Setting up a new group
Contents
1. Anthony Nolan
2. Marrow
3. What’s involved in setting up a group?
4. Setting up a Marrow Group at your University
a) Organising an Information/ Training
evening
b) Organising your first Recruitment Event
c) Registering your group
5. Appendix
1. Anthony Nolan
Anthony Nolan finds matches for leukaemia patients who need a lifesaving
transplant. For someone with leukaemia, a bone marrow transplant can be
their only hope of life. They use their register, cord blood bank and research
to find remarkable people who can give them that hope by donating their stem
cells. By doing this, they save lives. Every day.
2. Marrow
In 1998 a student called Karen at Nottingham University discovered she had
leukaemia. A match couldn’t be found for her in time and sadly she died.
Karen’s friends set up Marrow at the University to help other people with
leukaemia by recruiting students to join the Anthony Nolan Register. You’ll
now find Marrow in 39 different universities across the UK. Marrow has
recruited over 30,000 potential donors so far.
Marrow has three main aims.
To give every student the opportunity to join the register
To raise funds to help support Anything Nolan vital work
To raise awareness with Universities around the UK
As well as 41 Local Marrow Groups, Marrow also has an elected National
Committee whose role it is to support new groups.
3. What’s involved in running a Marrow group?
By setting up a Marrow group you will be helping Anthony Nolan save lives
bringing the opportunity to the students of your University to be involved in
Marrow. Being a part of Marrow is great fun, you will also be learning new
skills and it can be a challenge but we are here to support you at every step
along the way.
What We Provide
 Training in everything you need to be an effective Marrow volunteers
 Regular Communications and Updates
 Support available through staff at Anthony Nolan and Marrow’s
National Committee
 Promotional Resources
 Resources to recruit people to the register
 Resources and expertise to run Fundraising Events
 UP to a thousand pound grant to spend on your marrow activities
 Regional Marrow AGMs [Feb/March]
 National Marrow AGMs [October]
 Portfolio Pages/ References and Certificates.
What we need from you.
 To be enthusiastic and committed to Marrow’s cause.
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To return Communications and keep us up to date
To fill in correct documentation throughout the year
4. Setting up a Group at your University
Organising an information /training session
It’s fantastic that you want to set up a new Marrow group. We would love to
come and speak with you about how to go about this and also give you some
initial training on what’s involved. We can use this as an opportunity to talk to
you about the different roles within a Marrow Committee.
What’s needed for an information session?
All you need to do is provide a room, some volunteers and a date and time
that suits you. We can do the rest. Just get in touch to let us know a time and
date.
To have an effective Marrow committee you need to have a group of
enthusiastic, committed volunteers so it would be great if you could get as
many of your fellow students to come to this initial meeting/information
session as possible.
We have provided [See Appendix 1] an email and Facebook blurb for you to
send around to try and drum up interest for volunteers at your University.
Organising your first Recruitment Event
For you first recruitment event we will be able to help you organise everything
you need.
What happens at an event?
Welcome - There is a reception desk where the recruitment event routine is
explained and the potential donor is given an application form and an
information leaflet.
Filling in the form – The potential donors fill in their forms and any initial
questions and queries are answered.
Counselling – The potential donor has a confidential individual information
session with a trained counsellor. This session is used to facilitate the donors
understanding and permit them to make an informed choice about joining the
register. The application form is also checked to make sure that the potential
donor is eligible to join the register.
Taking the Saliva Sample- A trained volunteer will guide the donor through
giving their saliva sample.
What we will do?
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Provide you will promotional materials and ways in which to promote
your event.
Give you the training before the event so that all of your volunteers are
fully trained Marrow volunteers.
Organise all of the supplies needed for the Recruitment Event including
saliva kits and application forms.
We will also be there on the day to manage the event and guide you
through all of the processes.
What do we need from you?
Address.
An address to send you promotional and event supplies. As these packages
need to be signed for this needs to be an address that has some one present
between 9 and 5. Preferably a reception address at the university.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment filled out. We fill email this to you. It is a very simple
document that you will be able to fill in online and return to us via email.
