Social media can be an effective fundraising tool. But to get the most out of it, you need to understand who your audience is so you can decide which social media platforms to invest your time in. CAF has some great advice available so have a look and decide if it’s for you.
In order to speed up the DBS process and to give your organisation more control, we are suggesting that you perform your own DBS checks using an online provider.We’ve had recommendations for two online providers below:
This online route is far more efficient since the application is completed electronically (thus eliminating errors); the identity of the applicant is verified by the recruiting organisation and the turnaround for receiving the DBS certificate is quick (usually within a day or two of completing the online application) although this is dependent on there being no problems with the application at the police service level.
Face to Face DBS Checks
For those of you who wish to continue with face-to-face checks, Surrey Community Action can offer these for an admin fee of £9.60 but you will need to be able to travel to Guildford. For more information, please contact Amanda Channer on 01483 566072 or by email at amandac@surreyca.org.uk.
Making DBS checks portable by subscribing to the DBS Update Service
Please remember to encourage all your volunteers to register with the Update Service to make their DBS check portable. This means that your volunteers will not have to complete another check since the online subscription held by the Update Service is updated with any new information. You will be able to access the volunteer’s Update Service subscription with their permission using their DBS certificate number. Here is the information on the DBS Update Service for employers. Please also remind your volunteers to keep their DBS certificate in conjunction with their subscription to the Update Service as this holds the information on the level of check and may be needed for reference in future.
Christmas campaigns for national charities are in fully swing, but have you ever looked closer to home? It’s smaller local organisations at the heart of our communities that are really making a difference and have also been hardest hit by the pandemic. Now is the perfect time to support them and their users and there are lots of simple ways you can help both up to Christmas and beyond.
We’ll be updating the information below throughout the run up to Christmas. If you’re a local organisation with something to share – please contact us.
Know of something worthwhile we haven’t highlighted? Let us know
Share your shopping
Don’t forget to pop a little something into your trolley for the Foodbank as you start to stock up for the big day. Runnymede, Spelthorne and Surrey Heath Foodbanks all have lists of items they’re in need of here. But don’t leave it too late as they start preparing Christmas deliveries in early December - click here to find your nearest foodbank
Cards that care
Lots of us already choose charity cards to send out at Christmas, but did you know some local charities produce their own designs? White Lodge, Woking and Sam Beare Hospice and Princess Alice Hospice have a range of designs which you can easily buy online.
Local charity shops also often have a good selection of cards on offer (and maybe you’ll find some bargain gifts while you’re in there).
But have you considered going cardless this Christmas and making a donation to charity instead? Many local charities have their own websites and donate buttons making it easy and simple to give. And there are some wonderful causes – from charities like Eikon supporting mental health in schools to the Village Centre in Englefield Green offering range of services to the local community.
Give a gift that really matters
It can feel nice to give a physical gift rather than just make a cash donation and lots of charities really welcome this.
Just a Helping Hand is a Chertsey-based organisation supporting the homeless. They are creating rucksacks of useful items for those in need including items like shampoo bars, hats, gloves etc. Maybe get together with some friends and each buy something to put in the rucksack. These are needed by December 15th.
The Salvation Army in Addlestone are running their annual Christmas present appeal, looking for donations of new toys, books or gift vouchers for local children who otherwise may not receive a gift this year. You can drop items to the Salvation Army Hall in Addlestone between 9 and 12 Monday to Friday before December 10th or we also welcome donations to our office in Chertsey.
Home Start Surrey Heath in Camberley are collecting toys for local children in need. You can donate at the Entertainer in Camberley or High Cross Church until December 6th.
Many charities create a gift list on Amazon so you can buy exactly what they need:
• Oasis Childcare in Cobham support children in vulnerable situation. They provide food hampers for families, and also look to offer gifts to the children. See their list here
• Hersham Hounds are looking for items to support their work with retired racing greyhounds – details here
• Transform Housing provides housing and support to over 1,500 homeless and vulnerable people each year across Surrey. Find out about their needs here
Or you can simply ensure you support local charities as you buy gifts for others. Shop using Amazon Smile and donate to local charities as you buy – lots of local charities are listed and you can search easily for them here. Each time you buy something on Amazon, your chosen charity gets a portion of the purchase price.
Feelgood festive events
Nothing like a Christmas market or Santa run to get you in the festive mood – just don’t forget to pre-register for these.
