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Phone-fiends - your friends and family could give you money to go without tweeting or texting for a day. • If you love spending time in the pub, your friends might ...
Trans Youth Camping Trips 2017

Your guide to fundraising

Why raise money for GI's trans youth camping trips? Since 2010, we've taken young trans and non-binary people aged 11-24 camping in the Essex countryside for a long weekend in August. Due to the demand for places, we now run two camping trips every August, for 70 young people each year. At camp, young people can escape their everyday realities of misunderstanding, bullying and isolation. For many, it is the only chance they have to take part in the fun activities that should be part of every young person's summer. There's even a chance to go swimming - a rare experience for too many young trans people. To make the camping trips happen, we need your help. We need to raise £9,000 by the time the first camp is scheduled to take place, on 18th of August 2017. This guide gives you some tips on how to run a fundraising activity or event to support this year's camping trips and create a magical experience for young trans people.

"I don't think I would have made it through the last two years alive if I didn't have the friends, strength and experience that camp has given me." - Alex, 16

Ideas for Fundraising A little stumped for ways to raise a few pounds for the camping trips? Here are some suggestions and tips from those who have already held successful events.

Get Sponsored You don’t need to organise a major event to raise money from people you know. Any challenge, big or small, can be a reason for friends and family to sponsor you. What can you get sponsored for? Here are few ideas. Do something you love on a bigger scale Do you jog every day? Why not try a half-marathon and get sponsored to do it Cycling enthusiast? Try a route like London to Brighton and raise funds while you ride Hiking fan? Challenge yourself to a landmark British trail like coast to coast for GI

More ideas for getting sponsored Give up something you enjoy • Phone-fiends - your friends and family could give you money to go without tweeting or texting for a day • If you love spending time in the pub, your friends might support you going dry for a month Do something dramatic (or silly!) • Shaving your head sends a strong message - you’re willing to give up your locks for a cause your care about • There’s always the classic - ‘sitting in a bath of baked beans’ The easiest way to collect donations is to ask for pledges in advance and collect the cash when you’ve completed the task.

Organise an event Bake Sale Who doesn’t love cake? If you’re a first-rate home baker, or even just someone who makes a mean rice crispy cake, a bake sale can be a great way to bring people together and make a few pounds while they enjoy delicious sweet treats. Party It would be cheesy to suggest putting the ‘fun’ in ‘fundraising’ right? One of the best ways to get people to part with their hard earned cash is to put on an event that they want to go to. A fancy dinner party (with volunteer waiting staff and donated ingredients), quiz night, cocktail party, computer games tournament, club night - it’s all good. Think about where your friends spend money and try to get them to do it for GI. You can try something small (sorry, ‘intimate’) like a film screening in your front room or go big and hire out a screening room (or borrow a fancy projector) and charge proper cinema prices!

Arts, Crafts and Other Skills Get creative The arts have always been important at GI as a way to explore gender diversity. Could you channel this ethos through your fundraising? If you’re crafty, perhaps you could sell unique items through an online shop like Etsy? Even profits from something small like zines or badges can add up! If you’re musical or theatrical, or both, perhaps you could put on a gig or a play - whether it’s in your front room, or at a massive venue, entertaining people is a great way to raise money. Share your skills Sharing a skill (e.g. photography, yoga, knitting, ukulele, using social media etc.) is also a fantastic way to fundraise. Test your workshop on friends and family and then try going public - look up some similar events and charge a similar price.

Work It Loads of workplaces have ‘corporate responsibility’ programmes, or might pick a not-for-profit of the month/year to fundraise for. Raise awareness and money by persuading your employer to choose GI. You can make suggestions for how you and your colleagues can work together to raise funds. Or perhaps your company could support an event by providing free equipment or a venue? Schools, colleges and universities also sometimes pick organisations to encourage trans awareness by nominating GI. It could be a non-uniform day (a great opportunity to discuss gender roles), a book sale or a talent show. Use noticeboards and the intranet to get people involved! If there’s an LGBT, feminist or liberation society the people involved will be used to hosting fundraisers and may have some great ideas for how you can work together on something stellar.

How can I make my fundraising idea as effective as possible?

