the community gather to begin the clean up, others are bracing for more damage from Storm Frank. In West Yorkshire, thousands of homes were affected after the Calder river banks burst, with more than 550 homes still without power. Many bussinesses have also been affected having to throw away spoiled stock and expensive equipment. Residents, unable to return to their homes need emergency accommodation. To help fund the flood relief, Community Foundation for Calderdale have set up an appeal. Over £180,000 has already been generously donated to help with the costs of cleaning up after the flood water falls. The money raised will also be given out as small grants to help people in West Yorkshire rebuild their homes and businesses. Steve Duncan, Chief Executive of Community Foundation for Calderdale today said, “The Community response to the flooding has been phenomenal, we have had volunteers from across the UK helping us to clean up and prepare for Storm Frank. People have lost so much, at least 2000 homes have been flooded in Calderdale many of whom could not get flood insurance. We started our Localgiving appeal page on the afternoon of the flooding to enable us to help people with immediate effect. It is this flexibility that allows Community Foundation to respond so quickly and make a substantial impact when it is most needed. We have been overwhelmed by the response and have already raised £181,000, however we know we need a lot more to be able to help those who have been affected.” Please give generously to the Calderdale Flood Relief Appeal ---- More appeals: Tadcaster Albion Amateur Football Club are appealing for donations to help them repair damage made to the pitch and clubhouse. Click here to listen to the owner James Gore talk about the impact of the floods. Wales Community Foundation have also set up a Flood Recovery Fund for those affected to help local people with recovery, rebuilding, and community initiatives. A warehouse used by Bike Rescue Project in York was flooded, damaging many essential tools for recycling bikes. This has also affected their training and outreach programmes. If your charity has also been affected, please get in touch via our help desk.5786 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Heavy rain and gale-force winds are expected again today to hit parts of North and West Yorkshire, including the Calder Valley, which experienced severe flooding on Boxing Day. While the community gather to begin the clean up, others are bracing for more damage from Storm Frank. In West Yorkshire, thousands of homes were affected after the Calder river banks burst, with more than 550 homes still without power. Many bussinesses have also been affected having to throw away spoiled stock and expensive equipment. Residents, unable to return to their homes need emergency accommodation. To help fund the flood relief, Community Foundation for Calderdale have set up an appeal. Over £180,000 has already been generously donated to help with the costs of cleaning up after the flood water falls. The money raised will also be given out as small grants to help people in West Yorkshire rebuild their homes and businesses. Steve Duncan, Chief Executive of Community Foundation for Calderdale today said, “The Community response to the flooding has been phenomenal, we have had volunteers from across the UK helping us to clean up and prepare for Storm Frank. People have lost so much, at least 2000 homes have been flooded in Calderdale many of whom could not get flood insurance. We started our Localgiving appeal page on the afternoon of the flooding to enable us to help people with immediate effect. It is this flexibility that allows Community Foundation to respond so quickly and make a substantial impact when it is most needed. We have been overwhelmed by the response and have already raised £181,000, however we know we need a lot more to be able to help those who have been affected.” Please give generously to the Calderdale Flood Relief Appeal ---- More appeals: Tadcaster Albion Amateur Football Club are appealing for donations to help them repair damage made to the pitch and clubhouse. Click here to listen to the owner James Gore talk about the impact of the floods. Wales Community Foundation have also set up a Flood Recovery Fund for those affected to help local people with recovery, rebuilding, and community initiatives. A warehouse used by Bike Rescue Project in York was flooded, damaging many essential tools for recycling bikes. This has also affected their training and outreach programmes. If your charity has also been affected, please get in touch via our help desk.Dec 30, 2015 5786
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The winter may be coming, but there’s still something growing – your tenners! Grow Your Tenner, our annual match fund campaign, starts next week and we’re excited to help double donations to local charities and community groups across the UK. How does it work Single donations are matched pound-for-pound up to £10, and monthly donations up to £10 per month for 3 months. All charities with active Localgiving memberships are eligible to receive up to a maximum of £10,000 of match funding. The campaign will run across the whole of the UK. With Gift Aid, a one-time donation of £10 made through Localgiving.com during Grow Your Tenner will generate £21.67. This means that when someone sets up a monthly donation for your cause this would result in £65.31 (including Gift Aid) after the three months of matching, and will continue to bring in £11.77 a month until it is stopped. Just think about what 5 Direct Debits set up could bring in for your charity after 12 months! £856.20 to be exact. Read our FAQs and terms and conditions for more information. It starts with £10 Part of the mission of Grow Your Tenner is to help local voluntary organisations engage new supporters