Woking and Sam Beare Hospice are combing the two with a Christmas market and a fun run on December 5th at Woking Leisure Cente.
White Lodge have added a canine twist to their festive exercise with a Santa Paws Lakeside Walk at Virginia Water on December 4th.
Or if you’re heading to Guildford for some Christmas shopping, why not combine it with Kelly’s Santa Fun Run at Stoke Park on December 5th where they are raising money for Challengers – a charity that helps disabled children and their families.
Surplus to Supper, a Sunbury-based charity working across North Surrey to bridge the gap between food waste and food poverty, are hosting a shopping evening on 2nd December from 6.30 to 8.30.
Look ahead to 2022
Don’t let the end of Christmas mark the end of your interest in supporting great local charities.
As you look to spring cleaning or wonder what to do with unwanted Christmas gifts, think about donating goods to local organisations. Good quality and new items are particularly welcomed by many local organisations.
Your Sanctuary support survivors of domestic abuse. They particularly welcome donations of unopened and unused toiletries and perfumes.
As you start to think about making New Year’s resolutions, consider giving some of your time to volunteer. There are lots of opportunities whatever your skills and availability – take a look on our website where you can search current opportunities and you can register your details with us to receive regular updates of new opportunities.
This befriending week, we are celebrating everything that befriending is, the difference it makes to individuals, families and communities, and the amazing contribution made by the many wonderful volunteer befrienders out there.
Loneliness is a growing issue in our society and has been a particular concern throughout the pandemic. Most people have experienced feelings of isolation in the last year and a half but for a lot of people in our communities, feelings of isolation and loneliness are enduring. Being matched with a volunteer befriender, having something to look forward to and someone to share stories with, is such a positive experience for people and beneficial to health.
Befriending can make a big difference to the lives of people who are matched with a befriender, but it can also offer some comfort to family members. We live in a society in which, many people live some distance from their families. Being able to refer a loved one to a befriending service can be a relief to family members who are concerned about a loved one who is feeling lonely or isolated. They can rest in the knowledge that every week their loved one will have a friendly visit from a trusted organisation.
Befriending can also provide a link between a person experiencing feelings of isolation, to their local community. Befrienders can tell the person they are matched with, stories from their neighbourhood, they may be able to visit the local shops or have a drink with their befriender in a local cafe. Feelings of isolation and loneliness diminish which is hugely beneficial for emotional wellbeing.
Befriending is not however a one-way experience. Volunteer befrienders report how much they enjoy the visits they make. They talk about the rewards of knowing you are making a difference, the joy of meeting someone knew and hearing their stories. They report how happy it makes them feel, to know they are bringing happiness to others. Befriending can be a wonderful way to manage your own feelings of loneliness too, as volunteers are also building new friendships and giving something back to their community.
At Time to Talk, we are so grateful to all of our wonderful volunteers. They have supported people throughout the pandemic, finding creative ways to stay in touch with people, doorstep visits, sitting in gardens, going for walks. They have offered their time every week to make a difference to someone else. Without our volunteers, we would not be able to provide the support that we do.
Befriending week is an opportunity to extend a huge thank you to all volunteer befrienders. You are keeping people connected, making people smile and reminding people that someone out there cares.
Thank you
"Some of the Voluntary Support North Surrey Team had the pleasure and honour of meeting the Worshipful Mayor of Surrey Heath Councillor Sarah Jane Croke this afternoon
The Mayor has taken time to personally visit and thank charitable organisations who assisted residents throughout the pandemic.
We were delighted to receive thanks from the Mayor for our significant contribution in Surrey Heath;
Alison Morey recruited and onboarded more than 350 volunteers to assist the Primary Care Network with the vaccination initiative at Lakeside. At it's peak, 111 shifts of volunteers were required each day. Colin Morey has had the unenviable task of scheduling the shifts for all these volunteers, successfully sourcing and implementing technology to assist and facilitate the process. Without doubt the Lakeside vaccination centre is an excellent example of a well run and efficient vaccination site.
Libby Holcombe supports and builds capacity in Surrey Heath charities and voluntary groups, assisting them with their front line work and also delivered PPE throughout the pandemic.
Elaine Hawes (missing from the photo) ensures that Time to Talk befriending offered a friendly voice and/or visit to those feeling most isolated. Indeed, with the support of Elaine, some visiting continued throughout the winter in gardens, at a safe social distanc
VSNS actively participated in the COVID Champions initiative, ensuring the dissemination of accurate health and wellbeing messages to local residents and recruited local volunteers to deliver oximeters across the borough.
