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Mick Pembleton has held on to the top spot on the #Localhero leader board from day one. His skydive for Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW has, so far, attracted 84 unique donors and raised £1,357 for the charity. We spoke to Mick about his involvement with Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW and how the #Localhero campaign has helped his fundraising. Why Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW? Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW train assistance dogs to increase the independence and wellbeing of disabled young people and children on the Isle of Wight. Mick first heard of the charity through a friend of his who worked in their offices as well as numerous neighbours who volunteered. He said he was drawn to Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW primarily because they were locally based. I like the thought that the money raised goes to a small, local charity where it can have a real effect rather than a national one, where the money might get 'lost' amid general costs - this feels much more personal. Mick had been to many previous fundraising events for the charity as well as helping out with moving and collecting donated items from local charity shops. He was already keen to do a skydive, and had one booked in for June. He then had a conversation with the charity about how they were looking for a #Localhero and felt the opportunity was too good to miss; especially as the charities new training grounds are in the hangar of the airport where he will be doing his jump! Mick said on doing his skydive The idea of freefalling is appealing and I've always fancied base jumping and bungy jumping but I am very scared of heights. I can't wait to do the jump but it will definitely be a once in a lifetime thing! How do the charity support you? Mick told us that Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW have been hugely supportive of him as a fundraiser I really didn't want to go round asking people to sponsor me with a sponsor sheet but with the Localgiving link I could tell people the details then it's up to them if they wanted to go ahead - it doesn't feel like I'm pressurising anyone. Ability Dogs 4 Young People designed and printed some leaflets to give out and have been encouraging people to sponsor me on my behalf. They also put posters up around the airport and given some to some of their supporters to display. They also put details of the jump on their website, Facebook Page and Twitter. The charity invited me to the Training Centre after puppy class to meet all the puppies and volunteer puppy parents and I got to chat to everyone involved and they will all be coming along with the puppies to watch me on the day! Mick is hoping to raise enough money buy a new puppy for the charity and fund its training for the first year I can raise a bit more money and somehow hold on to the top spot on the leader board I might reach £2500 which is exactly half of what's needed so that would fund it's first year with the charity. How has #Localhero helped? We also spoke to Mick about the #Localhero campaign and whether he felt it had had an impact on his fundraising event The #LocalHero Leader board has definitely helped in spreading the word - having the possibility of getting an extra £1000 has really inspired everybody. I know the charity has been explaining to people who don't know me that this is a really effective way of donating because their £5 could turn into £1000! So as well as getting support from my friends and family I've had people sponsor me who want to support the charity. It's also been great advertising for the charity to be on the Leader board with Localgiving and being mentioned on Twitter and such. Mick will be doing his skydive on Tuesday 23rd June, help MICK'S BIG JUMP for Ability Dogs 4 Young People win some extra money for Ability Dogs 4 Young People IoW and keep him at the top of the #LocalHero Leaderboard. Each new donor = another point in the competition so any donation, big or small, can make a huge difference. Support Mick now: https://localgiving.com/fundraising/micksbigjump5825 Posted by Fergus Simpson
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On 8th December we will be launching our Christmas Top 40 appeal campaign, so this is the perfect opportunity for your group to create your first appeal page! How to create an appeal page Appeal pages work in a similar way to fundraising pages. They include target bars and the facility for your supporters to leave comments. Funds raised through these pages are defined within your reports, making tracking your donations quick and simple. Please click here for our 'How to create an Appeal page' resource with an easy step-by-step guide to help you set up your first appeal. How to run a successful appeal campaign You can also click here for our 13 tips for running a successful appeal which takes you through everything from making your ask to thanking your supporters. Christmas Top 40 campaign Our Christmas Top 40 campaign will be running between 8th December and 8th January and we will be awarding £100 to the first 40 groups to raise £100 through a Localgiving Appeal page. In addition to 40 prizes of £100, the appeal to raise the most money between the campaign start and end dates will win our bonus Top Spot Prize of £1,000! So, even if you aren’t ready to set up your page from the 8th December, you could still win the top prize over the month that the campaign is running. Please click here for our more information about the campaign. Contact Us If you have any further questions or need any assitance please give us a call on 0300 111 2340 or email us on help@localgiving.com.5475 Posted by Fergus Simpson