for their cause. £10 is a great starting point for many people who haven’t donated to a charity or community group before. During the campaign, a charity receives over double from a donation that is eligible for Gift Aid made by a new supporter. But that’s not all, for any supporter that opts-in to communications, a charity can collect their contact information and keep these new supporters engaged with their work. 81% of donors say it is important that they receive some form of communication from a charity after making a donation. While a personal thank you is great, donors also care about the impact their donations have made - why not update them about the difference their money has made after the campaign, too? Keeping supporters engaged with the projects your charity is working on increases the likelihood that they will donate to a cause again (and again, and again) and less likely that they will cancel a monthly donation they’ve set up. How we can help make it a success We’ve been busy at Localgiving HQ making resources to help give you the best chance of a successful campaign. Check out our resources for Grow Your Tenner. These includes tips for social media, story-telling and encouraging monthly donations, as well as templates to help you get started with emails and contacting the press. For some inspiration - see the award winners and runners up of last year’s campaign and see how they fundraised here. Still time to join in Not yet a member of Localgiving? Don't worry, there is no time limit for inclusion. If you're a local voluntary organisation then sign up and be included in the campaign straight away! Click here to join us. Happy fundraising!4572 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden The winter may be coming, but there’s still something growing – your tenners! Grow Your Tenner, our annual match fund campaign, starts next week and we’re excited to help double donations to local charities and community groups across the UK. How does it work Single donations are matched pound-for-pound up to £10, and monthly donations up to £10 per month for 3 months. All charities with active Localgiving memberships are eligible to receive up to a maximum of £10,000 of match funding. The campaign will run across the whole of the UK. With Gift Aid, a one-time donation of £10 made through Localgiving.com during Grow Your Tenner will generate £21.67. This means that when someone sets up a monthly donation for your cause this would result in £65.31 (including Gift Aid) after the three months of matching, and will continue to bring in £11.77 a month until it is stopped. Just think about what 5 Direct Debits set up could bring in for your charity after 12 months! £856.20 to be exact. Read our FAQs and terms and conditions for more information. It starts with £10 Part of the mission of Grow Your Tenner is to help local voluntary organisations engage new supporters for their cause. £10 is a great starting point for many people who haven’t donated to a charity or community group before. During the campaign, a charity receives over double from a donation that is eligible for Gift Aid made by a new supporter. But that’s not all, for any supporter that opts-in to communications, a charity can collect their contact information and keep these new supporters engaged with their work. 81% of donors say it is important that they receive some form of communication from a charity after making a donation. While a personal thank you is great, donors also care about the impact their donations have made - why not update them about the difference their money has made after the campaign, too? Keeping supporters engaged with the projects your charity is working on increases the likelihood that they will donate to a cause again (and again, and again) and less likely that they will cancel a monthly donation they’ve set up. How we can help make it a success We’ve been busy at Localgiving HQ making resources to help give you the best chance of a successful campaign. Check out our resources for Grow Your Tenner. These includes tips for social media, story-telling and encouraging monthly donations, as well as templates to help you get started with emails and contacting the press. For some inspiration - see the award winners and runners up of last year’s campaign and see how they fundraised here. Still time to join in Not yet a member of Localgiving? Don't worry, there is no time limit for inclusion. If you're a local voluntary organisation then sign up and be included in the campaign straight away! Click here to join us. Happy fundraising!Oct 07, 2015 4572
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Our members consistently tell us that lack of time and resource is a major barrier to fundraising, as the provision of core services and other aspects involved in running a charity take priority. This is a feeling that is also felt by other small charities in the sector, as reported in The FSI’s ‘UK Small Charity Sector Skills Survey’ last month. Our aim is to help members engage with fundraising in a way that doesn’t detract from the important services they deliver to their communities. In order to do this, we have developed a calendar of ready-made fundraising campaigns, designed to provide an easy way for even the smallest organisations to start building connections with supporters and raising money. We’re happy to say that many groups have reported success through engaging with our campaigns in this way. However, there are some groups that have taken things to the next level, building upon the concept of a campaign to make it their own – with inspiring results. To explain further what I mean, I’m going to use an example from our recent campaign, #LocalHero, and the activities of a community group in Wiltshire, HEALS of Malmesbury, with the help of Alison Cross-Jones, the group's volunteer general manager. The campaign - #LocalHero We wanted to run a new style of campaign which would benefit our members and incentivise giving in a new way. The concept of “fundraisers competing for prizes” was something we hadn’t tried before, but we felt it had the potential to appeal to all our users, as well as the wider public. For supporters who wanted to fundraise, it would be a compelling opportunity to provide extra support to a local cause. Charity and community group members would benefit from the money and awareness raised and the campaign would provide a platform for us to deliver advice about how to secure and support fundraisers – a vital income channel for many charities. The group - HEALS of Malmesbury HEALS of Malmesbury is a community group dedicated to helping local people. As a community organisation (not a registered charity), they have been unable to make use of other online fundraising tools – making engaging with fundraisers difficult. #LocalHero appealed to the group because they felt the ethos resonated with their own mission. “We saw the #LocalHero campaign as a great way of inspiring and enabling people in the community to do brave things, to help us help each other is the spirit of the #LocalHero campaign and our group.” The group organised a skydive and asked their supporters to sign up - committing to raising a minimum of £350 to ensure costs were covered and a 50% donation level achieved. 13 people signed up, including 3 volunteer firefighters from the local fire station (“Real life heroes” as Alison referred to them), a Town Councillor, plus more doing other fundraising events. The group heavily promoted each hero through their social media accounts and encouraged the "Heroes" to do the same. This created a buzz giving the local press something to write about, while also opening the campaign to a wider audience. “There is a real mix of people and it’s great that the communities of Malmesbury and the surrounding villages have come out to support us. Through this campaign we’ve already had more people wanting to fundraise for us. The ability to have a fundraising page through Localgiving and the additional materials offered, will go a long way in helping us in the future.” “We’re encouraging them to tell their stories and in doing so they are helping us to tell ours. We’ve designed posters and leaflets, we’ve used lots of the resources available from Localgiving. The local press have covered various aspects of the campaign, which has meant a number of press releases.” To support their fundraisers, the group set up a page on their website showcasing each #LocalHero and directing sponsors to their pages. Click below to see it. Although our #LocalHero campaign only included online donations, HEALS of Malmesbury didn’t have the same conditions. After publicity from the press, they contacted local businesses, too - 40 of which pledged to either make a donation or have a collection pot. The group ran a Quiz Night and the three firefighters taking part in the skydive also organised two charity car washes. These initiatives enabled everyone in the community to take part in the fundraising initiative – not just those interested in throwing themselves out of a plane! The group set themselves a target of £3,000 and have almost doubled that, raising over an incredible £5,000 in total! HEALS run a high street drop-in support, advice and information centre (run by volunteers) which costs £7,500 a year to run, plus a programme of events and support making their annual budget over £19,000. The success of this campaign will be able to fund the centre for the rest of 2015 and covered more than 25% of the total cost. It has also helped the group build a wider supporter base to ensure its future funding. “Sustaining our centre is key to our work because this is the main way we engage with people.” Use the fundraising calendar and do the same! What we love about the HEALS of Malmesbury is that it built a campaign on top of ours. They used our materials and platform as a stepping stone to reach their own fundraising objectives - and it’s definitely paid off! Firstly, they recognised an avenue they hadn’t yet explored with their supporters and wanted to give it a try. Secondly, they piggy-backed on a campaign we laid out for them, maximising the press opportunities and gaining support from their local community. And finally, they helped to promote the fundraisers taking part, ensuring the campaign was a success! We’ve just released a fundraising calendar which gives dates and details of the next three campaigns we’re running. If you’re inspired by HEALS of Malmesbury, why not check it out and see whether you can create a plan to build more connections with supporters and reach your targets too! Click here to see details of upcoming campaigns on our fundraising calendar!4811 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Our members consistently tell us that lack of time and resource is a major barrier to fundraising, as the provision of core services and other aspects involved in running a charity take priority. This is a feeling that is also felt by other small charities in the sector, as reported in The FSI’s ‘UK Small Charity Sector Skills Survey’ last month. Our aim is to help members engage with fundraising in a way that doesn’t detract from the important services they deliver to their communities. In order to do this, we have developed a calendar of ready-made fundraising campaigns, designed to provide an easy way for even the smallest organisations to start building connections with supporters and raising money. We’re happy to say that many groups have reported success through engaging with our campaigns in this way. However, there are some groups that have taken things to the next level, building upon the concept of a campaign to make it their own – with inspiring results. To explain further what I mean, I’m