Venue
A venue for the event. Although we do need enough space to run an event,
the best venues are the ones with the biggest footfall. Think about where is
going to be a lot of passing trade. For example in the Students Union, in a
room next to the main eating area at the University etc.
Timings for the event
Again you need to pick a day that is going to busiest on your campus. Events
on Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to work best. As Wednesday if sports day
a lot of people will not be on campus after 12.00. In terms of timing if you are
doing an event on the main campus we find timings between 10.30 and 4.30
work well.
Publicity for the event.
The main thing we need you to do is publicize your event around the
University.
Facebook- Facebook is one of the best ways to advertise and event. Set up
an event on Facebook using the information in appendix 2 and start invited all
your friends and getting them to invite their friends. You can also contact large
groups within your University [SU, Sports groups etc.] and ask them to join
and send an invite to all of their groups Facebook members]
Please also send an invite to us so that we can join and will be able to answer
any questions that may come up.
Emails- Sending out emails is also very effective. You can add your details to
our email template and get everyone to send it around their contacts. You can
also approach the university and different schools within the University to ask
them to forward the email to all of their members.
Posters and Leaflets - We will send you a poster and leaflets via email which
you can print out and distribute around the University.
Lecture Shout Outs - The best way to raise awareness about the event is
face to face. Giving lectures shouts outs is a great way to talk to a lot of
people at once. We can send you ppt presentations, notes of lecture shout
outs and links to videos.
Organising fundraising events
Marrow’s function to raise funds is equally as important as recruiting donors. It
costs approx. £100 to recruit a new donor onto the register so it’s vital to raise
funds to facilitate this process for all the wonderful donors you recruit!
Events that work best
Existing Marrow groups host a huge variety of successful fundraising events.
It is normally best to keep things fun but simple and to start with what you are
looking to raise and work your way back. Different groups have different
strengths and contacts to make use of use. It is advisable to play to these
strengths and ensure you work well as a team to organise fundraisers. Here is
a list of some of the most popular events
-
Bag pack at local supermarket
Bucket shakes in town centres, train stations and other high footfall
areas
Bake sales
Auctions
Quiz nights
Sponsorship for events
Karaoke night
Your contact for fundraising is Clare McTaggart. Please contact Clare when
you are setting your group up for further details on legal issues and
guidelines. We are here to support you every step up the way with your
fundraising goals. Please see appendices for how to guides for some of the
above.
Getting the Group Registered
At your training session and your first event we will take you through the
committee positions.
Committee Details
Once you have had your first event and decided on roles for your committee
you will need to fill out a ‘Marrow Committee Group Form’ SO that we have all
of your committee details. [See appendix 3 for Committee Details]
Marrow Email Address
You will also need to set up and then monitor a main email for your Marrow
Group. This should follow the format [your university [email protected]] this
email will then be added to our main contact list and we will use it to keep you
up to date.
We will then give you your group’s Username and Password which will allow
you to order supplies for your events.
Grant
Once you have registered as a group you will be able to apply for a grant for
the year to run recruitment and fundraising events. You will need to set up a
group bank account to do this. Please contact us for help with getting this
organised.
Thank you for looking into setting up a group. We are here to support you
each step of the way.
5. Appendix.
1. Marrow Information and Training session Promotion.
For this to be a success you need to get as many volunteers as possible
involved.
Please forward the following email to as many people as possible. You can
also target people who particularly might like to be involved in volunteering of
this nature. [Bio-Science, Sociology, Pharmacy, Nursing] If you could let the
Volunteer Manager at the University know and ask them to advertise to their
volunteer network.
‘Could you help save the lives of people with leukaemia?
Every 20 minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer but it only takes20
minutes to sign up to Anthony Nolan Live saving stem cell register!
Marrow is a student volunteer group that saves the lives of people with
leukaemia by giving students the chance to join up to the Anthony Nolan
register.
There are Marrow groups within 41 Universities in the UK and we are setting
up a group ##### University.
Being involved in Marrow not only means you are volunteering for a great
cause but is also a lot of fun and looks great on your CV.
