FUNDRAISING PACK
1
WELCOME
On behalf of everyone at Ambitious about Autism, a huge thank you for deciding
to join our mission, to make the ordinary possible for children and young people
with autism, by fundraising for us.
Your fundraising will make a huge difference to the 1 in 100 children and young
people with autism across the UK. It is due to support from people like you that
we are able to continue our vital work and achieve our ambitions.
Whatever events you have lined up, be it cake sales, quiz nights or football
tournaments, every penny you raise will make a huge difference to children and
young people with autism across the UK, including the pupils at TreeHouse
School. It is due to support from people such as you that we are able to continue
our vital work and achieve our ambitions.
Jolanta Lasota
Chief Executive
Contents
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About us
Why we need your help
Living with Autism
How you can make a difference
How to set up online fundraising
Asking for sponsorship
Be ambitious about your fundraising
Keeping it safe and legal
Boost your fundraising
Promoting your fundraising
How to send us the money you’ve raised
Celebrate your achievement!
Press release template
About us…
Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young people with
autism. We provide services, raise awareness and understanding, and campaign
for change. We exist to enable children and young people with autism to learn,
thrive and achieve. Through TreeHouse School and Ambitious Support we offer
specialist education and support.
Our ambition is to make the ordinary possible for more children and young
people with autism.
What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects 1 in 100 people in the
UK. It affects the way a person communicates and how they experience the
world around them.
Autism is described as a spectrum condition. This means that while people with
autism – including Asperger’s Syndrome – share certain characteristics, they will
be highly individual in their needs and preferences. Some people with autism are
able to live relatively independent lives but others may face additional challenges
– including learning disabilities – which affect them so profoundly that they need
support in many areas.
We are here to help…
This pack contains many useful fundraising tips and advice about how to get
started with your fundraising and ensure that it is both enjoyable and successful.
We have many novice fundraisers taking part in our challenge events each year
who reach and often far exceed their targets.
If you have any questions or need further advice, please contact the Events
Team on 0208 815 5431 or [email protected] - they will
be more than happy to answer your questions and get you started.
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Why we need your help…
1 in 100 children have autism, a neurological disorder which has no cure
There are around 100,000 children with autism in the UK
1 in 5 children with autism has been excluded from school
Over 40% of children with autism have been bullied at school
Many families with autism live in poverty as it costs on average three times more
to raise a child with a severe impairment than a non-disabled child
Only 15% of adults with autism are in paid work
Caring for a child with autism puts a huge strain on families and parents are 60%
more likely to divorce
Only 11% of parents who have children with autism work full time, and 70% say
the lack of appropriate care facilities stops them working
Over 50% of teachers in schools in England have not been trained to teach and
support children and young people with autism
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Living with autism…
Alison: My sons' experiences in
school
Every parent of a child with autism has a different
experience. I have two children with autism, Cian and
his younger brother Conor.
Cian was five when he was diagnosed. He was at a
mainstream school at the time and we were really
lucky to get him into a local autism-specific school. I
was expecting Conor at the time Cian was diagnosed. I
remember saying to one of the mums that it was
unlikely that the baby would have autism too. But she
told me that both of her sons had autism. I didn’t think
too much about it until two years later, which is when
Conor stopped speaking. Conor changed from being a really sociable little boy. He knew
everyone’s names, even the cat’s name. He used to stand at the backdoor and say
‘outside’ and blow kisses to say goodbye. Now you’re lucky if you get a wave.
By the time he was three he had lost all of his words and was completely away in his
own world. Conor was attending a special needs nursery, as the brother of a child with
autism, he was in the best place to be diagnosed and get the support that he needed.
Unfortunately this is far from the experience of many families. Conor’s original diagnosis
was a ‘severe learning disability with autistic features’. I wanted Conor to go to Cian’s
school and was devastated to be told that he was not able enough to go there. I felt as
though I had lost my bright little boy. He was regressing and his behaviour became more
and more challenging and unpredictable.
The most upsetting aspect was his self-injuring behaviours – the hand biting and head
butting. He used to lie down in the bathroom and just bang his head against the floor.
Not even the Clinical Psychologist knew why he was doing it. There was also the
aggression – the head butting other people (he once broke my nose) hitting, punching
and biting (he also once bit my face).I was black and blue and the effects of all this were
putting huge amounts of stress on the family. It limited our freedom and the amount of
time I could spend with Cian. I began considering a residential school for Conor. He is
now in his second year at TreeHouse School and has learnt to communicate using a
picture exchange system which he uses at home as well as at school. Conor now has
the tools to communicate so the self-injury and anger happen much less frequently.