going to use an example from our recent campaign, #LocalHero, and the activities of a community group in Wiltshire, HEALS of Malmesbury, with the help of Alison Cross-Jones, the group's volunteer general manager. The campaign - #LocalHero We wanted to run a new style of campaign which would benefit our members and incentivise giving in a new way. The concept of “fundraisers competing for prizes” was something we hadn’t tried before, but we felt it had the potential to appeal to all our users, as well as the wider public. For supporters who wanted to fundraise, it would be a compelling opportunity to provide extra support to a local cause. Charity and community group members would benefit from the money and awareness raised and the campaign would provide a platform for us to deliver advice about how to secure and support fundraisers – a vital income channel for many charities. The group - HEALS of Malmesbury HEALS of Malmesbury is a community group dedicated to helping local people. As a community organisation (not a registered charity), they have been unable to make use of other online fundraising tools – making engaging with fundraisers difficult. #LocalHero appealed to the group because they felt the ethos resonated with their own mission. “We saw the #LocalHero campaign as a great way of inspiring and enabling people in the community to do brave things, to help us help each other is the spirit of the #LocalHero campaign and our group.” The group organised a skydive and asked their supporters to sign up - committing to raising a minimum of £350 to ensure costs were covered and a 50% donation level achieved. 13 people signed up, including 3 volunteer firefighters from the local fire station (“Real life heroes” as Alison referred to them), a Town Councillor, plus more doing other fundraising events. The group heavily promoted each hero through their social media accounts and encouraged the "Heroes" to do the same. This created a buzz giving the local press something to write about, while also opening the campaign to a wider audience. “There is a real mix of people and it’s great that the communities of Malmesbury and the surrounding villages have come out to support us. Through this campaign we’ve already had more people wanting to fundraise for us. The ability to have a fundraising page through Localgiving and the additional materials offered, will go a long way in helping us in the future.” “We’re encouraging them to tell their stories and in doing so they are helping us to tell ours. We’ve designed posters and leaflets, we’ve used lots of the resources available from Localgiving. The local press have covered various aspects of the campaign, which has meant a number of press releases.” To support their fundraisers, the group set up a page on their website showcasing each #LocalHero and directing sponsors to their pages. Click below to see it. Although our #LocalHero campaign only included online donations, HEALS of Malmesbury didn’t have the same conditions. After publicity from the press, they contacted local businesses, too - 40 of which pledged to either make a donation or have a collection pot. The group ran a Quiz Night and the three firefighters taking part in the skydive also organised two charity car washes. These initiatives enabled everyone in the community to take part in the fundraising initiative – not just those interested in throwing themselves out of a plane! The group set themselves a target of £3,000 and have almost doubled that, raising over an incredible £5,000 in total! HEALS run a high street drop-in support, advice and information centre (run by volunteers) which costs £7,500 a year to run, plus a programme of events and support making their annual budget over £19,000. The success of this campaign will be able to fund the centre for the rest of 2015 and covered more than 25% of the total cost. It has also helped the group build a wider supporter base to ensure its future funding. “Sustaining our centre is key to our work because this is the main way we engage with people.” Use the fundraising calendar and do the same! What we love about the HEALS of Malmesbury is that it built a campaign on top of ours. They used our materials and platform as a stepping stone to reach their own fundraising objectives - and it’s definitely paid off! Firstly, they recognised an avenue they hadn’t yet explored with their supporters and wanted to give it a try. Secondly, they piggy-backed on a campaign we laid out for them, maximising the press opportunities and gaining support from their local community. And finally, they helped to promote the fundraisers taking part, ensuring the campaign was a success! We’ve just released a fundraising calendar which gives dates and details of the next three campaigns we’re running. If you’re inspired by HEALS of Malmesbury, why not check it out and see whether you can create a plan to build more connections with supporters and reach your targets too! Click here to see details of upcoming campaigns on our fundraising calendar!Aug 03, 2015 4811
