Fundraising ideas

Here are some of the other ways ADSHG members and supporters have raised money for us in the past.

• Collection boxes placed with community centres, cafes, shops
• School awareness days
• Quiz nights
• Coffee mornings
• Cake or bake sales
• Prize draws
• Auctions
• Barbecues
• Sponsored silences
• Sponsored walks
• Talent shows
• Florist’s Mother’s Day stalls
• Jazz concerts
• Dinner dances
• Shared community/church meal
• Publishing a cookery book
• Sports club memorial fundraising events
• Wedding gift charity donations
• Nominating the ADSHG for their employer's charitable grant scheme

Many firms and schools have a nominated charity of the year. Why not consider making the ADSHG your company or school’s charity of the year? We can provide further information and literature to support your application.

For many sponsored events, such as a sponsored walk, online fundraising through a web giving page will be the main way you ask for donations. You can find tips for how to create a web giving page that communicates your message persuasively on the JustGiving advice pages. The ADSHG has accounts on JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving and MyDonate.

For events where you are aiming to generate cash donations through a community event, there are hints and tips in the following sections.

The charity does not engage third party fundraisers. Neither does it operate street collection or door-to-door collections. We do not encourage any of our volunteer fundraisers to consider such approaches.

ADSHG adheres to the Code of Fundraising Practice and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

Hints and tips for:
Collection boxes and buckets

1. Get agreement from your local community centre, cafe or shop to place an ADSHG collection box on their counter.
2. Contact us for a collection box or bucket, a bank paying in slip and and a small supply of explanatory leaflets, 'About the ADSHG', to go alongside it.
3. When your collection box is full, you must open it in the presence of a witness before paying the proceeds to the ADSHG.
4. There are several ways you can remit cash donations to our charity, and the best method may depend partly on how convenient it is for you to get to a bank branch.
5. If it is convenient for you to bank the cash directly, the ADSHG can provide paying in slips. Please make sure you send an email to notify us of the amount on payments@addisons.org.uk
6. Many people find it most convenient to use their credit card to make the payment online through one of the giving websites (JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving or MyDonate).
7. Alternatively you can send a cheque to: ADSHG, PO Box 1083, Guildford GU1 9HX.
8. We can arrange to send a replacement seal, to allow you to keep using the collection box.
9. We do not encourage street collections, as Addison's is such a rare condition that few people will have heard of it – or our charity – and it can be complex to try and explain why our work is important.

Interested? Contact us now for more information.

Organising a quiz night

1. Decide what type of quiz you will be holding. Will there be a theme?
2. Decide on a date for your quiz, a venue and work out a realistic fundraising target.
3. When choosing the date, do check out if there are any wider community events that may clash.
   • Within the UK, check dates especially around sporting fixtures such as the FA Cup Final (May), Wimbledon (late June – early July), Open Championship (July) and also the Six Nations (February/March).
   • If it’s either a World Cup or an Olympic year, do plan around those schedules.

Work out how many people need to attend and how much the entry fee will be per person, to cover your venue hire and other costs, and meet your fundraising target.

• Decide if your event will be invitation only, or open to the wider public.
• Ensure your chosen venue is big enough to accommodate everyone you hope to fit in.

Think about sound systems.

• Will your quiz master need a PA system so that all participating quiz teams can hear the questions? If so, you may need to pay for this separately.

Make sure people know about your event!

• Circulate email and text invitations and reminders to friends, and advertise it on social media if it is a public event. There may be free community noticeboards you can use, especially in libraries, community centres, church halls. Local shops may be willing to place flyers on their counter.
• Local pubs and clubs who hold regular quiz nights may let you put a poster up in their pub or club. Such posters will appeal to their regular quiz players, but won’t reach your own friends and colleagues as effectively.

Plan your quiz questions! Tailor them to appeal to your intended invitees, where possible.

There are several free online websites (see The Pub Quiz Site, Ready Made Pub Quiz, Pub Quiz Reference) offering a wide selection of standard questions, and you may want the fun of making up some of your own.

A well-balanced quiz will usually have a mix of categories

• Most quizzes tend to have 5-10 rounds, each round consisting on 10 questions
• The rounds should range vary in difficulty. You might also think of having a picture round.
• Alternatively you can buy ready-made quiz packs, such as QuizNight

Have a great time on the night!

Assign the camera and responsibility for taking a photo of the quiz night in full swing to one of your helpers.

After the event, try to to send a short press release to your local newspaper, mentioning the amount raised, along with a high resolution JPG photo. Don't forget to send your press release and photo to the ADSHG for inclusion in our newsletter.

Send the donations you raised to the ADSHG: see article on collection boxes above for how to do this.

