FUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE 1

Arthritis IrelandFUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE

2 ARTHRITIS IRELAND

ARTHRITIS IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST CAUSE OF DISABILITY IN IRELAND. IT AFFECTS ALMOST 1 MILLION PEOPLE, DAMAGING JOINTS, CAUSING SEVERE PAIN, STIFFNESS, IMMOBILITY AND DEFORMITY. ARTHRITIS DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. IT IS A DISEASE THAT CAN AFFECT ANYONE FROM THE NEWBORN RIGHT THROUGH TO THE ELDERLY.

Arthritis takes away people’s dignity by preventing them from doing basic, everyday tasks – a parent, for instance, who can no longer pick up their child; a father unable to hold down a job; a child unable to play with their friends. That is the reality of arthritis.

Not surprisingly, therefore, arthritis can cause serious levels of depression and social isolation. According to research conducted by Arthritis Ireland, 3 in 10 people with arthritis say they are sad and depressed, and 4 in 10 admit that they sometimes find it hard to keep going and that their arthritis is a constant worry for them.

The facts are stark. The figures are equally stark:• Arthritis accounts for 1 in 3

GP visits• Arthritis, as part of the

musculoskeletal group

of diseases, costs the exchequer more than €700m every year in lost working hours and forced retirements

• 165,000 people under 55 have arthritis in Ireland

• 1,200 children under 16 are living with juvenile arthritis in Ireland

• By 2030, 1 in 4 Irish people aged 18 and older will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis

• There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis and a range of inflammatory diseases and associated conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, juvenile arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

No cure exists for any form of arthritis.

FUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE 3

So, you have decided to fundraise for Arthritis Ireland, but you don’t know where to begin. This pack will give you lots of practical ideas and resources to use, so read on and get inspired.

While a lot of your fundraising might take the form of sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues, it might not be the only thing you need to do to raise your target amount. Many of our supporters host their own events or carry out alternative fundraising activities to meet their targets.

Whether you’re taking part in our Camino Challenge or you’ve decided to organise your own event, we’ve got some handy tips to help!

1. Decide how much time you’ve got to spare for fundraising.

2. Remember to play to your skills and interests.

3. Chose an achievable amount of money to raise and remember that every cent counts.

4. Think about the people who can (and will) help you.

5. Set up your fundraising page on www.altruism.ie. Click the ‘Fundraise for Charities’ button on the homepage and search for Arthritis Ireland on the next screen. Follow the step-by-step process to set-up your fundraiser.

6. If you’re on Facebook, you can fundraise directly through your page. To do this, choose ‘Fundraisers’ from the menu on the lefthand side of the screen on desktop or from the triple bar menu symbol in the bottom right corner on mobile.

7. Like us on Facebook and Instagram, follow us on Twitter and tell us about your event.

8. Check out our A-Z of fundraising ideas for some inspiration of what might work for you.

We hope you can see the valuable contribution your time, money and enthusiasm are bringing to the lives of people with arthritis and their families.

From the classic pub quiz to conventional chest waxing, there are so many fundraising ideas to choose from! If you want some help with your event, we would love to hear from you. We’re on hand for any tips and advice.

Throwing your own event might feel a bit daunting to begin with, but there’s no need to worry. We’ve put together some suggestions for you, to help your event go off with a bang.

We know it can be a challenge to raise money, but hopefully the ideas outlined here will help make your event a great success.

GETTING STARTED FUNDRAISING

A WORD FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

As a charity, Arthritis Ireland is hugely dependent on the generosity and goodwill of people who organise and support fundraisers to raise money on our behalf. Each and every fundraiser and fundraising event is important to us. With your help, we continue to raise what we need each year to deliver services and invest in research. Without you, we would not be able to support people and families living with arthritis.

For this, we say a genuine and heartfelt thank you.

Gráinne O’LearyChief Executive

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TOP TIPPick something you are interested in and it will make the organisation of the event much more enjoyable.

Think about what impressed you about any fundraiser you have been to and try to incorporate some of those elements into your event.

HERE ARE SOME TRIED AND TESTED FUNDRAISING IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED!

