COMMUNITYfundraising guide

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THANK YOUFOR YOUR DECISION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR OXFAM AUSTRALIA

WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE CAN CONTINUE TO FIND PRACTICAL, INNOVATIVE WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO LIFT THEMSELVES OUT OF POVERTY AND THRIVE.

Together, we can save lives and help people to rebuild their livelihoods when crisis strikes. And we can continue to campaign so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them.

To assist you in getting started, we’ve got some tips and advice on how to make your fundraising both easy and successful.

YOUR SUPPORT IN ACTIONIN MOZAMBIQUE, REGULAR DROUGHTS CAN MEAN LIFE THREATENING HUNGER. OXFAM’S WORK IS FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING LOCAL PARTNERS TO HELP PEOPLE GROW A VARIETY OF DIVERSE CROPS, KEEP LIVESTOCK AND EARN A LIVING.

Anita Omar is now able to grow cabbages and onions after Oxfam’s partner, Malhalhe, built a well in her village and trained a group of 10 women in agriculture.

“It was very difficult before; everything depended on the seasons. If we had money, then we would buy meat, and if not, then we would just make a sauce from coconut and eat that ... The garden has made a big difference though because I am able to grow vegetables and sell them, as well as eat them at home.

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can buy a family of goats for a village in Mozambique, providing milk, fertiliser, and offspring to increase nutrition and income.

$98

can cover the cost of training 10 people in home gardening and farming, enabling them to grow their own food and sell it for an income.

$60

STEP BY STEP FUNDRAISING CHECKLIST

A FUNDRAISING PLAN IS A GREAT WAY TO ENSURE A FUN, EASY AND REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AND YOUR SUPPORTERS!

CHOOSE A VENUE

Think about what you’ve chosen to do and find

an appropriate place to do it. Simple. Fun-runs

in parks. Film nights in your home or the local

school or community hall.

Ask yourself, is the venue the right size, is it

accessible and if you need them, does it have

catering facilities?

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SET A DATE, A TIME … AND A TARGETIt doesn’t matter when you hold your event — anytime is a good time. Weekends are good for enticing people to bake sales or fun runs. Evenings make sense for film nights. Think about the date and that you are not competing with other functions or events, then work backwards giving every task a timeline. This will also give you the chance to push the date back if you run out of days.

And if you set yourself a target of how much you want to raise, it’ll give you that extra bit of incentive to really go for it.

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Planning your event in seven easy stepsBefore you get caught up in the excitement of putting on a fundraising event, draw up a plan of action. Grab a few helpful friends, and you’ll be quickstepping through the perfect plan in no time.

PICK SOMETHING FUN TO DO

If it’s your first event, keep it simple and start with

what you know. Write down all your ideas, no matter

how big or small they are. Think about events you

may have organised or attended in the past, and

what made them successful. If you love baking

cakes — you’ve already got a recipe for success.

Or if you’re an old-hand at putting on events, you

could try something a little more adventurous.

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PERSONALISEYOUR PAGE – MY OXFAM

My Oxfam is an online resource at your fingertips. Use it to reach out to your social networks and promote your fundraising activities. It’s also a great option for those who want to support you, but are unable to attend your event. Follow these simple steps to create your page:

Share your My Oxfam URL via email and social media to let everyone know what you’re doing. A great social media presence will help

boost your fundraising. With each post, remind your supporters just how much they’re helping people

living in poverty.

2. UPLOAD A PHOTO

1. SET UP YOUR ‘MY OXFAM PAGE’

5. SHARE

People love to be able to put faces to names, so upload a

photo to introduce yourself to your prospective supporters.

Something fun that shows your personality works well.

6. THANKMost importantly, let your

supporters know how much you appreciate them. Send a thank you email or text to

everyone who donates, and let them all know when you hit a

fundraising milestone.

4. START BLOGGING

3. WRITE a BRIEF BIO

Share your story, say why you’ve made the decision to support Oxfam, and why people should

donate to your cause.

Go to https://my.oxfam.org.au and set up your page using your email address. You will

be prompted through the registrations steps and a confirmation email will be

sent once complete.

Blogs are a great way to keep your supporters in the loop. They enable

you to share your achievements and promote your event. Regular blogs will show how passionate

you are and encourage more people to donate.

Fundraising with food is always a winner. This paella party has been held in Warrandyte, Victoria, since 2009, with a couple of teams joining together each year to feed their friends, family and local community. The event raises around $3,000 for Oxfam Australia. Photo: Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS.

THE MORE YOU RAISE, THE BIGGER THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

$1,533Can provide a school with a 10,000 litre water tank so children in South Africa have access to clean water.

$22 Can buy notepads and pens for a school in Timor-Leste, allowing students to take full advantage of their education.

$259 Can offer financial support for a family to buy a cow in Bangladesh, providing them with nutrition and an alternative livelihood.

$50Can help build a rainwater tank that will provide a remote, disaster-prone village in the Solomon Islands with a clean and reliable water supply.

$95 Can buy 50 banana plants for a family in Sri Lanka, increasing their income by $15 per month after one year.

Photos left to right: Tom Greenwood/Oxfam, Lara McKinley/OxfamAUS, Howard Davies/Oxfam GB, Cinzia Pedrotti /OxfamAUS, Max Bastard/OxfamAUS

EASY FUNDRAISING IDEASYOUR WORKPLACE, CLUBS AND OTHER NETWORKS ARE A GREAT PLACE TO FUNDRAISE AND — WITH MINIMAL EFFORT — YOU COULD FIND AN ENDLESS AMOUNT OF SUPPORT TO TAP INTO. MAXIMISE YOUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS BY IMPLEMENTING THESE EASY IDEAS.