Our Chairperson, Helen Frary, was present to receive thanks on behalf of the volunteer VSNS board who have worked flexibly throughout the pandemic agilely adapting as needs required.
The vaccination program is continuing across North Surrey, with booster vaccinations for our vulnerable residents and flu clinics. Some of our amazing volunteers have gone back to work or moved on to new challenges so we are continuing to recruit marshal volunteers. If you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved in keeping our community well, we really need you.
Please contact alison@voluntarysupport.org.uk or call 01932 571122"
Solette Sheppardson, Chief Officer, Voluntary Support North Surrey
We are often asked about the best way to accept donations and which platforms to use. The good news for charities is that there are now lots of ways to collect digital donations:
More information:
https://www.bhibcharities.co.uk/advice/the-best-online-fundraising-platforms/
Nonprofit newsletters get some of the best average open rates in email marketing (26%). Newsletters provide important opportunities to showcase the work you do, make appeals for donations and other support and raise awareness of the problems your charity tackles. Use your newsletter to connect with donors and volunteers, encouraging them to take action.
Email drives more charitable donations than any other online channel. 42% of donors prefer to hear from causes they support by email, 20% of donors said that emails made them more likely to donate again and 69% of subscribers said they were more likely to donate after receiving an appeal for a specific need.
Everyone gets more emails than they can ever read. A typical email receives no more than 15 seconds of attention - so make yours stand out. Use images, a good subject line and engaging opening paragraph. If a reader is not interested at the opening of your newsletter, they won’t read what comes later.
What else should you do?
Finally, remember you cannot email anyone without their permission, but you can build your email list by:
More reading:
http://www.thestorytellingnonprofit.com/blog/5-non-profit-newsletters-to-learn-from/
https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/campaigns/communications/e-newsletters
The best charity websites are kind to users – not overloading them with choices or too much text, and instead making calls to action obvious and ensuring that users can easily find further information as needed. Here are our top tips to improve your site:
More reading:
What Makes a Good Charity Website?
https://www.theukdomain.uk/what-makes-a-great-charity-website/
Gaming and livestreaming were already big before the pandemic struck but participation has really taken off. This is good news for charities because it gives us a new avenue for fundraising that appeals the generous Generation Z.
The idea may seem strange but gaming fundraisers are popular and effective https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/02/03/6-successful-gaming-for-good-livestreaming-campaigns/
How does it work?
Gamers share game playing with their friends and other gamers, who tune in to watch the game in action. This is called streaming and there are there are several platforms dedicated to gaming, the most popular is called Twitch, which was built specifically for streaming games. The gamer adds a donate buttons to their stream – like a donate button on a charity website which links to the gamer's fundraising page on a donation platform like JustGiving.
By hosting a donate button on screen, gamers engage their audience into making donations in return for gaming activity. A gamer could host a 24-hour gaming marathon or they could host a tournament with other gamers.
If you want your charity to run or help run a gaming fundraiser, try reaching out to local gaming communities or looking for gaming events that have occurred in your area. Maybe someone on your charity team (volunteer/supporter/member of staff) has a passion for video games, and they can help organise hosting or participating in a gaming fundraiser. Look for gamers who might be interested in your cause https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/topics/gaming-for-good-how-to-find-gamers-9003
More Reading:
Top tips for successful livestreaming and gaming for good
How to Get Started with Gaming Fundraising
When did you last pick up your mobile phone?
When did you last use your phone to pay for something?
84% of the UK now own a smartphone - putting the internet in their pocket. On average people spend 2 hours and 34 minutes online on their smartphones every day. People can browse the internet, shop, view social media and download apps that allow them to do endless tasks.
It's not new, but the text-to-give process might be the answer for those charities looking for a safe, hygienic giving method that follows social distancing rules. It's a good option for donors too because it's quick, they use their own phones and they don't need to enter credit card information. Charities set up custom keywords preset to a specific donation amount and accept donations in a few quick steps.
£50 million was given in text donations in 2019, making it a serious fundraising contender as more and more people become comfortable using their phones to make payments.
To get started you need a text to donate service provider - have a look at the t&cs of Donr, Donate or instaGiv for more information.
https://merchantmachine.co.uk/digital-wallet/
https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/topics/the-best-uk-charity-text-donation-services-5632
https://www.whitefuse.com/blog/text-to-donate-giving