AAqua-aerobics, auctions, abseiling, art exhibitions

BBridge night, bike race, bake-off, blind date contest, beard shave, bingo night, black tie ball, bowling party

CCoffee morning, car boot sale, car cleaning, cake sale, céilí night, cookery demonstration, casual day at work, cards night, carol singing

DDinner dance, darts tournament, dog show

EEighties nights, egg and spoon race (at work or at school)

FFive-a-side competition, fun run, fancy dress party, fashion show, face painting

GGolf tournament, garden party, give up something, games night, girls night in

HHead shave, Hallowe’en party, horse racing event, hill walking, hockey tournament

IIce-cream party

JJumble sale, James Bond night, jewellery sale

KKaraoke party, knit-a-thon, Kris kindle, knitting contest

LLadies lunch event, line dancing, lunch party

MMicro tri, mini marathon, movie stars party, murder mystery night, mountain climbing, matched giving for companies and employees

NNon-uniform day at school

OOpen mic night, office Olympics, Oscars party

PPicnic event, pyjama party, paintballing

QQuiz night

RRaffle, relay race, record breaking attempt

SSky-dive, silent auction, speed dating, sports day, salsa dancing night, sponsor something or someone, street party, swear box

TTreasure hunt, talent show, tug-of-war, three-legged race

UUnwanted gift sale

VValentine’s dance/party

WWalks, wheel barrow race, wine tasting evening, wax-a-thon

XX-Factor party

YYoga event

ZZumba party

CREATE YOUR OWN EVENT

FUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE 5

1. Decide on an event. Before you set the date, consider any competing events that may be running so yours doesn’t clash. There may also be an opportunity to hold your event in conjunction with another. Keep your eyes and ears open.

2. Look at other local fundraising events that have worked in the past to see if you can use a similar model.

3. Prepare and plan. Enlist some helpers and create an action plan with areas of responsibility and timelines. Meet regularly to keep track of everyone’s progress.

4. Let us know of the event you have planned, so that we can help promote it via our own social media channels and website.

5. Draw up a budget, including all areas where a cost will be incurred so there are no surprises later. Make sure you stick to budget.

6. Set a target – this will motivate you to stay focused and achieve your goal.

7. Choose an appropriate venue, if required.

8. Think of anything you could tag onto your event like a raffle or

silent auction.

9. Check with your local council and/or the gardaí about any licenses or permits you may require

for your event and

ensure these are in place well in advance of the date.

10. Promote your event. Do what you can to get the word out there. You can fundraise directly through Facebook, as well as using it and other social media channels to spread the word. Other techniques like word of mouth, fliers, altruism.ie and emails are all inexpensive (or free) ways to let people know about your event. Any fundraising and publicity materials you create should include our logo (with advance permission) and registered charity number: CHY 6297.

11. Try to get sponsorship by approaching local businesses. If they can’t sponsor, maybe they could donate a prize or support it in some other way.

12. Make sure that first aid and any necessary security facilities are in place.

13. The week of the event, do a final check that you have everything you need (decorations, music, lighting, etc.).

14. Don’t forget to have people to help you clean-up after the event.

15. After the event count all the money, making sure all expenses are covered. Use the Arthritis Ireland bank details to lodge your final donation.

16. Be safe in everything you do, especially if you have big crowds or when you are counting money. Always count money in the presence of another person to protect yourself.

17. Thank everyone who attended the event afterwards and let them know how much was raised. Also thank any guest speakers, sponsors and the venue.

18. Send photos and a report of the event to Arthritis Ireland so we can put in our ezine, social media and website.

19. If you get stuck, we’re here to help, just give us a call. We can help you get started or give you any information you might need on individual campaigns or Arthritis Ireland in general.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO FUNDRAISING

FUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE 5

6 ARTHRITIS IRELAND

PUBLICITY

So, you’ve organised the most fabulous event imaginable. Now all you need is to get people there to support the cause.

Here are some tips to help publicise your event:

1. Get someone to create a poster for your event and make use of your local community centre, supermarket and sports club notice boards.

2. If you have a Facebook page set up your fundraiser as an event and invite all your friends and family. Tag Arthritis Ireland (@ArthritisIreland.ie) in your Facebook posts, so that we are alerted to them.