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Supporters of Bath Abbey have a huge task ahead. They are currently trying to raise £4.5 million for their Footprint project, a development programme to repair Bath Abbey's collapsing floor, install an Eco-friendly heating system using Bath's hot springs and create additional space and improved facilities for the half a million people who use the Abbey every year. One fundraising activity that took place was a 140 mile walk from Bath Abbey to Lambeth Palace, The Footprint Walk. The team set off on Sunday the 5th July and arrived in London 6 days later. Katie McGill, Development Officer from Bath Abbey explained that the #LocalHero campaign came at the right time to help promote their sponsored walk. "#LocalHero seemed like a great way to encourage people to support the walk. It was nice that it didn’t matter how much people gave, just that the more supporters, the better chance we had of winning one of the prizes on offer. It was also perfect timing as the walk was due to start five days after the end of the #Localhero campaign. We had a rush of donations in the last days of the #Localhero competition as people really wanted their donation to count towards our score. It was very exciting to keep checking where we were on the leaderboard, wondering if we would make it into the top 5! It was also inspiring to see all the other brilliant fundraisers raising money for charities all across the country too." Strolling into 2nd Place The team, including the Rector, Edward Mason, Footprint Project Director Charles Curnock, Footprint Appeal Director Laura Brown & Churchwarden Emeritus Jeremy Key-Pugh managed to receive 103 points in the #LocalHero campaign landing them in 2nd place and winning them a £500 prize. Currently, the team have raised over triple their original target and the total currently stands at £16,537.75, including offline donations, Gift Aid and their prize money. What's the secret to their success? Local support! "We’ve been spreading the word about the walk on our website, chatting to people about it on Twitter and Facebook using our hashtag #footprintwalk and via local media. The team of walkers were interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol, appeared in the local paper (twice!), in local magazines and blogs. We’ve also had lots of encouragement from local businesses, and the walkers friends, family and colleagues." See the team's fundraising page here or find out more about The Footprint Project.5155 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Supporters of Bath Abbey have a huge task ahead. They are currently trying to raise £4.5 million for their Footprint project, a development programme to repair Bath Abbey's collapsing floor, install an Eco-friendly heating system using Bath's hot springs and create additional space and improved facilities for the half a million people who use the Abbey every year. One fundraising activity that took place was a 140 mile walk from Bath Abbey to Lambeth Palace, The Footprint Walk. The team set off on Sunday the 5th July and arrived in London 6 days later. Katie McGill, Development Officer from Bath Abbey explained that the #LocalHero campaign came at the right time to help promote their sponsored walk. "#LocalHero seemed like a great way to encourage people to support the walk. It was nice that it didn’t matter how much people gave, just that the more supporters, the better chance we had of winning one of the prizes on offer. It was also perfect timing as the walk was due to start five days after the end of the #Localhero campaign. We had a rush of donations in the last days of the #Localhero competition as people really wanted their donation to count towards our score. It was very exciting to keep checking where we were on the leaderboard, wondering if we would make it into the top 5! It was also inspiring to see all the other brilliant fundraisers raising money for charities all across the country too." Strolling into 2nd Place The team, including the Rector, Edward Mason, Footprint Project Director Charles Curnock, Footprint Appeal Director Laura Brown & Churchwarden Emeritus Jeremy Key-Pugh managed to receive 103 points in the #LocalHero campaign landing them in 2nd place and winning them a £500 prize. Currently, the team have raised over triple their original target and the total currently stands at £16,537.75, including offline donations, Gift Aid and their prize money. What's the secret to their success? Local support! "We’ve been spreading the word about the walk on our website, chatting to people about it on Twitter and Facebook using our hashtag #footprintwalk and via local media. The team of walkers were interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol, appeared in the local paper (twice!), in local magazines and blogs. We’ve also had lots of encouragement from local businesses, and the walkers friends, family and colleagues." See the team's fundraising page here or find out more about The Footprint Project.Jul 29, 2015 5155
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Online charity fundraising platform Localgiving is about to embark on its first ever TV advertising campaign after partnering with Sky to trial new tailored advertising service Sky AdSmart. Sky AdSmart Sky AdSmart is a brand new service that improves TV ad breaks by tailoring the line-up of adverts according to a household’s profile. The technology works by sending a library of adverts via satellite to the Sky+HD set-top box and then selects the adverts which are inserted into the live ad break. The choice of adverts is based on information provided by Sky households, such as postcode, and the range of Sky products they take. This information is supplemented by additional insight from third-party providers including the data services company Experian. Localgiving is an online fundraising website which provides a platform to small local charities and community groups to raise money and awareness. Since Sky AdSmart can serve different adverts to different Sky households, Localgiving is able to use the service to run a campaign which focuses only on the areas in which their charity partners operate, enabling the not-for-profit website to advertise on TV for the first time. This effectively eliminates the waste that had previously made TV advertising prohibitive, when local charities would have needed to invest in advertising inventory nationwide. Our first TV campaign Localgiving’s first Sky AdSmart campaign will be broadcast to homes in and around Brighton and Hove. The campaign will encourage people in the Brighton and Hove area to find out about and support charities and voluntary groups in their