Help, opinions, guidence on a fundraising event for a small animal rescue (non profit

helen01234

Hello,
We are going to many large events throughout this year. Such as at Easter we are going to Harewood House Easter event which lasts 4 days.
We are struggling for ideas of what to do.
We dont have any funds to help us along, as we are non -profit and all our current money is used on keeping and feeding the guinea pigs in our care.
We currently have for the Easter event:
*Guess the name of the giant rabbit teddy (50p per go)
*Guess where the big bear lives. (weve drawn a map which is numbered and its 50p a go to guess which number he lives at)
* A raffle for which we have prizes so far...
£10 Costa Cafe voucher
Large bag of James Wellbeloved dog food (worth £50)
Beautiful basket of Dove smellies
Pet portrait (hand drawn painting of your special pet)
Pet photography session
Family 1 hour photo session where all images are copyright free
Do you think this is enough for the raffle? We are selling tickets at £1 per strip
We then have a pick a straw stand where we are giving lollies as prizes, then 5 10p prizes, 3 £2 prizes and 1 giant teddy prize. Is 50p a go ok for this do you think?
We are very much struggling to gain the help of companies. We have tried telephoning and rining but no-one is interested. We asked the supermarkets for just 5 easter eggs and have got nowhere. Can anyone offer any guidence on this? (I know Easter is probably too late to do this now but we are doing other events)
Over 20,000 visit the events we are doing so potential advertising is quite high for any companies.

Also we are selling some pet related things and other small bits which people have donated.
We also are taking along our resident bunny and our guinea pigs which requiring sponsorship due to health reasons. (they cant ever leave the rescue for this reason)
We then have lots of information leaflets and care guides to hand out for information and collection tubs.
We are restricted as obviously this is an organised event which we are joining. We cant have face painters as they are already there and the only 'game' we arent allowed is a tombola.
Can anyone offer advise on how to get more companies interested. So far really it is very small businesses or single supporters of ours who have helped us. (they have been fantastic!)
Please help!! (this is our first large event and I dont want ti to flop as we really are looking forward to gaining lots of awareness on this)
Thank you

vka1

Hello,

If you're looking for raffle przies often smaller traders are your best bet, as you've found. However, it worth approaching any local factories/distilleries and football clubs as they ususally have a stock a raffle stuff - i.e. signed footballs, boxes of biscuits.......whatever they make. Have a think about the big bussinesses in your county who make things, and send them a letter. Many companies like to support the community round thier site i.e. the places their emplyees live and work.

Your local airport is also worth a go. Or ask friends and family to ask at work for you.

Figure out how much you need to raise each year, and let people know in your letter. If you need to raise £5000 tell them why, and what for, as it means they can see they difference their money is making. How far would £10 go? Could it ffeed a guinea pig for 2 weeks, 1 month etc....

Good luck with it all. I'm sure the combination of cute animals and children attending events will be a great success for you,

V

jexygirl

For the raffle I know its alot of footwork / cost of time and calls, but as vka said call the local small buisnesses. Target restaurants and hotels - the small family owned. If we ever get called for a prize we offer a £25 voucher or something every time if its local and we simply fill in a voucher that they come and collect.

For your sponsorship, what are you offering? How much does it cost to feed one of them for a year, divide it into affordable donations (almost the price of a coffee at teh event) and you are likely to get more sponsors than needed for one animal if made at the right price, and for that they will get an email update monthly (you only need to take one pic and write a short update of progress and emailshot it to all the sponsors - costs a little time) as well as a printed certificate of thanks from the animal and yourselves perhaps 20p a copy?
As its easter, instead of facepaints, can you set up a table for egg painting? blow a load of freerange eggs (pin hole top and bottom and blow out contents and use for making a nice "guess the weight of the cake comp!) , provide cheap water based paints and brushes, and old shirts for the kids to cover clothes, and perhaps even throw in a cup of tea for the parent whilst the child paints an egg for 20+ mins? I would happily pay £3 ish for half an hour respite and a cuppa - the eggs and tea and paints will cost you perhaps £1 to sort out per child and you make 2 each one.

Perhaps have a "cuddle donation" box for the pets you are taking - if they want to cuddle the animals (provided the animals like cuddles!) then have a donation box with a big sign saying cuddles are welcome and if you can afford a donation, however small, it will make mine and my friends life better! something like that!

I am pretty sure there will be people who shoot down ideas on health and safety or whatever grounds - Im just typing away as normal!
Jex

Savvy_Sue

jexygirl wrote: »

As its easter, instead of facepaints, can you set up a table for egg painting? blow a load of freerange eggs (pin hole top and bottom and blow out contents and use for making a nice "guess the weight of the cake comp!) , provide cheap water based paints and brushes, and old shirts for the kids to cover clothes, and perhaps even throw in a cup of tea for the parent whilst the child paints an egg for 20+ mins? I would happily pay £3 ish for half an hour respite and a cuppa - the eggs and tea and paints will cost you perhaps £1 to sort out per child and you make 2 each one.

I don't want to be an old woman, but is it OK to blow eggs and let children paint them these days, or is there a salmonella risk? I know it would be teensy, but even so ...

And actually, far better IMO to hard boil the eggs before giving them out to paint: they are a lot less fragile, it's a lot less hassle to boil an egg than to blow it, and you can give out cotton wool and cress seeds and suggest they go home and neatly take the top OFF the egg, eat it (hardboiled eggs keep well, don't they?) and grow cress in it ...

I'm never sure which board some threads belong on, but over on the Charities board you will find some other ideas for stalls at fetes. Here's an old thread, there's an even older one here, but if you have plenty of space I commend Olympic Balloon Throwing ... which is the one I was looking for! I've done that one with eggs, btw, but it got very messy and silly, and I did then worry about the salmonella thing, plus I thought it was a waste of good eggs.

jexygirl

lol sue
i originally went with hard boiled, thinking robust, but editted as I figured the H&S implications of warning not to eat ever would override it!
what a society we have become!
As I said, it was ideas and i agree, but lesser of 2 evils - eat a few week or year old boiled egg, or crush a delicate shell with only a teensy if at all, risk to the "blower!"
Jex

Savvy_Sue

jexygirl wrote: »

lol sue
i originally went with hard boiled, thinking robust, but editted as I figured the H&S implications of warning not to eat ever would override it!
As I said, it was ideas!
Jex

Honestly, I don't know. I do know that blowing eggs isn't as easy as it's cracked up to be ... :rotfl:

I also know that you can't now use toilet roll middles or kitchen roll middles or even empty yog pots for 'official' craft activities (what you do in the privacy of your own home is up to you!), ie nurseries and playgroups can't collect them, because of the risk of catching some dreadful bug from anything like that.

jexygirl

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Honestly, I don't know. I do know that blowing eggs isn't as easy as it's cracked up to be ... :rotfl:

I also know that you can't now use toilet roll middles or kitchen roll middles or even empty yog pots for 'official' craft activities (what you do in the privacy of your own home is up to you!), ie nurseries and playgroups can't collect them, because of the risk of catching some dreadful bug from anything like that.

joke was mildly appropriate :P but loo rolls....seriously.... come on....
what have we come to! I'm so out of touch, and kind of happy to be, otherwise I would need to use alot of soap for the amount of boxes I would need!
Jex

Al1x

could you do guess the weight of the bunny or guinea pig, if you have one that doesn't mind being handled (they did guess the weight of the dog at a local fete)

autumngirl

I assume that you are already a member of http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/ If not, then that's a brilliant pro-rescue forum and some of the members are rescue owners. I'd ask for ideas there too, if you haven't already.

Good luck with it all!