Come along to find out more about who we are and what we do and train in
volunteering with us
AT #######
ON ########
Joining up to the Anthony Nolan is easy and just involves filling out an
application form and giving a saliva sample.
For more information visit… www.anthonynolan.org/marrow
If you could also set up a Facebook group and an event for the training
session giving this info. As well as asking all your friends to forward it on you
can also ask big facebook groups at the University to pass on the details such
as the Student Union Facebook groups.
If you could also forward the link to the group to the coordinator helping you
set up the group then we can answer any medical queries should they come
up.
2. Recruitment Event Promotion
Facebook and Email Blurb.
Be a match, Save a life!
By joining the Anthony Nolan register you could be the unique match to save
someone’s life!
Every 20 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer and for
many of these patients a blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor is
there last chance of life.
Anthony Nolan finds matches for two patients every day but for every person
we find a match for there is another one we can’t find a match for.
You can join the register
At
On
Joining the register is easy all you need to do is
Fill in an application
Chat with one of our trained volunteers
Give a small saliva sample
If you ever become a match, most people donate in a way which is similar to
giving blood.
Find out more at www.anthonynolan.org
3. Marrow Committee
President - Chairs committee meetings, oversees everything to make sure
that it happens on time, meets with external body’s e.g. medical school and
Anthony Nolan regarding Marrow issues and does all the things no one else
wants to!
Recruitment Event Co-ordinator- Organises running recruitment events.
They book the venue, liaise with Anthony Nolan to make sure that the
equipment is delivered and blood samples and forms are returned safely and
ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day.
Training Officer - Organises counsellor training sessions and continues to
monitor counsellors to make sure that they are competent and adhering to
Anthony Nolan’s guidelines
Secretary- Takes minutes at the meetings and looks after the mail bases
Treasurer- Makes sure all our finances are in order and looks after the bank
account
Cultural Diversity Officer- Specifically targets ethnic minorities and attempts
to boost their representation on the register
Social Secretary- Organises social events for the committee and counsellors.
Helps with fundraising events
Publicity- Raise awareness of Marrow, Anthony Nolan and the Anthony
Nolan register. Make sure recruitment events are well publicised and help to
publicise fundraising events
Fundraising –Think up ideas and organise fundraising events
The committee is very flexible and works together to get things done so all the
roles overlap and most people end up doing a bit of everything. Most
importantly we all enjoy what we do and get the most out of the wonderful
experiences that we gain from working for such a great cause!
Fundraising Appendix
HOW TO - organise a street collection
Street collections are a great way to raise money, especially when you have
lots of volunteers. It’s amazing what we can do with lots of small change! For
very little expense you can make a great impact. Why not have all the
collectors in fancy dress? or tell a joke for each donation? Street collections
are also a great way to tell the public about Anthony Nolan and what a
difference their spare change could make to someone’s life.
Private collections
Collections on private property, like stadiums, train stations, shopping centres
or supermarkets are arranged by getting permission from whoever owns the
building or space. They will give you an agreed date, time and spot to stand.
Public collections
If you want to hold a collection in a public place, you will need to get a Public
Collection Licence. These are obtained from the local council and are usually
very straightforward.
Your Regional Fundraising Manager can answer any specific questions you
might have on street collections as each council application and rules will vary
but here are some top tips:
Making the application:
 Choose your dates carefully, select dates when you will get the most
volunteers, avoid exams and holidays
 Apply early as collections around key dates like Christmas fill up
quickly
 Permission is usually only given to registered charities. As Marrow is
not a registered charity you should apply as Anthony Nolan, our charity
number is 803716 in England & Wales and SCO38827 in Scotland.
 Applications often ask for an accountant who will certify the proceeds
of the collection
 You may need to nominate someone to be in charge on the day.
Look after your collectors
 Make sure everyone knows where to meet and how long they
are collecting for. Enthuse them about Marrow and Anthony
Nolan so they can talk about our lifesaving work.
 Be clear about what they can claim in travel and lunch
expenses.
 Provide sealed collection buckets and stickers – available
through your Regional Fundraising Manager.
 Swap contact numbers on the day so you can stay in touch
throughout the collection.