Promote your activity or event

Create a fundraising page at Localgiving Go to Gendered Intelligence's page at Localgiving (https://localgiving.org/charity/gendered-intelligence/) and choose "Fundraise for us" to set up your own page Email family and friends Let everyone know that you are fundraising for Gendered Intelligence. You can add a link to your Localgiving page in your email signature. Send occasional updates to let people know how much you have raised. Share on social media You could create a Facebook event or tell all your friends and followers about your challenge or event on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Tweet at @genderintell for a retweet.

Contact the local press The most direct way of getting media coverage of your activity or event is to write a press release. A press release includes all the key information you want people to know in one place. Don’t worry if you haven’t written a press release before – keep it simple. You should: Answer the 5 ‘W’s’ of your event or activity: who (who are you?); what (what are you doing?); where (where is it taking place?); why (why are you doing it?) and when (when is it taking place?) Keep it concise – don’t write more than one side of A4 To answer “why” you are fundraising, copy information about the camping trips from this fundraising guide or email fundraising @genderedintelligence.co.uk for help Try to include a photo If applicable, make it clear that your event is open to the general public Make sure you include a headline to attract attention

Don’t overspend If you’re putting on an event, however small, set a budget - you don’t want it to cost more money than you make! Write down all the costs and predict how much you think you’ll raise. Using a website like Eventbrite allows you to charge a fee in advance of an event and will give you an idea of numbers.

Don't be shy - ask for donations Try and get as much as you can for free! Many pubs/cafes/universities will provide you with a free venue, or at least give a discount for a fundraising event Ask for equipment/refreshments/raffle prizes - local business may be happy to provide things for free (or even ‘sponsor’ your event if you thank them publicly)

Know your audience ● Who is your audience? What is a fair amount of money to ask them for? Could you offer tiered rates for students/young people? It’s usually a good idea to offer a suggested donation rate but always make it clear that there’s no maximum to how much people can give if they are feeling generous! It’s also wise to pitch a fundraiser at the end of the month (when people in work tend to get paid). ● Have you got a safe place to keep any cash you collect? Don’t forget to sort out a ‘float’ of change in advance and think about using a receipt book to keep a track of what you’ve sold/how many people have paid for your event.

Important Information If you’re putting on a public event that’s on council land (like in a park) you’ll need to make sure you get permission from the local council first. You may need to provide evidence that you have thought about health and safety (for example, providing first aid support). f you’re putting on some kind of ‘lottery’ (like a raffle) there are specific rules that you can find out more about from the Gambling Commission (http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/) If you put on a public event where there is alcohol for sale, music, dancing, the showing of a film or the performance of a play, an indoor sporting event, or something similar, you may need a licence. You can get advice by contacting your Local Authority if you’re not sure. Of course, one of the most important things is to make sure your event is safe and inclusive. Is the venue accessible for wheelchair users? Is there a policy on photos/video that people are aware of? Are there gender neutral toilets available? Please do mention that you are raising money for Gendered Intelligence and include information about our work but be clear that this is not a GI-organised event, as we cannot be held responsible for the independent actions of our supporters. If you have any questions or want more information please contact us.

Collecting sponsorship Set up a Localgiving page If you want people to sponsor your event or activity but don’t want to handle money yourself, set up your own fundraising page through Gendered Intelligence’s Localgiving page. We receive 20% Gift Aid on top of all donations that are received via Localgiving. If you’re collecting cash If you would rather collect your sponsorship in cash, there are several ways you can get the money to Gendered Intelligence. • Online: Make a donation via our Localgiving camping trip appeal– it’s quick and easy • Cheque: Make it payable to Gendered Intelligence and email us for a postal address to send it to • Cash: Email [email protected] to arrange handing over any cash And don’t forget to thank all your sponsors, event attendees, helpers, volunteers, dancers. Thank YOU for taking the time and energy to make a difference to young trans people’s lives. Please let us know if you’re planning an event so we can share it with our supporters and give it the love it needs! Register your event or activity by using the online form.

How to register

Click the link below to go the online registration form: http://bit.ly/2rWdpjb

Thank you for supporting Gendered Intelligence's trans youth camping trips