local area. Localgiving will also use Sky AdSmart to roll out further campaigns to Bristol, Birmingham and Newcastle. Jamie West, Director, Sky AdSmart, comments: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Localgiving on this exciting trial. Sky AdSmart’s tailored advertising approach provides Localgiving with a unique opportunity to support charities within the Brighton and Hove area. As this trial demonstrates, Sky AdSmart can help those brands who’ve previously thought TV too broad a medium as well as local advertisers that have been priced out of TV until now. We’re looking forward to seeing the results and to rolling out the trial to other major cities across the UK.” Marcelle Speller OBE, Founder and Executive Chairman, Localgiving, adds: “This is a marvellous opportunity for Localgiving.com to connect local charities and community groups in a targeted area with the people who want to support them. In an environment where 85% of charitable income goes to just 5% of charities, Localgiving has a unique role to play in supporting the small groups and unsung heroes that work at the grass roots and we are delighted to be working with Sky Media as we look to use TV advertising to build stronger local communities.” --- Marcelle Speller will announce the partnership at the launch of Localgiving’s Grow Your Tenner 2013 campaign turning £500,000 from the Cabinet Office into over £1 million for grass roots charities across England. The Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd MP, will attend a launch event for Grow Your Tenner 2013 on Thursday, October 17th at The Westminster Hub, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE. Media wishing to attend are requested to email team@localgiving.com.4046 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Online charity fundraising platform Localgiving is about to embark on its first ever TV advertising campaign after partnering with Sky to trial new tailored advertising service Sky AdSmart. Sky AdSmart Sky AdSmart is a brand new service that improves TV ad breaks by tailoring the line-up of adverts according to a household’s profile. The technology works by sending a library of adverts via satellite to the Sky+HD set-top box and then selects the adverts which are inserted into the live ad break. The choice of adverts is based on information provided by Sky households, such as postcode, and the range of Sky products they take. This information is supplemented by additional insight from third-party providers including the data services company Experian. Localgiving is an online fundraising website which provides a platform to small local charities and community groups to raise money and awareness. Since Sky AdSmart can serve different adverts to different Sky households, Localgiving is able to use the service to run a campaign which focuses only on the areas in which their charity partners operate, enabling the not-for-profit website to advertise on TV for the first time. This effectively eliminates the waste that had previously made TV advertising prohibitive, when local charities would have needed to invest in advertising inventory nationwide. Our first TV campaign Localgiving’s first Sky AdSmart campaign will be broadcast to homes in and around Brighton and Hove. The campaign will encourage people in the Brighton and Hove area to find out about and support charities and voluntary groups in their local area. Localgiving will also use Sky AdSmart to roll out further campaigns to Bristol, Birmingham and Newcastle. Jamie West, Director, Sky AdSmart, comments: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Localgiving on this exciting trial. Sky AdSmart’s tailored advertising approach provides Localgiving with a unique opportunity to support charities within the Brighton and Hove area. As this trial demonstrates, Sky AdSmart can help those brands who’ve previously thought TV too broad a medium as well as local advertisers that have been priced out of TV until now. We’re looking forward to seeing the results and to rolling out the trial to other major cities across the UK.” Marcelle Speller OBE, Founder and Executive Chairman, Localgiving, adds: “This is a marvellous opportunity for Localgiving.com to connect local charities and community groups in a targeted area with the people who want to support them. In an environment where 85% of charitable income goes to just 5% of charities, Localgiving has a unique role to play in supporting the small groups and unsung heroes that work at the grass roots and we are delighted to be working with Sky Media as we look to use TV advertising to build stronger local communities.” --- Marcelle Speller will announce the partnership at the launch of Localgiving’s Grow Your Tenner 2013 campaign turning £500,000 from the Cabinet Office into over £1 million for grass roots charities across England. The Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd MP, will attend a launch event for Grow Your Tenner 2013 on Thursday, October 17th at The Westminster Hub, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TE. Media wishing to attend are requested to email team@localgiving.com.Oct 17, 2013 4046