How the ADSHG can help:
The ADSHG can make available:

• Template quiz night poster
• Collection bucket for the door, with bank deposit slip
• What is Addison's posters for wall display
• About the ADSHG leaflets
• Set of Addison's-related questions, rated easy, medium and challenging.

Interested? Contact us now for more information.

Organising a coffee morning

1. Choose your venue depending upon who you want to attend. You may want to consider a church hall or community centre if it is a community event. Alternatively, you can open your home up if you are considering inviting friends.
2. Publicise the event. If it is a public venue, you may want to put up posters on community noticeboards. You could also consider using social media and the local media. Let people know it is fundraising for a medical charity.
3. Invite people by email, text or printed invitations. If it is in your own home, consider inviting your neighbours from further up and street, as well as those immediately next door.
4. Consider buying some goods as well as making your own. Local supermarkets or bakeries may be willing to donate some items for your charity event.
5. Position the collection or donation box in a prominent place and suggest an amount for attending.
6. Ask for help with hosting, baking, pouring coffee, answering the door and welcoming guests. Don’t be shy about delegating tasks; people are generally happy to help.
7. Make it look beautiful. Cake stands, napkins, and flowers can all help to create a great atmosphere.
8. You may be able to arrange some extra activities around your coffee morning. You could hold a prize draw, raffle or a quick quiz, stage a tasting competition, ask people to vote for their favourite cake, or hold a jam or jumble sale.
9. Ask one of your helpers to take charge of the camera, to get a photo of the event in full swing while you are busy with your guests.
10. Promote the work of the ADSHG through a display of our leaflets and posters.
11. Make sure you have everything ready well before the publicised start time. This will enable you to greet your guests and help the day run smoothly.
12. Don’t forget to thank your guests for coming and everyone who helped on the day.
13. Send a short press release about your event to your local newspaper, mentioning the amount raised, and including a high resolution JPG photo of the occasion.
14. Don't forget to send your press release and photo to the ADSHG for inclusion in our newsletter.
15. Send the donations you raised to the ADSHG: see article on collection boxes above for how to do this.

How the ADSHG can help:
The ADSHG can make available:

• Template coffee morning poster
• Collection bucket for the door, with bank deposit slip
• What is Addison's posters for wall display
• About the ADSHG leaflets
• A sample selection of Christmas order forms, newsletter back issues

Interested? Contact us now for more information.

Organising a cake sale

1. Pick your date, where you can selecting one that coincides with other local events attracting potential buyers, such as a farmers market.
2. Work out where you will need help, perhaps with baking specific items, handling the cash, setting up and clearing away. How many of your friends or family are willing to help you, either baking in advance or on the day?
3. Identify your venue. Preferably a location with high foot traffic, perhaps a school or college grounds. Make sure you get permission before publicising your event.
4. Publicise the event via social media, local media or on community notice boards where possible. Let people know it is for a medical charity.
5. Plan ahead to ensure you have all the stands and display equipment you need. Do you have enough table top space, chairs, table cloths and a container for donations?
6. Agree with your support team who is baking what, aiming for a wide range of baked goods.
7. Think about pricing. Ask your bakers to package their goods to a set of agreed price points, say £1, £2, £5 or £9-10 for a larger, fancy item.
8. Try to have a small selection of baked goods suitable for gluten-free, egg-free and/or lactose-free customers, and make sure all baked goods containing nuts or sesame are clearly labelled. You may want to ensure some of your baked goods are also suitable for vegetarian or vegan customers, as well as those with specific food allergies and intolerances.
9. Agree how all baked goods will be packaged and ensure you have suitable bags or boxes to wrap goods separately.
10. Provide labels so that all goods can be priced and labelled clearly.
11. Ensure you have a list of all ingredients for each type of baked goods, in case of allergies among your prospective customers.
12. Put out a separate jar or bowl by the till, for people to offer their small change as a donation.
13. Assign tasks so that the work is shared as evenly as possible.
14. Assign one of your helpers the camera and responsibility for getting a good photo of the cake stall in full swing.
15. Have a specific time when the cake stall will end.
16. Clean up thoroughly.
17. Remember to thank your helpers.
18. Where possible, send a short press release to your local newspaper, mentioning the amount raised, along with a high resolution JPG of your cake stall.
19. Don't forget to send your press release and photo to the ADSHG for inclusion in our newsletter.
20. Send the donations you raised to the ADSHG: see article on collection boxes above for how to do this.

How the ADSHG can help:
The ADSHG can make available:

• Template cake stall poster
• Collection box for donations, with bank deposit slip
• What is Addison's posters for wall display
• About the ADSHG leaflets

Interested? Contact us now for more information.

ADSHG adheres to the Code of Fundraising Practice. The charity does not engage third party fundraisers. Neither does it operate street collection or door-to-door collections. We do not encourage any of our volunteer fundraisers to consider such approaches.