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With Grow Your Tenner fast approaching it’s important for charities to look for new potential donors and fundraisers within their local community in order to make the most of the campaign. The extra incentive of having a donation of up to £10 doubled makes Grow Your Tenner a great time to reach out to new groups that you may not have thought to contact or felt comfortable contacting before. Focusing on groups rather than individuals is a time effective way to find new donors or fundraisers. For every one person contacted within a particular group, you are opening your charity up to multiple, potential donors who you would have never interacted with before. Groups also make fantastic fundraisers. When contacting groups don’t just think about approaching them as donors but suggest some team fundraising. You could even make the most of some healthy team competition! On Localgiving, each fundraiser on average brings 10 new online donors to their charity that, on average, raised £400 per charity. So, reaching out to groups as fundraisers is certainly worth considering. Below are 4 key types of community group who you should be reaching out to: 1. Local Businesses Local businesses are often keen to find charitable activities for their staff so why not approach them and suggest a fundraising competition within the office? When approaching local businesses always think of what you can offer them in return, whether it be publicity at a fundraising event or a day of volunteering for their staff. 2. Sports Groups These groups will be more willing to take on physical challenges and will enjoy the competition of team fundraising. Ask if you can put up posters around your local sports clubs or ask to talk about your cause at an event. 3. Schools Kids make great fundraisers as they are often full of energy and enthusiastic about local causes. Approaching schools opens your donor base up to a parents and teachers as well. Why not suggest talking about your cause as an assembly or host a fundraising event that will be more appealing to kids. 4. Community Groups This can be anything from a book club to a dance class. Do your research on the groups that exist in your local area and approach them about donating to, or fundraising for, your cause. Ask to be invited to their next meeting so you can interact with as many new potential donors as possible. Whenever you are reaching out to new donors or fundraising make sure you have a clear ask based around Grow Your Tenner and think in advance about what you would like from each group. Also make sure to scale your ask depending on who you speak to. Any donation up to £10 will be matched during the campaign - people could donate £2 or £5 and still have their donation doubled. Always try your best to meet the groups in person. This way they will see your passion for the cause first hand and you will be able to make the experience more personal. You can also use this as an opportunity to hand out promotional material surrounding the campaign. Click here for our downloadable poster with the 4 key groups to target within your community. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact the Localgiving help desk on 0300 111 2340.5267 Posted by Fergus Simpson
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How you interact with your fundraiser once their event is over is crucial when it comes to converting them into a long-term supporter. In this blog we will be looking at 4 simple ways to keep your fundraisers engaged in your charity and your cause. 1. Publicly thank them for their support Use social media, emails or a newsletter to publicly thank your fundraiser for their efforts. Let everyone know how much they raised, what they did to raise it and, crucially, how much it means to your charity. Thanking your fundraiser publicly also gives them a chance to share your message of appreciation with their personal networks, creating extra publicity for your charity and potentially inspiring a whole new group of people to fundraise for you in the future. 2. Invite them to visit you in person A great way to build a relationship with your fundraiser is to invite them to a team meeting or event and thank them face-to-face for their efforts. If possible, introduce your fundraisers to beneficiaries to remind them what their funds will be going towards and how people's lives will be positively affected. Read about how one group, York Carers, did just that for their fundraiser, Tony Ives. 3. Keep them up to date with your progress If your fundraiser was raising money for a particular project then send them updates of how it is going. Including images and testimonials from people the project has helped can be a great way of adding meaning to these updates. If you are sharing this information publicly then make sure you acknowledge which fundraiser(s) made it possible. Thanking your fundraisers in this way lets them know their efforts where worthwhile and could be the first step in turning them into a long term advocate for your cause. 4. Don’t forget to thank your donors too! We all know that with each new donor comes the opportunity to raise further funds for your group, so make sure you thank them as well. Make a note on your database of which donors came from which fundraisers, as this will help you to better personalise your communications and provide an indication of what kind of fundraising event may appeal to them in the future. The focus of these tips is to make sure your fundraiser feels appreciated, that their efforts have made a difference and crucially that they are a helpful part of your cause. By doing this you are much more likely to fundraise for you again and hopefully encourage their friends and family to do the same! Further Information If you are still looking for fundraisers or want to know how to support them while they fundraise for you them during then check out our previous blogs or contact us at help@localgiving.com You can also click here to download this poster4618 Posted by Fergus Simpson
Support Your Fundraisers With These 6 Quick Tips
Finding supporters to fundraise for your charity is a brilliant way to increase donations and promote your cause. Knowing how to find these fundraisers is a crucial skill for any charity (see Follow These 6 Easy Steps & Find Your Next Fundraiser) but it is equally important to know how to to properly support them once they've decided to raise money for you.