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Afro*disiac Live Radio CIC is an independent, online radio station based in Christchurch, Dorset. The group gives music production and radio training for local young, older and disadvantaged people. Helping to increase their skills, confidence and future prospects. Station director, Raymond Nyenje, says “We believe Localgiving is the best online fundraising tool. As a C.I.C, it’s difficult for us to access grants and other fundraising avenues. With Localgiving.com it’s simple for us to generate donations and thanks to promotions like Grow Your Tenner, friends and supporters can get involved and we receive matched funding - it’s a fantastic idea for local organisations like us. “Running Afro*disiac has been tough as it operates out of a double garage at one of our director’s homes, with second hand equipment that’s prone to breaking down. The garage isn’t equipped with a bathroom or heating and with just under 20 DJs and presenters using the temporary studio the lack of quality equipment and amenities can be difficult. Thanks to funds raised through Grow Your Tenner, over £2,230, we’re hoping to relocate to Bourne Spring Community Centre in spring 2014 and purchase new computers and mixers for the new studio.” Find out more about and support Afro*disiac here.3237 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Afro*disiac Live Radio CIC is an independent, online radio station based in Christchurch, Dorset. The group gives music production and radio training for local young, older and disadvantaged people. Helping to increase their skills, confidence and future prospects. Station director, Raymond Nyenje, says “We believe Localgiving is the best online fundraising tool. As a C.I.C, it’s difficult for us to access grants and other fundraising avenues. With Localgiving.com it’s simple for us to generate donations and thanks to promotions like Grow Your Tenner, friends and supporters can get involved and we receive matched funding - it’s a fantastic idea for local organisations like us. “Running Afro*disiac has been tough as it operates out of a double garage at one of our director’s homes, with second hand equipment that’s prone to breaking down. The garage isn’t equipped with a bathroom or heating and with just under 20 DJs and presenters using the temporary studio the lack of quality equipment and amenities can be difficult. Thanks to funds raised through Grow Your Tenner, over £2,230, we’re hoping to relocate to Bourne Spring Community Centre in spring 2014 and purchase new computers and mixers for the new studio.” Find out more about and support Afro*disiac here.Jan 07, 2014 3237
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Over £900,000 has been raised through Grow Your Tenner so far (with matched funding and Gift Aid) – Thank you! We hope that the extra funds will help local communities across England to continue with their great work through 2014. The Grow Your Tenner campaign will complete once the entire £500,000 fund has been allocated or on 28th February 2014 at 10pm, regardless of any monies remaining in the fund. So be sure to Grow Your Tenner and make the most of the campaign before it all goes! There’s just over £100,000 available so support your favourite local cause and the first £10 of your gift will be doubled. Sign up to a monthly donation, and your gift will be doubled up to £10 a month for six months!3602 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Over £900,000 has been raised through Grow Your Tenner so far (with matched funding and Gift Aid) – Thank you! We hope that the extra funds will help local communities across England to continue with their great work through 2014. The Grow Your Tenner campaign will complete once the entire £500,000 fund has been allocated or on 28th February 2014 at 10pm, regardless of any monies remaining in the fund. So be sure to Grow Your Tenner and make the most of the campaign before it all goes! There’s just over £100,000 available so support your favourite local cause and the first £10 of your gift will be doubled. Sign up to a monthly donation, and your gift will be doubled up to £10 a month for six months!Jan 10, 2014 3602
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Based in Wolverhampton, ConGens works to connect generations by providing health and wellbeing events and activities for young and older people. From exercise classes and social dances to cooking projects and I.T training, delivering intergenerational projects helps to bring local young and older people together to increase respect and understanding. Following on from a successful fundraising experience during Grow Your Tenner 2012, ConGens has benefitted from £4,600 through Grow Your Tenner 2013. Janet Mahay, Vice Chair of ConGens says “Grow Your Tenner is a fantastic arrangement for local groups to raise additional funds to support their work. Many funding sources groups have previously relied on are increasingly difficult to access or no longer exist, so with funds raised from Grow Your Tenner we’ll be able to provide day trips and lunches for our members. “ With funding from the Grow Your Tenner campaign in 2012, the group were able to deliver an eight week computer training project for older people, teaching them basic computer skills so that they can enjoy the benefits of being online like many other ‘Silver Surfers’. One participant, Mrs Lue, was very excited about the project as she had wanted to learn how to use a computer for a long time but hadn’t had the opportunity to. By the end of the program she had learned basic I.T. skills sufficient enough to use the computer independently. She was so happy about the new skills she’d gained, she introduced her husband to computing and they now support each other in their learning. “Localgiving has been a tremendous asset to our organisation, since joining we’ve benefitted in numerous ways. Grow Your Tenner has helped us to raise money for projects and general expenditure. Having a webpage on Localgiving.com gives our group greater credibility in the eyes of supporters, they can see that we are a trusted, structured group and read about what we do before making a secure donation with Gift Aid.” Find out more about and support ConGens here.3735 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden Based in Wolverhampton, ConGens works to connect generations by providing health and wellbeing events and activities for young and older people. From exercise classes and social dances to cooking projects and I.T training, delivering intergenerational projects