EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR SING FUNDRAISER

A charity registered in England and Wales no. 268293

We’re over the moon you’ve decided to take part in Sing to raise money for your local Samaritans – so first things first, a big thank you!

What is Sing?From gospel to rock, pop to church, and folk to beatbox, we want as many different choirs and singing groups to do their thing for Samaritans. The idea is simple – just do what you do best and put on a singing performance in your local area in aid of Samaritans.

Whether you decide to support us at your next event, or put on a special performance, we’ll provide the materials, collection buckets and guidance to help you get your Sing fundraiser off to a cracking start – and support you in raising as much money as you can.

Why Sing for Samaritans?Being there for people in your communityEvery six seconds, somebody contacts Samaritans for help. Whether we can be there for every person, though, depends on donations from people like you.

All the money you raise at your Sing event will support us, so we can be there when it matters. People are often surprised to hear that their local Samaritans is run entirely by trained volunteers – ordinary people who give their time to help others who are struggling to cope.

Our helpline is open to anyone, around the clock – 365 days of the year. And any money you raise by singing for Samaritans supports this vital service and makes it possible to reach out to more people in local communities, offering support in places like schools, universities, homeless shelters, prisons, and local work places.

Sing is a wonderful way for you and your choir or singing group to do something genuinely GOOD for your community. Every £20 you raise means we can answer five calls from people struggling to cope. And just £10 could give much-needed support to teenagers in schools, helping them learn the importance of their own emotional health.

Singing is good for us!With the emphasis on fun and friendship, you’ll be only too aware how singing in a group can make you feel. And this is exactly why Samaritans has hit upon the idea of using singing to raise money – as it fits so well with the charity’s focus on emotional health and wellbeing.

We hope you’ll get a real buzz out of putting on a singing performance for a really good cause. And, we’re sure that those that come along to watch you will get something positive out of it too. You might just inspire someone to join a choir or singing group themselves – passing on those wonderful benefits to someone else and giving them a new outlet in their lives.

IF I HADN’T CALLED SAMARITANS, I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW WHERE I’D BE TODAY. I HAVE MY LIFE TO THANK THEM FOR.Charlie

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YOUR SING FUNDRAISER IN NINE EASY STEPS

1. Get the green light from your choir or singing group Next time you get together for a practice session, put the thought out there that you could use your voices for a good cause. After all, you have a gift that should be shared!

2. Pick a time and location for your performance If you already have a planned performance in mind to dedicate to Samaritans, then the planning is almost done! However, if you’re thinking of creating a special performance just for us, then you’ll first need to find a date and time slot that works best for your choir or singing group.

Perhaps this gives you an opportunity to sing in a special venue, concert hall or iconic landmark in your local area? If you’re planning on an outdoor venue, then you’ll want to pick somewhere that attracts lots of passers-by, such as a train station, shopping centre, or town square.

For any public venue or space, you’ll need to get permission in advance from the site owner or manager, but don’t worry you won’t need a license to sing in public, as that’s the venue’s responsibility. Be sure to check with them beforehand though and remember to give them a list of the songs you’ll be performing (it’s their job to pass this on to PRS).

And don’t forget to mention to the venue owner that your performance is for charity. They may well decide to waive the hire charge!

3. Set your Sing list Next, you’ll need to give some thought to the songs you’d like to sing. Ask your choir for ideas and put the best ones to the vote. It might help to narrow things down by selecting a theme first, such as ‘happiness’, ‘friendship’ or ‘journeys’ for example. Anything that can tie your performance together and make it feel a bit special.

Remember that you’ll need to get permission from the copyright holder if you want to use copies of any sheet music for well-known songs you’ll be singing / performing. Copyright lasts 70 years from the composer’s death, so it’s well worth checking this out before you finalise your Sing list. The website www.musicnote.com is a good place to start and it usually only costs a few pounds per copy of sheet music.

You’ll also need permission from the copyright if you want to make multiple copies, project the lyrics on the wall from your laptop connected to the internet, or to arrange the song for your choir.

4. Plan how you’re going to raise the money However you plan to perform your Sing list, there are two simple ways you can raise money.