3. You can also create a fundraiser for Arthritis Ireland to support your event or initiative via your own Facebook page. When creating your post, choose the ‘Support non-profit’ button and search for Arthritis Ireland.

4. Send a press release to your local media. Some tips on what information to include are contained below. The key thing is to keep it simple. Most media organisations now have websites, so you should be able to find contact information on who to email it to – usually a news desk or community person. If your local newspaper has a community section for your area, why not also send it to the person who prepares that?

WRITING A PRESS RELEASE• Include the date

• Write a headline that summarises what you’re doing

• The core of the press release should contain the following core information• Who you are (e.g. include where you’re

from, your job, your name – for instance ‘Kildare engineer, Tom O’Dwyer’)

• What you are doing – here you can give details of the fundraiser. This can be as short as ‘a 100k sponsored cycle around the midlands’ to begin with and supply more details further on in the press release

• Why you are organising the fundraiser – this will be personal to you, and you can disclose as little or as much information as you are comfortable with. For instance, you might just want to say something like ‘to support people living with arthritis, by raising funds for Arthritis Ireland’.

• Where your fundraiser or event will take place

• When it’s happening• How people can get involved or support

your event

• Your story will be improved if it features a quotation from you as the organiser. This can be relatively short and might relate why you’re organising the event, that it will be a fun occasion and you’re looking for lots of support So, for example:

Event organiser, Tom O’Dwyer, said that arthritis is a very personal cause to him. “My mother lived with rheumatoid arthritis for years, so I saw first hand the pain that it can cause. This cycle is not only a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for a really worthy cause, but you’ll get fit and see a beautiful part of the country. I encourage anyone with a bike to sign-up today.”

• The press release should also include a short description of Arthritis Ireland and the work we do. You can use the following text for this purpose.

Arthritis Ireland is the national organisation representing the one million people living with arthritis in this country. Arthritis is the biggest cause of disability in Ireland, and can affect people of any age. One in five people living with arthritis are under the age of 55, including 1,200 children who have juvenile arthritis. Arthritis Ireland provides supports and services to people living with arthritis, including delivering self-management courses, exercise classes and a national helpline. It also invests in research to find a cure for this chronic disease. The organisation has branches and walking groups around the country. To find out more, visit www.arthritisireland.ie.

• After the event, remember to send some photos (with captions) to your local papers.

FUNDRAISING RESOURCE GUIDE 7

1. Start with an aim for the eventWork out what you want to achieve (to increase awareness of the charity or your fundraising activity). Then confirm a date and work backwards from there. Make sure you give yourself enough time to pull in your desired number of attendees and work through what you need for it.

2. Pick a suitable venueMake sure there’s the right amount of space to fit the event. There’s nothing worse than a jam-packed room, or a huge room looking half empty.

3. Get support from local businesses and performers Often, local businesses and musicians will offer

services, event space, food or drink at a reduced cost (or sometimes even free of charge) for charitable events.

4. Host a raffleThey are a great way to boost your fundraising. Get in touch with local businesses to help secure prizes for the event.

5. Have a speakerThis could either be a celebrity patron, an individual or a family member who has benefited directly from the great work done by the charity.

6. Engage with social mediaThe sooner the better – there’s no harm in advertising your event early. Just keep the momentum going right up to, during and

after the event. Keep the messages fresh.

7. Have funThe most important thing is to make sure it’s fun and engaging for everyone there. Make sure your fundraiser is memorable for all the right reasons.

8. Money mattersPlease do not collect door-to-door. Keep your money in a lockable box. Remember to be safe – take care of your personal security and that of your guests.

9. Keep you and your money safeProtect yourself by sharing the counting, lodging with someone else and let people know just how much was raised as soon as possible!

FUNDRAISING TIPS SUMMARY

8 ARTHRITIS IRELAND

Fundraising DepartmentArthritis Ireland1 Clanwilliam SquareGrand Canal QuayDublin 2 D02 DH77

01 647 0209fundraising @arthritisireland.iewww.arthritisireland.ie

@Arthritisie

/ArthritisIreland.ie

arthritisie