 Make sure you know about any medical conditions of your
volunteers.
 Take a copy of the permit with you on the day.
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Remind them that in any threatening situation they must put their own
safety first.
In Scotland special rules apply and cash must be banked in
accordance with the Public Charitable Collections (Scotland)
Regulations 1984
After the collection
 Hopefully you will have collected lots of cash but its important you get it
counted and banked as soon as possible.
 You will need banking bags and volunteers to help count the money (or
a coin sorter)
 You’ll need a secure venue for the count, consider how you will
transport the buckets there from the collection and where you will store
it overnight.
 At least two people should be present during the count.
 Make a record of the amount you have collected and have this certified
if required in the council application
 Do not make any deductions from the collection, any agreed expenses
can be taken from your Grant.
 Bank the money directly into the Anthony Nolan account and let your
Regional Fundraising Manager know immediately.
 You will need to complete the council return form and send it to
Anthony Nolan who will confirm receipt of the money, sign off the form
and return it to the council. This process usually has to be completed
within 28 days of the collection.
 Remember to thank your volunteers, let them know how much the
collection raised and what you have coming up next.
HOW TO - organise a bag pack
Bag packs in supermarkets are another easy way to raise some quick cash.
You will need to ask for permission from the supermarket manager and you
may need a letter of authority from Anthony Nolan to confirm you are known
to us.
Bag packs are often booked up for months in
advance so apply early.
Ask your regional fundraiser for collection
buckets and reseals, make sure everyone is
wearing their Marrow t-shirt and remember to
say thank you for donations!
HOW TO - organise a raffle
Raffles are where someone pays cash to take part to win a prize, the prizes
are allocated to participants, and the allocation of prizes is completely
random.
You are most likely to organise a “small lottery”, this is a raffle that are
organised as part of another event like a charity evening or a sporting event.
Small lotteries can be held without the need for a licence if the lottery meets
certain conditions. The main ones are as follows:
1. The lottery is being held as part of a main event/ entertainment such as
a gala dinner or concert;
2. The proceeds of the lottery, after deducting certain specified expenses,
must be used for charitable purposes (along with the proceeds of the
main event/entertainment);
3. The tickets can only be sold on the premises during the course of the
event/ entertainment. The winner must be announced during the
course of the event;
4. No more than £250 of raffle proceeds can be spent on buying prizes,
there is no financial limit on donated prizes;
5. No money prizes can be awarded;
6. Tickets must not be sold to anyone under 16; and
7. Tickets must not be sold in a public street.
These raffles don’t need specially printed tickets or a licence as long as each
ticket carries an equal chance of winning.
You can source raffle prizes from local businesses, try approaching ones who
have a big student audience e.g. bars, cinemas, bookstores, shops and
takeaways.
If you have any queries about holding a raffle please contact your regional
fundraising manager.
HOW TO - complete a grant application
You may be able to apply for funding from other student groups and societies
at your University e.g. RAG, Medical Revue. Some will have application forms
for you to complete and others will have less formal decision making
processes. Remember to check any local rules about fundraising which may
apply at your university.
You may be asked to explain how you will spend any funding received and
you are obliged to spend it in this way. If they only give out small amounts you
could apply for support towards a fundraising event or organising a donor
recruitment clinic. For larger amounts we suggest you apply for funding to add
new donors to the register.
Top tips for applying for funding:
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Read the guidelines thoroughly and think about what the funder (e.g.
RAG) wants to hear, not what you want to say
Tailor what you write to each funder, don’t try to use a ‘one size fits all’
application – they will notice!
Tell the story – be factual (and not emotionally manipulative) but use
case studies and real life to illustrate your case for support
Check your facts and make sure you’re using the most up to date stats
(see Anthony Nolan key messages)
Don’t use jargon or assume any prior knowledge – most people don’t
know about stem cell donation etc
Ask someone else (ideally someone who doesn’t know about Anthony
Nolan or Marrow) to read it through and give an honest opinion on
whether they would choose to support you
HOW TO - organise an event
Every event is different but here is a quick checklist to get you started.
Remember that your Regional Fundraising Manager is on hand to give advice
and support.