LET’S LUNCH! Invite everyone to bring a dish to lunch on a certain date and make them pay a minimum donation ($15 is a good amount) to sample all the yummy food. If you want to spice it up a bit, why not choose a theme, then decorate — or dress up — to match.

WHO DOESN’T LOVE CAKE?Donate for a slice! Bake or buy a cake and let everyone know it’s in the kitchen. Place your Oxfam money box next to the cake, and invite your colleagues to enjoy a slice by making a gold coin donation.

Quick tip: have your recipe on hand and sell it for an extra donation.

OXFAM TREASURE MAPDownload Oxfam’s Treasure Map at https://my.oxfam.org.au/page/view/tips-and-tools and pick the square that will hide the treasure — but don’t tell anyone where! (You may wish to invite your boss, a colleague or friend to take on this responsibility so you can play too). Pin up your poster and invite everyone to place their bet as to where the treasure is. Supporters buy a square for $2 (or more), and the more squares purchased by each person, the higher their chance of winning. The winner could take home a bottle of wine or similar as a prize.

MONEY BOXIt’s not always what you do to fundraise — sometimes it’s what you don’t do! Get sponsored for not swearing or staying off Facebook for a day. How about a week with no texting, driving or going to the pub?

SAUSAGE SIZZLEStart planning early as you will need to arrange a local venue and organise the food. You may need to submit an application to hold a BBQ, depending on the venue you choose, so make sure you find out what is required beforehand.

MOVIE NIGHTCinemas will usually charge you around $10 per ticket. Sell a ticket to your supporters for $25 and that’s $15 towards your fundraising goal. Having door prizes or a raffle is a great addition to this event.

TRIVIA NIGHT Host a trivia night at your local pub and invite your friends, family, and colleagues. Ask them to bring their friends along too. Charge your friends $25 per ticket for the night, and don’t forget to source prizes for your winners!

Photo: Peter Caton/OxfamAus

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BAKE SALEAsk your friends and family to bake for you, or hold a sale of their own on your behalf. Have a variety of sweet treats available and remember to have options for special diets. Don’t forget to have recipes on hand to sell at an extra cost.

DINNER PARTYHave your friends and family over for dinner and ask them to donate the cost of a dinner out (we recommend $50 per head). Remember to have your computer ready with your My Oxfam page available, to make it easy for your guests to donate online during the evening.

GET YOUR BOSS INVOLVEDIf you are planning a fundraiser at work, get your boss on board so they can rally your colleagues. With the whole office involved, they will feel like they are a part of your Oxfam fundraising journey.

MATCHED FUNDINGMany employers have a match-funding program, where they’ll match the amount raised by you dollar-for-dollar. Even if your employer doesn’t have such a program, they might still be willing to make a donation — all you have to do is ask!

REQUEST RESOURCESDon’t forget, if you need extra resources such as banners and additional fundraising material, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 1800 088 110 or emailing fundraising@oxfam.org.au .

LETTER OF AUTHORITY TO FUNDRAISEA letter of authority to fundraise is available on request. This letter is to verify that you are officially fundraising on behalf of Oxfam Australia. Many external parties will request this letter, so make sure to ask if you need to provide this document. It’s also a very useful tool to help get your sponsorship requests across the line.

PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCEAs a community fundraiser, you are covered by Oxfam Australia’s public liability insurance while you are running an event as part of your fundraising efforts. Simply provide us with the date and a brief description of the event you need cover for, and we will provide you with appropriate documentation. Oxfam Australia’s public liability insurance does not cover you for high-risk events such as skydiving or drag-car racing. Please check with us if you are not sure whether your event is classified as a high or low-risk event.Note: this insurance covers you for your fundraising event only.

can provide a bee keeping unit for a family in Sri Lanka, to provide a supplementary income and an alternate source of food.

$26 is enough to make small-scale infrastructure improvements in a village, such as embankments, roads, irrigation systems and bridges, to reduce the impact of a disaster when it occurs.

$300

can go towards constructing a school vegetable garden in South

Africa, to grow nutritious food for children affected by AIDS.

$600

BY POSTSend your cheques, made payable to “Oxfam Australia”, along with your contact details to:

Community Fundraising Att: Events Fundraising Team 132 Leicester St, Carlton VIC 3053

ONLINEIf you have set up a My Oxfam fundraising page, you can be sure that the donations will come directly to us, without you having to do the leg work of chasing your sponsors!

BANK TRANSFERPlease deposit funds into the following bank account:Bank: Westpac CarltonAddress: 310 Lygon Street, Carlton Account Name: Oxfam AustraliaBSB: 033-178Account Number: 273090Reference: Donation from <your name/organisation>.

Once deposited, please ensure you send an email to fundraising@oxfam.org.au with the following details:• date of transfer;• amount;• contact name and details;• organisation/individual

name and details for whom the receipt/s should be made out to; and

• specify which appeal you have fundraised for.

BY PHONEYou can donate your funds via credit or debit card by calling 1800 088 110.

Ready to deposit your funds?YOU’VE DONE IT! IT’S NOW TIME TO COUNT AND DEPOSIT THE MONEY YOU RAISED. EVERY DOLLAR YOU HAVE RAISED WILL ADD UP TO A FIGHTING CHANCE FOR POOR COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

www.oxfam.org.au1800 088 110