My big concern, now that Conor is coming up to 16, is what is next for him. Cian, who is
at the more ‘able’ end of the autism spectrum, went to mainstream college and studied
drama and social skills. It wasn’t perfect but at least he could see a future for himself.
But for Conor, who is less able, and other young people like him, there is a real lack of
provision when they reach 19.
I just want the same as all other parents – for my son to continue making progress in a
setting that suits him and where staff has the expertise to support him. I know that with
the right opportunity and support he can continue to learn and move towards a more
independent and fulfilling life.
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How you can make a difference…
Here are some examples of how the money you raise can make a difference to
children and young people with autism…
£10 could support half an hour of our online
community forum – Talk about Autism. This
service provides a vital platform for parents,
carers and young people with autism to support
each other and share their story.
£25 could fund one hour of outreach to support children with autism in
mainstream early education settings, helping to reduce the 40% of children who
are bullied and 27% who currently will face exclusion at least once.
£75 could fund one day of advocacy for a young
person, to help them transition to adulthood and
give them a voice to influence the provision of
further education, health, social care and housing.
£100 could pay for a family to attend a day’s
resilience training, helping families to deal with
challenging behaviour and stay together.
£150 could fund the assessment of a child under the age of 5 with complex
needs, enabling them to get the right support as soon as possible. Early
intervention can make a real difference to a child’s language and social skills,
giving them the best start and avoiding any lost years.
£600 could fund our Ambitious Support Service for one day – the support
team provide specialist support to young people with autism aged 19-25 enabling
them to learn, be healthy, enjoy and achieve in their own communities.
£1250 could fund one week’s autism training for
teachers, enabling them to better support the
70% of children with autism in mainstream
education. Currently over half of teachers have
not had the specific training they need to support
children with autism.
£2320 could pay for four TreeHouse School pupils
to spend a week at an autism friendly
residential activities centre where they will have the chance to experience
staying away from home, often for the first time and can get involved in a wide
range of exciting outdoor activities with their peers.
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How to set up an online fundraising page…
Setting up a fundraising page couldn’t be simpler. We have put together some
simple steps to ensure your online fundraising page is up and running so that you
can start fundraising!
Simply go to Virgin Money Giving or Just Giving and select which type
of event you’re taking part in.
Option 1:
Visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/ to
set up your online fundraising page
Option 2:
Visit http://www.justgiving.com to set up your
online fundraising page
Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your personal fundraising page
in less than 5 minutes – don’t forget to select Ambitious about Autism as
your chosen charity!
You can personalise your page by uploading photos and by writing a
paragraph about why you are fundraising for us – people always like to
hear why your chosen charity is so important to you.
Set yourself a fundraising target. Be ambitious, aim high and let people
know that with their help, you will achieve your target! Pages with a visible
target raise on average 60% more than those that don’t.
Don’t forget to send us the link to your fundraising page so we can
celebrate your achievements with you!
Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving will email you and your sponsors
whenever a donation is made through your page so you can keep track of
how much you’ve raised and thank your family and friends.
The funds will come directly to Ambitious about Autism so there’s no
paperwork for you!
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Asking for sponsorship…
Getting started is often the hardest part so here are a few ideas to help get you
going! Have a look at the diagram below and see if you can apply it to your social
connections. It might help you visualise reaching your target by writing your own
list of personal contacts. When you start to think about it, you’ll be amazed at
how many people you can approach for support.
TOP TIP: If you work for a company, don’t forget to ask if they have a
matched giving policy or another employee fundraising scheme. This often
gives our fundraisers that extra boost they need to get them over the line!
Neighbours
School,
College
and
University
Suppliers/
Clients
Your
Place
of
Worship
Community
YOU
Your
Local
Pub/ Bar
Friends
Colleagues
Family
Sports or
Social
Club
Start by asking everyone you know – the more people you ask, the more you will
raise! You may find that people who are close to you, either personally or
professionally, are quite happy to sponsor you. However approaching people
who you don’t know can be more difficult. To raise the additional money, try
organising an event. Think of activities that you and your friends enjoy, and it is
likely that others will enjoy it too and want to take part to help you reach your
target.