Planning:
 Think of a fantastic fundraising idea that will appeal to other students
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Check out other events, what is popular, are you in direct competition
with other events?
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Be realistic about things, think carefully about how much you can
charge for tickets, how many people to expect.
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Think through your budget for the event to check that you are not
spending more than you will receive. Keep all your receipts as you will
need to record this expenditure when you are reporting back. Your
Regional Fundraising Manager can give you some guidance on this.
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Plan your publicity – make use of social networking to spread the word,
its free! Can you use university message boards, intranets, ads on uni
TV & radio? We can provide you with poster & flyer templates.
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Set up an online sponsor page for your Marrow group and make sure
everyone knows about. And with the new text giving option, if people
turn up at your event and haven’t got the entry fee – they can text it to
you!
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Get your paperwork in order – risk assessment, insurance licences,
permits, first aid and emergency contingency plan. You may need to
advise the emergency services if you are organising an event which
could result in lots of traffic, parking issues etc
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Order any materials you may need from Anthony Nolan e.g. collection
cans etc
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Recruit some volunteers to help – give them clear guidance on what is
expected of them, whether they can claim expenses etc
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If it’s a sponsored event, be clear with your participants how you will
collect in sponsorship, set deadline dates etc. If it’s a ticketed event or
you will collect lots of cash at the event think about where you will store
it securely before it is banked.
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It is useful to look at the Institute of Fundraising Code of practice “The
Handling of cash and other financial donations.
During the event:
 Appoint someone in overall charge of the event. Make sure everyone
knows who this is.
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Look after your participants and volunteers – make sure they are safe,
catered for if necessary, exchange contact numbers if they are out on
the streets.
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Take a copy of your contingency plan with you
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Good luck and enjoy it!
After your event:
 Say thank you – to your participants, volunteers, landlords, property
owners, suppliers etc
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Collect in and bank your money as soon as possible – don’t leave it
sitting around.
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Finalise your budgets – compare your budget plans to your actual –
how did you get on? Better than expected we hope!!
Share - let us know how you got on and tell your participants and volunteers –
its great to know you’ve been part of a successful event.
HOW TO - fundraise safely & legally
It is your responsibility to ensure that your event runs safely and legally.
These checklists should help you consider all aspects of organising your
fundraising events.
Be Safe
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You will need to carry out a risk assessment before the event to make
sure everyone involved, volunteers, participants, spectators, are safe.
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Make sure that everyone involved is aware of levels of fitness required,
any potential risks associated with the activity.
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You are responsible for supervising your event adequately, if children
are involved you need to ensure that they remain the responsibility of
their parents.
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Check with your Regional Fundraising Manager that your activity is
covered by Public Liability Insurance.
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Transfer any money you have raised to Anthony Nolan immediately.
Be Legal
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Check that you have all the necessary licences, permits and consents
for your event. This may include permission from the venue owner or
licences from the local council for street collections.
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If you are serving food at an event you will need to comply with food
safety regulations and follow good food hygiene procedures.
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Check if you need to obtain a temporary licence to serve alcohol at
venues without their own licence.
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Ensure that
any personal information you receive about your
participants remains confidential
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If you take photographs at your event make sure that you have
permission before publishing them on facebook etc
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Please contact Clare with any other enquiries concerning legalities for
fundraising.
Best of luck and if you have any questions or would like to chat through your
plans please contact us on [email protected] or 0303 303 3000 or
contact your Regional Fundraising Manager directly. (contact details are in
your pack)
Useful websites:
www.how2fundraise.org – wide range of advice and ideas from the Institute of
Fundraising
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk – for fundraising codes of practice
www.charitycommission.gov.uk - what makes charitable activity legal
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk - for information on lotteries
www.hse.gov.uk - for risk assessments and if you are planning to serve food
and
drink
at
your
event
www.ico.gov.uk - find out about how to protect the confidentiality of people’s
contact details under the Data Protection Act
www.prsformusic.com - If you will be playing recorded music you will need to
contact
PRS.
www.direct.gov.uk – for contact details of your local council to apply for food
hygiene certificate, public collection permits etc