By supporting your fundraisers you can motivate them to raise more money, better promote your charity and, crucially, create a lasting relastionship and a long-term supporter. Here are 6 quick tips to help you do just that:
1. Thank them immediately
Help your fundraisers to feel supported and motivated by thanking them as soon as they set up their fundraising page. Send them an email to show your appreciation and make them feel part of a team, while also reminding them how much you appreciate their efforts. When thanking fundraisers make sure you reiterate what their support will mean to your charity, ideally with specific examples of what the money they raise will go towards; images would also be a great addition. These "thank yous" will help them to visualise their goal and hopefully motivate them to raise even more!
2. Help promote their page
Add the unique Localgiving URL for your fundraiser's page to your website, email signature, social media and other promotional materials. This helps to support them while also encoruaging new donations and showing potential supporters that you have a relationship with your fundraisers. Creating a public, as well as a personal, narrative between you and your fundraisers is they key way to show your support as well as encourage donations.
3. Create a sense of community
If you have more than one fundraiser, then put them in touch with one another. For example, if two people are running the same fun run or marathon they may be interested in training together and supporting one another. Similarly, you can invite them to meet the people who will benefit from the money they raise - this will help to inspire and motivate them. When it comes to fundraising, people often respond better to group activities. By bringing your fundraisers together you can inspire a sense of solidarity for your cause - this is also more likely to encourage your fundraisers to get their friends and families involved, creating more fundraisers and ultimately more donations for your charity!
4. Make them feel special
Publicly celebrate their milestones on social media and personally celebrate them via email. Milestones may include their first donation or a quarter of a way to their fundraising total. By doing this they will not only be aware of your appreciation but will have something to share with their personal networks; motivating those friends and family members to give and develop a greater awareness of your cause. Similarly, personalise your support: if they are running a marathon or doing a bike race then send them specific tips or advice related to their event. This type of advice is easily accessible online. Finding relevant information and sending it to your fundraiser shows you’ve gone the extra mile to build that relationship.
5. Ask them for feedback
Ensure your relationship with your fundraisers is a dialogue. What would help them with their training or further inspire them to fundraise? Have their networks of friends and families given any feedback about their fundraising efforts or your cause? This shows you are interested in their progress and, importantly, will also help you to better personalise your appeals to supporters in future.
6. Highlight their story
Feature their story on your website, your newsletter or social media outlets. Encourage them to send their unique story e.g why they're fundraising for you; they could even set up a personal blog to update people on their progress. Also follow them on social media so you can stay up to date with their progress and ensure they have everything they need such as charity information/branded materials.
Building meaningful relationships with your fundraisers is key to generating longer-term support. By showing how much you appreciate them you can instil a sense of pride in what they are doing and ensure that they feel their contribution is making a real positive difference. We hope these quick tips help you to ensure your fundraisers feel fully supported. With a little luck, they might fundraise for you again in the future and even encourage their friends and families to do so too!
Further information and material 
If you want to learn more about supporting your fundraisers, as well as a range of tips on how to make the most of online fundraising, then click here to find slides from our 'Inspiring Online Fundraisers' webinar that we hosted during Small Charities Week.
Click here to download the poster
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By Alex Swallow Alex Swallow is The Influence Expert, helping you to grow your influence to increase the impact that you have on the world. He is also the Founder of Young Charity Trustees and the owner of the Social Good Six interview series. He is the previous Chief Executive of the Small Charities Coalition and maintains a keen interest in the work of small charities. Having only worked in the charity sector at small charities and having been the Chief Executive of a support organisation for small charities, I know the pressure that you are under. Pressure to gain supporters behind your cause, get in enough money and cope in a challenging environment. There are three things that I’d recommend: Don’t fight alone, value your work and grow your influence. Don’t fight alone I hope that you are already getting help from other people. This post that I wrote for Small Charity Week last year explains some of the help that you can get. You need to get all the support that you can, including bringing in new Trustees and other volunteers if you feel that you need new skills, experience or ideas. Trustees’ Week is coming up in November and is an ideal time to recruit. Value your work I hope that you are proud of the work that you do. However, it is likely that you don’t get enough recognition for it. Many small charities are not in the public spotlight despite doing amazing things for parts of society where no-one else really helps. I’m a supporter of Good News Shared- you can send them your stories if you would like to get a bit of attention! However you do it, you need to find a way to make sure that you are proud of your work because then you will be able to engage other people in what you are doing. Plus, being proud will be good motivation for you in those lonely hours when you are slogging away trying to make the world a better place. Also, this talk that I gave for The Media Trust shows