helps to bring local young and older people together to increase respect and understanding. Following on from a successful fundraising experience during Grow Your Tenner 2012, ConGens has benefitted from £4,600 through Grow Your Tenner 2013. Janet Mahay, Vice Chair of ConGens says “Grow Your Tenner is a fantastic arrangement for local groups to raise additional funds to support their work. Many funding sources groups have previously relied on are increasingly difficult to access or no longer exist, so with funds raised from Grow Your Tenner we’ll be able to provide day trips and lunches for our members. “ With funding from the Grow Your Tenner campaign in 2012, the group were able to deliver an eight week computer training project for older people, teaching them basic computer skills so that they can enjoy the benefits of being online like many other ‘Silver Surfers’. One participant, Mrs Lue, was very excited about the project as she had wanted to learn how to use a computer for a long time but hadn’t had the opportunity to. By the end of the program she had learned basic I.T. skills sufficient enough to use the computer independently. She was so happy about the new skills she’d gained, she introduced her husband to computing and they now support each other in their learning. “Localgiving has been a tremendous asset to our organisation, since joining we’ve benefitted in numerous ways. Grow Your Tenner has helped us to raise money for projects and general expenditure. Having a webpage on Localgiving.com gives our group greater credibility in the eyes of supporters, they can see that we are a trusted, structured group and read about what we do before making a secure donation with Gift Aid.” Find out more about and support ConGens here.Jan 17, 2014 3735
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“SWINDON 105.5 has been on air for almost six years, serving the town as an accessible, inclusive station, delivering local programmes made by groups and individuals for the whole community. “Our youngest trainee is 10 years old and our oldest presenter is 72. We provide training at all levels, from school placements to students wanting to go on to university to community groups needing to develop their profile and confidence in using the media. We also support unemployed people needing to develop skills and volunteers wanting to become part of the Station on a long-term basis. Seeking new funding streams “As a not for profit, non-commercial radio station, we rely on grant-funded projects, donations, fundraising activities and ‘Friends’. After hearing that costs of remaining at our current premises were going to increase considerably, with fairly short notice, we started looking at how to manage our current situation in the short-term and long-term as well as seeking possible alternative accommodation. Right time, right campaign “Whatever the decision, more funds were needed to help us through. So the Localgiving Grow Your Tenner Challenge came at just the right time. We set ourselves a target of raising at least £3,000. Donations came in, volunteers carried out a couple of fundraising bag packs and the number of “Friends” has increased. We raised just over £3,000 and with donations through a forthcoming Valentines evening, we expect to increase this just in time before Grow Your Tenner ends. “This fundraising has covered premises costs for the coming six months and is giving us time to develop ongoing support. Plus our Patron, Lord Joel Joffe’s fund will be donating £2,000 to us because we have achieved this £3,000 through Localgiving. The Grow Your Tenner opportunity proved really helpful in making people aware of showing support for SWINDON 105.5”. Shirley Ludford, Station Manager and Trainer, SWINDON 105.5. Find out more about SWINDON 105.5 here.4398 Posted by Steph Heyden
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By Steph Heyden “SWINDON 105.5 has been on air for almost six years, serving the town as an accessible, inclusive station, delivering local programmes made by groups and individuals for the whole community. “Our youngest trainee is 10 years old and our oldest presenter is 72. We provide training at all levels, from school placements to students wanting to go on to university to community groups needing to develop their profile and confidence in using the media. We also support unemployed people needing to develop skills and volunteers wanting to become part of the Station on a long-term basis. Seeking new funding streams “As a not for profit, non-commercial radio station, we rely on grant-funded projects, donations, fundraising activities and ‘Friends’. After hearing that costs of remaining at our current premises were going to increase considerably, with fairly short notice, we started looking at how to manage our current situation in the short-term and long-term as well as seeking possible alternative accommodation. Right time, right campaign “Whatever the decision, more funds were needed to help us through. So the Localgiving Grow Your Tenner Challenge came at just the right time. We set ourselves a target of raising at least £3,000. Donations came in, volunteers carried out a couple of fundraising bag packs and the number of “Friends” has increased. We raised just over £3,000 and with donations through a forthcoming Valentines evening, we expect to increase this just in time before Grow Your Tenner ends. “This fundraising has covered premises costs for the coming six months and is giving us time to develop ongoing support. Plus our Patron, Lord Joel Joffe’s fund will be donating £2,000 to us because we have achieved this £3,000 through Localgiving. The Grow Your Tenner opportunity proved really helpful in making people aware of showing support for SWINDON 105.5”. Shirley Ludford, Station Manager and Trainer, SWINDON 105.5. Find out more about SWINDON 105.5 here.Jan 28, 2014 4398