DonationsIf you’re singing in a public space, like a busy high street or a train station, ask people to donate coins and notes. Your local Samaritans branch will be happy to lend you branded collection buckets.

You can even give people the option of making a donation via their mobile phone. To get a free, unique text-to-donate code for your Sing fundraiser just visit www.justgiving.com/samaritans-centrallondon.

People donating via your JustGiving page or by SMS can also Gift Aid their donation, turning every £1 donated into £1.25 at no extra cost to them or Samaritans. Just remember to promote your JustGiving web address and text-to-donate code at your Sing event, along with any promotional materials you use, to garner support before you sing.

Ticket salesIf you’re hosting a special performance at a venue, you might find it easier to make it a ticketed event (particularly if there are restrictions on numbers set by the venue). Charge people a set amount per ticket and think about whether you want to include any extras like a drink or nibbles. You can either ask people to pay in advance or on the day, depending on what works best for you.

5. Don’t forget to set yourself a fundraising target Once you’ve established how you’re going to raise funds, it’s a good idea to calculate how much you think you can raise overall, as this gives you and your choir something to aim for.

6. Promote your performance Wherever you’re performing, get the word out as soon as possible, and drum up as much audience support as possible ahead of the big day.

Put up posters out and about – or create an event on Facebook. And use the event invitation template that came with this guide to invite friends or family members to come along to your performance.

There’s a handy image for promoting your Sing event on social media (just don’t forget to add the date, location and time of your performance in the free text area of your post). You can grab the social media image online at samaritans.org/sing/choirs.

JustGiving page

Collection bucket

If you’re tweeting, please do add our Samaritans branch twitter handle, which is @CLSamaritans and use the hashtag #SingForSams – and we’ll share your posts and help spread the word.

Why not share your achievements with friends and family members after the performance too? Just upload your photos to Twitter and Facebook again using the hashtag #SingForSams – and you may just inspire more people to give to your fundraising pot, or take part themselves!

If there’s anything else you need to help promote your event, please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.

7. Remind people it’s for Samaritans! At some point during your Sing event take a moment to remind people of the reason you’re all there. Most people will have heard of Samaritans, but might not know very much about the charity, so this is your chance to tell them why it’s such a worthwhile cause.

You could start by telling people that Samaritans branches are run entirely by trained volunteers, who are ordinary people that do an extraordinary thing: they give their time for free to help anyone struggling to cope. The Samaritans service is available around the clock, 365 days of the year, so that we can be there for people whenever they need us. And any money that’s raised by singing for Samaritans supports this vital service and makes it possible to reach out to more people in local communities.

You might also find it helpful to equate what people’s donations can help pay for. For example, every £4 raised is a call answered by one of our trained listening volunteers.

And if you’d like to borrow Samaritans branded banners to display, or require flyers or Samaritans t-shirts, get in touch with our branch to arrange this.

Contact: Elizabeth Irvine, Community Fundraising Coordinator, on 020 7758 0668 or at e.irvine@cls.org.uk

Social media promo image

Poster

Invite

8. Pay in the money you raised It’s really easy to pay in the money you raise from your Sing fundraiser. Just use the following branch bank details to make a BACS payment:

Bank name: Lloyds BankAccount name: Central London SamaritansBank account no: 00060577Sort code: 30-95-74Your Reference: [give your choir or company name]/Sing

Any online or text donations made via Justgiving.com will already be linked to the branch, so the paying-in bit will be done for you automatically.

9. Thank everybody Don’t forget to thank everyone that helped make your Sing fundraiser a success. You will have received a ‘Thank you’ poster with this guide for you to proudly display and let everyone know how much you raised for Samaritans.

Getting in touch with usWe’re here to support you in making your Sing event a success.

Contact: Elizabeth Irvine, Community Fundraising Coordinator, on 020 7758 0668 or at e.irvine@cls.org.uk

People talk to us anytime they like, in their own way, about

whatever’s getting to them. You don’t have to be suicidal.

Call us on 116 123 free from anywhere, any time, email

jo@samaritans.org or visit your local Samaritans branch.