why small charities should be excited about some of the opportunities that the online world now provides. Remember, among all the challenges there are lots of possibilities to take advantage of too. Grow your influence This article gives a comprehensive discussion of what I mean by influence. As a small charity you might not always be able to compete with the big boys all the time, but you can certainly punch above your weight. To have the impact that you want you need to find the appropriate ways to influence the world around you. In this speech that I gave earlier this year at an international charity conference, I outline some of those ways. Using a model called the LEAPS Model, featured in the video, I show how you can grow your influence as an individual, or apply the same concepts to an organisation. If you can effectively grow your influence you have the chance to achieve all of the things that you need to make sure that your charity not only survives, but thrives. I thank you for your important work and hope that the three principles I have outlined help you get to where you want to be. 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 GarlandGet your charity’s voice heard by Duncan HatfieldDon’t save your pitch for the elevator by Emma BeestonAug 31, 2016 0 -
By Steph Heyden Thinking of what you can do to fundraise for charity can sometimes be harder than the challenge itself! To help get those ideas flowing we've created an A - Z of fun activities you can do that'll be sure to get your friends and family to support you and your chosen charity. Think outside the box Running a marathon is an amazing achievement, but if running isn't for you there are loads of other ways you can raise money for a local charity. On Localgiving we've had all sorts of wacky ideas including eating 3 whole chickens in an hour and sitting in a baked bean bath while having your head shaved plus some creative ideas such as a vote on which songs a choir will sing at an event. Think local! Once you've come up with your idea all that's left is finding an amazing local charity or community group to fundraise for - and that's where we come in. We've got thousands of local voluntary groups that would love your support! Find one in your area by simply entering your postcode into our search and scrolling through the groups closest to you.Aug 19, 2015 0 -
Social media is currently the number one reason people use the Internet, according to a study from Pew Research. It dominates online activity, and chances are your charity is already using it. Compelling social media content comes in many different forms. There is no secret formula to creating great content, it doesn’t need to take up a lot of time, go viral, or be professionally produced in order to be successful. Engagement is the key, and paying more to create content won’t necessarily bring success. What really matters is how the people you want to reach engage with the content you post. These top tips will help your organisation think about creating content that actively engages the people that matter most to you, whether that’s beneficiaries, volunteers, donors, staff or others, no matter your size or budget. 1. You don’t need a massive budget Many charities will tell you that they don’t have enough time or resources to accomplish everything that they’d like on social. Think of social media as a platform for storytelling. As a charitable organisation, you are already surrounded by great original content material, from articles on your website, volunteers in action, or the stories of people or communities you have helped. There are many ways you can re-purpose this content for your social media channels. Creating a posting plan can help you get started and feel more in control, but it doesn’t have to be perfect right away. Try things out, take note of what works for your audience, and tweak your content as you go along. For further guidance and examples of good practice on this, check out our free guide ‘What’s Data Got To Do With It’. 2. It’s not all about numbers When it comes to your content, quality reigns over quantity. Engaging with a handful of relevant, switched-on people will give greater results than simply reaching as many people as possible. It sounds obvious, but be social, connect with and reach out to your closest supporters in a similar way to how you would focus your personal time on close friends. The more you engage with your target audience, the more people will respond to your content, and engage others to do the same. By using material unique to your organisation, such as sharing a short video of someone your charity has helped, you are creating authentic, high quality content that will bring people closer to your cause. 3. Make your content fun Don’t be afraid to find the light in tough subject matter. Fun and inspiring content can go a long way to engage your audience. Get creative, try out something new, and give any and all ideas a chance. Taco Bell does this really well, and we have previously written about what your charity can learn from them. For successful image and video content, authenticity and storytelling produce the highest engagement. You can easily incorporate this into your social media by telling your audience about something that has happened as a result of your organisation, such as a successful fundraising event, though a photo or video that you have created yourself. A smartphone can provide you with all the tools to create fresh, engaging images and videos for your social media channels. Simply taking a photo of a volunteer in action can be compelling content for the right audience. For more tips on creating great content for your organisation take a look at our free guide ‘Something To Tweet About’. Hannah is the Junior Communications and Social Media Advisor at Social Misfits Media, specialising in helping charities, foundations and non-profits better use social media to reach their goals. Follow Hannah and Social Misfits Media @HannahDonald20 and @MisfitsMedia. Found this blog post useful? You may also like: The Value of online Fundraising: More than just donations Local Charity and Community Group Sustainability Report 2016 What Makes Local Charities Unique? Image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/lg-smartphone-instagram-social-media-35177/Jan 12, 2017 0
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