5 easy steps to boost your fundraising sponsorship!

Here’s our step by step guide to make you feel confident asking for sponsorship. We understand it’s tough for so many people at the moment with the rising cost of energy, fuel and food so fundraising might feel hard. But hopefully we’ll be able to give you some practical advice that makes the task feel less daunting and help you on your fundraising journey!

If you follow these simple 5 steps you should be well on your way to reach your fundraising target and maybe even smash your sponsorship goals!

1. Set a goal

Setting a goal that you want to reach helps to keep you focused and consistently motivated through your fundraising.

If you’ve signed up to one of our events you’ll already be aware if there’s a minimum sponsorship amount, we often suggest an achievable fundraising amount for our events to help guide you. Of course – this is just a guideline so why not add on an extra 10% of that goal to help push yourself even further?

If you’re organising your own event – or taking part in an event with no minimum target – then why not set your own goal? This should help keep you focused on the good cause you’ve chosen to support. You can sometimes loose focus while you’re fundraising and forget that the sponsorship money will be going to help real local people who need support – so it’s a good idea to link the amount you want to raise to something tangible. This will help you keep in mind the reason you’re raising money for charity!

For instance:

• If you raised £200 then your donation could fund a sibling activity day for children who have a brother or sister with a life-limiting condition, so they can have fun, express themselves, and make friends with others who understand.
• If you raised £500 then your donation could pay for two nurses to support a family following the death of their child, helping them to plan the funeral and to say their final goodbyes.   
• If you raised £1000 then you’d be raising enough for a child to stay at the House for  24–hours, exploring the woodland walk, relaxing in the multi-sensory room or getting messy with arts and crafts whilst their complex medical needs are taken care of.

2. Know your stuff!

Maybe not everyone you’re asking for sponsorship from knows about the importance of hospice care. Why not link them to our webpage on the impact of your donations to help people understand why the money your raising is so vital and important.

Here’s some quick facts you can use on your JustGiving page or if you share your story on social media.

• Since opening, Chestnut Tree House has cared for over 455 bereaved families. 
• Last year our Community Nursing team made over 1000 visits to poorly children in their homes.
• The cost of providing all of our care services is over £4 million a year, with only 15% of this coming from central government. (This means we need to raise £3,400,000 every year!)

3. Spread the word

Now for the (seemingly) tricky bit, getting your message out there and asking for sponsorship! We know it can feel a bit awkward to ask people for their support and you might be feeling like you don’t want to become a nuisance, but most people are happy to be asked even if they can’t spare anything at the moment.

Did you know that research suggests that spending money on others actually makes us happier than if we spend the money on ourselves? As a species we love to give to others and it makes us feel good about ourselves too, so you never have to feel bad about asking for donations ever again!

First off – why not get the ball rolling yourself with the first £20. Research shows that people are more likely to give larger amounts if they can see that the person before them has made a large donation. By adding £20 into the pot – you’re setting a president for the next person’s donation!

Secondly – You can start asking friends and family. These people are already invested in you and your personal goals, they may also already know why you want to raise money for charity – so most of the hard work is already done for you! If money’s tight, you could also suggest that instead of them giving you a birthday present like usual, they make a donation to your cause.

The third step is to reach out to your wider social circle and use social media. The average Facebook user has 338 friends, so if everyone donated JUST 50p each you’d already be over £150 up! Remember to tell everyone why you’re so passionate about the cause – and let them know that all amounts are extremely welcome – even just 50p!

4. Consider the bigger picture

Once you’ve approached all the people you do know – it’s time to approach some people you don’t know! Here’s a few ways you can get your message out there, further than just your friends and family.

• Promote yourself online – Why not post about what you’re doing in a local Facebook group or within a community that are related to your cause? For instance if you’re running your first 10k,then why not join a few running social groups and post about it. (Make sure you read the group’s rules before you do this – as some will ask you not to do any self-promotion).
• Posters and flyers – If online isn’t really your thing, then you can always download our poster template. If you’re planning on putting on a fundraising event, like a bake sale or pub quiz, then make sure you’ve got some snazzy visuals and enticing offer to get people though the door. Have a look for community notice boards to pin up your poster, and why not have a chat to some local businesses – see if they’re happy to put your poster up?
• Get in touch with us – We often have news article features written about our amazing fundraisers. Contact us if you have an interesting story behind your fundraising and we’ll always see if we can get you in the local (and even national news) putting your story in front of hundreds of people.
• Use your email – Turn your daily emails into a golden opportunity! If you have  a professional email address you probably have an email signature. By adding some nice visuals and a link to your JustGiving page you’ll be getting your message across to lots of people everyday.
• Write a blog – Flex your creative writing skills and keep a blog of your progress. If you’re taking on a big challenge – then you’re probably doing lots of training. How has the challenge made you feel? What’s been your highest moment? What’s been the trickiest part so far and what’s surprised you? By connecting emotionally with people – they’ll be much more inclined to support your fundraising!

Remember – no amount is too small, so if someone can only spare a few pounds, it all adds up and even small amounts can make a big difference.

5. Say Thank You

This doesn’t sound like a strategy to get sponsorship – but it really works! Just by showing how grateful you are for a donation people are inclined to donate again. It might not be for the same fundraiser – but they’ll definitely be more likely to donate to your next charitable fundraiser! Try to make your ‘thank you’ message as personal as possible and don’t forget to update every one of your supporters after your fundraiser is over.