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Be ambitious about your fundraising…
Fundraising is an excellent opportunity to organise fun activities for your friends,
family and colleagues. Here is an example of you reaching your target:
Everyone loves a good pub so why not hold a quiz night with raffle
£100
Everyone loves fancy dress, so why not hold an ‘Ambitious Dress
up Day’. Ask your work colleagues to make a donation and dress up
as what they wanted to be when they grew up. The best dressed
could win a prize!
£250
Two car boot sales (get your family and friends to have a clear out!)
£250
Ask friends and family to take part in a local sponsored walk/fun run
or maybe even organise your own
£250
Host a Dinner party for 15 friends who each pay £10.
£150
Ask 10 close friends to write to everyone they know
£300
Come Dine with Me…at lunchtime! Ask your work colleagues to
bring in a dish to share and charge everyone an entry fee to join in
with the lunch
£300
Host a clothes swap party for all of your friends; provide them with
drinks and nibbles and charge an entry fee at the door. You can
swap anything books, toys and sports equipment.
£100
Host your very own talent show and ask your friends to showcase
their hidden talents and charge an entry fee for the audience
members.
£250
Ask 10 business clients or suppliers for £30
£100
Get your sporty friends together and realise your ambition of being a
superstar footballer by holding a 5 – a – side football tournament.
£150
Hold a skills auction where you rope in friends who can donate their
skills for free
Place collection boxes in 5 shops
TOTAL
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£200
£100
£2500
Keeping it Safe and Legal…
We are so grateful to you for giving your time and energy to fundraise for
Ambitious about Autism. Additionally, your safety and wellbeing during these
activities is our priority. With this in mind, please follow these basic guidelines to
ensure that your fundraising activity is safe and legal.
Health and safety
•
•
•
Before organising any fundraising event, you must consider health and safety
requirements. Conducting a risk assessment will ensure that you have
planned for the safety of participants and will help to identify strategies
needed to prevent accidents from occurring.
It is important to ensure child participants are adequately supervised
throughout your event.
Consider what insurance you might need for your event.
www.how2fundraise.org
Raffles and lotteries
•
•
There are strict and complex laws relating
to raffles and lotteries; no cash prizes can
be given, no more than £250 can be spent
on prizes and the ticket sales and
announcing of the results must be held
during the event
Full guidance is available from your local
authority or the Gaming Board; for more
details please visit:
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
Food hygiene
•
It is important to ensure that you take great care when preparing food. Follow
the basic rules for preparing, storing, cooking and displaying food to avoid
any
poorly
tummies!
You
can
find
more
information
at:
http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/
Licences
•
10
You will need to check whether you need a licence from your local authority
before you organise your fundraising event. Providing alcohol or
entertainment, such as live music, showing a film or an indoor sporting event
must be licensed. Putting up banners and selling goods in a public place will
also require a licence, as will any public street collection or collections on
public property. Please contact your local authority to arrange for a licence to
be issued. You can find more information about this at:
www.gov.uk/browse/business/licences
Boost your fundraising…
Set a precedent
Try to get payment upfront to half the effort, and ALWAYS start each sponsorship
form with a generous sponsor as this will set a high standard
for the rest. (It really does work!)
Gift Aid It and make your donation worth more!
Always ask your sponsors to tick the Gift Aid box on the
sponsorship form if they are a UK tax payer. This means that
for every £1 that you raise, we can claim an extra 25 pence from the Inland
Revenue – so your £10 becomes £12.50 without any extra effort!
Getting it right…
To ensure Ambitious about Autism is able to claim Gift Aid, ensure your sponsors
complete the sponsorship form in full – including their surname, first name (or
initials) and full residential address (including postcode).
By ticking the Gift Aid box, they are agreeing to the declaration printed on the
sponsorship form.
We have included some sponsorship forms in this pack. However, if you
require any more, please contact The Events Team.
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Promoting your fundraising event…
Word of mouth
This may seem obvious, but simply spreading the word is the easiest and most
effective way of promoting your fundraising activities. Tell your friends,
neighbours, social club, gym, local shops or office what you are doing and why.
Telling people face to face can make your efforts seem more genuine and will
motivate people to help you reach your target.
Email
Email your friends, family and colleagues to ask them for support. Don’t forget to
include the link to your online fundraising page so that they know how to sponsor
you! You might also want to include some information about the charity you are
fundraising for and remember to let them know why you need their support and
how it will make a difference.
Social media
A great way to get in touch with people is through Facebook and Twitter.
Make the most out of your network of friends by posting a link to your fundraising
page on Facebook or by spreading the word on Twitter.
