Reclaiming green places since 1959 www.tcv.org.uk/getinvolved

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Thanks for your support! You’re about to embark upon an amazing journey – one that will help transform lives, communities and green spaces throughout the UK.

The Conservation Volunteers is built upon thousands of

individual expressions of support – just like yours. It means

so much that you are willing to help us, but it means so much

more to our network of dedicated volunteers – ordinary people

who give their time and energies transforming and nurturing

our endangered green spaces throughout the country. They

rely entirely upon supporters like you to help fund our life-

changing projects.

I hope this pack will not only inspire you to raise funds for us,

but also provide the practical advice you need to organise

an event – as well as suggestions to help you join in and feel

good! And remember, you’re not on this journey alone. We’re

here to help every step of the way to ensure your event gets

off to a great start!

Natalie HumphreysCommunity Fundraising Manager

Don’t forget, we’re here to help every step of the way if you

need any help or advice. Call our fundraising team on

01302 388 883 or e-mail supportus@tcv.org.uk

Good luck and above all have a GREAT TIME!

ContentsThanks for your support! ...........................2

How we can make a difference together ....3

Transforming lives, planting a legacy........... 4

Making your event come to life ......................5

Getting noticed ..............6

Keeping it Green! ...........7

Sending your cash donations to us ...............7

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To donate £3 by SMS, text TCV to 70444 or scan the QR code with your smartphone. Text Costs £3.00 plus network charge. The Conservation Volunteers receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payers permission. Customer care 08448479800.

Easy SMS text giving

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The Conservation Volunteers help hundreds of thousands of people each year reclaim their local green places. Over the last 53 years, through our network of over 2000 community groups across the UK, we have inspired and empowered people to grow a new future for their neighbourhoods. The Conservation Volunteers contributes over £11.5m of environmental value to the UK each year through our work with local communities.

This is a massive challenge and we can’t do it without your help! By creating your own unique event you can raise valuable funds for The Conservation Volunteers and help us in our vital work to inspire conservation in people and communities across the UK.

How we can make a difference together

Last year we

achieved:

Over 2 million active

workdays of volunteering

Worked with 3000

communities

Improved 37,000 places

Supported 580,000

people to be

environmentally active

Helped 151,000 people to

improve their mental and

physical health

Supported over 17,000

people into employment

In the coming year, we aim to:Deliver 30,000 conservation and reclamation projects

Work with 150,000 volunteers – 24% from the most deprived areas

Train and equip 50,000 people as green volunteers Transform 3,000 green spaces

Train 150 volunteers as project leaders

Help 25,000 people to improve their health and well being through the Green Gyms initiative.

Fundraising for The Conservation Volunteers is a great way to get active and engage with your community – perhaps you have your own ideas for a novel fundraising event. Fantastic! Talk to us and we’ll support you in every way that we can!

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One evening spent running a botanically themed pub quiz with friends and

neighbours could raise £150 to help transform lives like 2011 The Conservation

Volunteers Green Hero, Michael. Deaf since birth, Michael’s impairment had left

him lonely and isolated. Since volunteering with The Conservation Volunteers

he has gained self esteem, a social life, and valuable skills. He’s also secured a

full time job as a gardener and is now learning to speak for the first time after

having a cochlear implant.

Creating and hosting a ‘Walk the Ridgeway’ challenge with friends and

colleagues could raise £1000 which would help us plant a legacy for

communities right across the UK and inspire conservation in the next generation

in communities like Crosby, Merseyside. Since its formation nearly ten years ago,

the Sefton ‘Green Gym’ project has gone from strength to strength, building

its membership from four recruits to a 40-strong volunteer team managing

a successful community allotment. The group offers the local community,

including schools, the chance to experience organic allotment growing and

benefit from regular social interaction and exercise.

Organising a sponsored nature trail in your area could help raise £250 to help

us transform communities like the ‘Living Under One Sun’ project in Haringey,

London. The project manages allotments, an orchard, and an apiary and was

set up by play workers and local mums. This inspirational group is using food

growing as a tool for community engagement and is implementing projects

which create a positive community spirit in a previously disadvantaged urban

environment.

One day organising a ‘wear your wellies’ day at your local school could help

raise £200 to help The Conservation Volunteers transform spaces like Ballysillan

in Northern Ireland. This food growing project has turned a derelict site into an

oasis of green. With The Conservation Volunteers’s help, participants from the

local Salvation Army have transformed the land – and themselves. The volunteers

have worked together to overcome hostility, mental health problems, addiction

and vandalism. As the allotment has blossomed, so too did the volunteers.

£1000

Transforming lives, planting a legacy

£250

£200

£150

Making your event come to life

BIG oR sMALL? If you are organising an event for the first

time, it might be advisable to begin with a smaller event

which will give you the confidence to think bigger next time!

THINk AHEAd! Make a plan for your event – choose a

location, a date/time and who you would like to take part.

Ensure it doesn’t clash with any local or major sporting/social

fixtures that could limit the impact of your event.

sTART WITH THE ENd IN MINd! Think about how much

will your event might cost to put on. Then set yourself a

fundraising target based on your budget – it helps to start

small but aim high!

ENRoL oTHERs To HELp you Bring your local community

together and get everyone involved.

MAxIMIsE youR dAy Holding additional fundraising

activities around your event can help enhance your target.