We would love to hear about your fundraising efforts too – so please follow us
@AmbitiousAutism
Be sure to like our Facebook page and please send us your twitter name!
On average, 20% of donations are received after the event date so remember to
send everyone your page again once you have completed your challenge. Add
some extra content to your page like photos from the day and how gruelling you
found the challenge!
TOP TIP: BLOG People are more generous and willing to support when
you keep them updated with your progress and the name of the charity.
Create a blog to keep your donors or potential donors informed of your latest
challenges and training anecdotes, pictures and video clips.
Local media
A great way of
spreading the word and attracting more sponsors is
through your local media. Local newspapers, radio and TV stations are always
interested in stories about local residents taking part in activities. We have
included a press release template in this pack which you can fill in and send to
your local media. Remember to include some photos and the link to your online
giving page.
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How to send us the money you’ve raised…
Once your fundraising events are over, please send us the total amount that you
have raised so that we can put your wonderful support to good use!
Paying in the money you’ve raised couldn’t be simpler and can be done in four
ways:
Online
To pay in any money you have collected through your fundraising events, you
can make an online payment with your credit/debit card through our website by
visiting: http://www.justgiving.com/ambitiousaboutautism/donate
By post
Send a cheque payable to “Ambitious about Autism” to:
The Pears National Centre for Autism
Education
Woodside Avenue
London
N10 3JA
Over the phone
Call us on 0208 815 5444 and ask for the
Fundraising team to pay with your credit/debit
card.
By Bank Transfer
If you would like to transfer the money through your bank account, please contact
the Fundraising Team who will provide you with more details.
Some tips about paying in money:
•
Remember to keep accurate records of your sponsors and donations
•
Please do not send cash in the post. You can use the donation form
included in this pack when paying in money.
•
Remember to reference any cheques or bank transfers by stating your
name and the challenge event you have taken part in.
•
Remember to send us your sponsorship form so we can claim Gift Aid.
This means we can claim an extra 25% on every donation – at no extra cost
to you or your sponsors! You can post your sponsorship form to the above
address.
Please note - we have included sponsorship forms and donation forms in this
pack. More documents are available upon request. For any other support
materials that are not included in his pack, please contact The Events Team on
0208 815 5431 or [email protected]
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Celebrate your achievement!
You have put time and effort into organising your fundraising event and
after all your hard work, don’t forget to celebrate your achievements!
Fundraising is not always easy and you should certainly not let your
efforts go unnoticed!
Thank your supporters…
Make sure you thank those that have sponsored you and let them
know how much you have raised. Write letters or use email,
Facebook and Twitter to boast about your fantastic achievement people who have donated always like to know how much you’ve
raised and whether you have reached your target.
Stay in touch…
Please keep in touch with us after your event…we would love to hear from you
and find out how it went, whether you enjoyed it and what you got out of it.
Photos and videos…
If you have taken any photos or even a video of your event, please send them to
us. We would love to see you in action and could share these with other
supporters through a news story on our website.
Spread the word…
Contact your local newspaper and ask if they would be interested in running a
story on your fundraising success. Make sure you include some photos – proof
that you really did put yourself through it and aren’t just looking for praise!
We hope this pack has given you some
inspiration and some handy tips to help you
have a successful, fulfilling and fun
experience!
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Template Press Release
[Insert date]
Day, month, year
[Enter headline]
Fundraisers from [insert town name] raises vital funds for Ambitious about
Autism
[Insert information about your event – who, what, where, when, why and how]
[When] From Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 September 2013, [who] James Smith
[where] from Highgate [what] will be taking part in the Bordeaux to Paris cycle
[why] to support Ambitious about Autism, the national charity for children and
young people with autism.
[How]
More detail about your event and how much money you are raising.
[Why]
Ambitious about Autism provides information, training and support, runs a range
of high-quality services including TreeHouse School and campaigns to make the
ordinary possible for children and young people with autism.
[Name of fundraiser taking part in the event] says:
“Supporting Ambitious about Autism is very important to me because everyone
knows some who has been affected by autism. [If you have a personal and
emotive reason for supporting the charity and you are happy to share this, please
and your quote here] I’m really looking forward to the challenge and raising
money for Ambitious about Autism.
Notes to Editor:
•
•
15
1 in 100 children have autism. Autism is a lifelong neurological condition
which affects communication, social understanding and behaviour.
Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young
people with autism – www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk. Its flagship
service is TreeHouse School. The charity was formerly known as
TreeHouse Trust.