Raffles and competitions are a great way of further engaging

your supporters and can act as an additional revenue source.

THIRsTy WoRk! Events and challenges mean lots of hungry

and thirsty people! Selling food and beverages will keep

your supporters fed and watered and boost your fundraising

target at the same time! Check with your local suppliers –

many of them can supply produce for free.

kEEp IT LEGAL! Carry out a Health and Safety assessment

for your venue and if necessary, ensure you have adequate

insurance cover.

TALk To us! Our dedicated fundraising team is here for you

every step of the way!

Notes:• Some raffles and lotteries are bound by the gaming act• If you are supplying cooked food or alcohol, you may require a licence from your local council or police serviceSpeak to us first and we’ll help you with these or any aspect of organising your event

Fundraising for The Conservation Volunteers is a great way to get active and engage with your community – perhaps you have your own ideas for a novel fundraising event. Fantastic! Talk to us and we’ll support you in every way that we can!

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Michael

Balysillan

Under One Sun

Community food

Transforming lives, planting a legacy

GET soCIAL! Maximise your

event on social media. Open a

Facebook page for your event

and get as many followers

as you can. Use Twitter to

keep everybody updated on

your progress and get your

followers to re-tweet your

event details. Ask

your employer to use

your work’s intranet

or newsletter to

publicise your event

If your employer has a

corporate sponsorship

scheme, ask them to sponsor

you and maybe match your

fundraising total. Speak to

your HR representative to find

out your company’s charitable

giving policy.

sHARE youR ExpERIENCE

Create a blog detailing your

fundraising journey. Tell your

story and engage people in a

personal way. Your experiences

can also be a very powerful

way of inspiring others to do

something equally amazing.

Make sure people fully understand the cause and why they should help.

WoRk IT! E-mail everyone in

your address book. Network

as much as you can to get

the message out. Add your

event information to your

e-mail signature to maximise

exposure and include a link to

your online fundraising page.

MAkE IT EAsy for people

to donate – fundraise online.

Open a Justgiving or Virgin

Money Giving page. It’s

flexible, simple to set up,

totally secure and you can

personalise it to make it your

own. It’s a great way for

supporters to donate and it

saves you having to collect

lots of cash. All money goes

straight to The Conservation

Volunteers and claiming Gift

Aid is simple.

Be persistent! – People won’t

always respond immediately.

Don’t be shy about asking

people to support you. Keep

in mind that you are doing

something really inspirational!

sHARE IT WITH us! We really

value the effort you put in to

help us, so please tell us all

about your event. We’d love

to see your photos and hear

about your day. We’d also

really like to use your stories

and images in forthcoming

promotional material. If you

are not happy for us to do this,

please let us know.

doN’T foRGET To GIfT AId! If your donors

or sponsors

are UK tax

payers, ask them to Gift aid

their donations. By adding Gift

aid, we can reclaim an extra

25% in tax on all donations,

which will make your event go

even further to help transform

people, communities and

spaces.

ANd fINALLy… remember to thank people for their help and donations.

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Getting noticed

£5 could buy

enough seeds to start a wildflower meadow

£10could buy shrubs to

encourage butterflies

£100could give young

people a day’s outdoor experience,

learning about environmental issues

and picking up practical skills

£25could provide

‘sensory garden’ plants for elderly and disabled people

to enjoy

Challenge yourself – Looking for a challenge with a bit of a difference? Then take a look at our challenges on our website, for a chance to really enjoy the UK’s green places from the ground or in the sky, whilst raising money to help keep the UK green.

Volunteer with us – inspired by our volunteer’s stories? Then come and see how you can help grow a new future for your community at www.tcv.org.uk/volunteering

support us – Continue to support The Conservation Volunteers through a regular donation, no matter how big or small or join our Payroll Giving scheme.

shop with us – You can buy everything from tools to seeds to help start your very own green space – whether it’s a window box or a woodland, we have what you need at www.tcv.org.uk/shop. By shopping with us you know you are helping us make a real difference to UK neighbourhoods and communities.

follow us – keep up to date with everything:

Facebook.com/TheConservationVolunteers

@tcvtweets

Join in, feel good help others

…there’s more!

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Registered Office: Sedum House, Mallard Way, Doncaster DN4 8DB Registered Charity in England (261009) and Scotland (SC039302) Registered in England as a Company Limited by Guarantee No 976410 bgfp.02.13/nh/Rb

keeping it GREEN!Because you support The Conservation Volunteers we know you’re committed to helping the environment. But here are a few extra tips to help keep your event as green as can be:

Try to hold your event at a venue with

good public transport links or within

reasonable walking/cycling distance.

Use local suppliers to minimise your carbon

footprint

Try to avoid paper use

where possible

Use re-usable cutlery and try

to avoid excess packaging

to minimise waste

Recycle where possible

– provide different bins for

paper, card and cans

Ensure your event does not

harm the land on which

it is held.

sending your cash donations to us

Your hard work is over – well done! Now you simply need to pay your cash donations into your bank account and send a cheque made payable to The Conservation Volunteers at:

The Conservation Volunteers

Sedum House

Mallard Way

Doncaster

DN4 8DB

Please make sure cheques are

signed and dated.

Alternatively arrange for

a transfer from your bank

account. Please contact us

directly for our account details.

Please do not send cash in the

post.

Thank you! …for helping to plant a legacy for people, communities and spaces