Your Fundraising Guide

Imagine your life without a secondary education. Would it be the same? In Zambia, 2 in 3 children do not go to secondary school and in Uganda this number reaches 3 in 4. It doesn’t stop there. Across Africa there are 20 million young people who are not in secondary school.

PEAS is doing something to change this.

PEAS has already given thousands of students access to a quality education through its schools – a chance of a career, a healthy family, a future. What makes PEAS different is that once these schools are built they are self-sustainable – using our SmartAid model they can run independently of UK funding. As the PEAS model is focused on sustainability, once a school place is created it will continue to benefit the community for generations. It is the mission of PEAS to expand access to secondary education, building more schools and giving hundreds of thousands more children a quality education.

It is your help that is making this possible. Thank you.

The impact your fundraising has… John

John was struggling to go to secondary school before he found PEAS. His previous school was too expensive and the teaching inadequate; he did not see a future.

PEAS offered a low fee and quality school, so John was able to get back into the classroom. He graduated with some of the highest grades in his class.

Not only did John finish secondary school, he went on to study at University, and is now fulfilling his dream – he is a PEAS teacher at his old school. John told us:

JulietJuliet finished primary school many years ago, but her family could not afford

to send her to secondary school. When PEAS came to the area, Juliet could go back to school.

Although in her third year at the school, Juliet is 21, unmarried, has a 20 month old baby and is the eldest in a family of eight. Juliet has a lot on her plate. She’s up at 5am every day, helping at home and making breakfast for her baby, before setting off for school at 7am. In the evening, it’s her job to fetch water and help cook and clean for the family. If there’s time after all that she will fit in some more study before bed.

“I believe education is so important because it will enlighten your life; you cannot do anything without it. I feel as though I have a bright future because of my education. This would not have been possible without PEAS; they not only enlightened my life, they saved it. Before PEAS, I was not known in my village; now I am someone.”

Juliet is fortunate that her family have supported her in going back to school. Neither parent had an education; now Juliet’s father works as a security guard at the school and, besides caring for the younger family members, her mother grows subsistence crops.

Juliet has set her sights high. Her dream is to qualify as a nurse and work at the local health centre. Being able to attend a PEAS school has given Juliet a chance to accomplish this.

PEAS hopes to give thousands of other young people just like John and Juliet the education they need to achieve their dreams.

Where do I start?

It can be daunting to organise your own event from scratch, but remember that PEAS is here to help, and hopefully our top tips will get you well on your way!

Make a plan!

What sort of event do I want to do? Think of a theme, make the most of people’s expertise, will you need more than one event to reach your target?

When do I want to do the event?Give yourself enough organising time, stick to a date, make sure it doesn’t clash with any other events.

Where can I hold it?Pick a suitable place, can anyone donate a venue?

Who am I going to invite?Think about your audience, your venue capacity, make sure you use every promotion channel available!

What is my budget?Go for it, but be realistic about your costs and your fundraising target

Top Tips• Ask your friends for help!

• Can any businesses donate you gifts, a venue or

food/drink?

• Does your company do matched giving? Worth asking!

• Can you get more out of your event? Sell some coffee

with your bake sale? Do a raffle at a party?

• Show photos and videos at your event to really get

people engaged with PEAS

• Your donors may have questions about PEAS, so get in

touch if you need more information

Collecting donations

JustGiving

JustGiving is a really effective way of fundraising, and all donations come directly to PEAS! You can really make the most of your page:

• Use stand out PEAS facts, make sure donors can see what we do and why we do it immediately and clearly

• Tell people why you are fundraising, make it personal

• Keep it updated regularly, tell donors about your plans, your training…

• Add photos and videos to really bring PEAS and your event to life

• Share and link your page to facebook, twitter, the PEAS website and your email signature so that as many people see it as possible

Spread the word

• Be clear about what you are doing, why you are doing it and why the need is urgent. What inspired you?

• Tell as many people as possible – family, friends, colleagues, community groups, parents at school etc. Think outside the box! How about your local MP or newspaper? If you need help with a press release let us know

• Use Facebook and Twitter to advertise and invite people. You could also design an invite to give out by hand

• Create some posters or leaflets, get them up where your target audience will see them, and put the PEAS logo and your contact number on there

• Put a sponsor form up in your office – give people as many ways to donate as possible. If you would like a collection tin then let us know!

Make sure you remember to thank all of

your supporters and helpers!

So what should I actually do? Here are just a few ideas…

Make a night of it!

Want to go big?

• Know anyone in a band? Put on some live music! Or know lots of talented people? Think Britain’s Got Talent and put on a variety show.

• Hold a quiz, or go back to school and make it a University Challenge.

• Want to do something a bit different? How about a race night, poker night, a fashion show, a themed party or a ceilidh?

As simple as ABC…

There are so many simple yet effective fundraising ideas out there!

A swapGet your friends together and have a frock swap! Charge

on the door, for a glass of wine, and watch everyone enjoy freshening up their wardrobe! What else could you swap? Swap a Saturday afternoon for a

bucket collection?

Q1)Q2)

A

A

2

2

Bag packingRope in some extra

hands and see if your local supermarket will let you bag pack for donations. A great way to raise money and tell people about your cause!

Car wash Talking about the car

wash! On your street, at work, at a community event – go

one step further and go in fancy dress!

We do have a ‘PEA’costume…

Working 9 to 5?

There are lots of ways to mix fundraising with office fun!

Have a raffle See what exciting prizes you can get donated! Or go

with a sweepstake, is it World Cup, Eurovision or Grand National time!?

Hold a bake saleCombine it with a coffee morning or silent auction to really

make the most of it! Not such a sweet tooth? How about samosas, bhajis and pakoras? Or go Ugandan with some cassava chips!

Get yourself sponsored Old classics are the best. Give up your favourite

treat, get in a bath of beans, go wild with your hair cut.

££

678299

Get active…

Want to get out and about?

Why not take part in one of our exciting challenge events? Do something different, have a laugh with a team, push your boundaries. To decide which challenge is for you, visit our website.

A bit of competition never hurt anyone! And often ups your fundraising! Hold a football tournament, a swimathon, a rowathon, the possibilities are endless…

Feeling really adventurous? Why don’t you and a friend go for it with a Jailbreak! How far do you think you could get?

Back to basics

Things to think about during your fundraising GiftAid is a government run scheme that helps charities raise more money. For all supporters that have paid enough income and/or capital gains tax and that tick GiftAid, PEAS can claim an extra 25p on every £1 donated. Do encourage any eligible supporters to GiftAid their donations! It is important to bear in mind any health and safety guidelines, licenses or legal issues that may affect your event – if you are unsure give us a call! If your fundraising isn’t on Just Giving, you can send your money to us in the form of a cheque, made payable to ‘PEAS’.

Keep in touch, we are here to help!

If you have any questions, queries,

problems, feedback or ideas then let

us know!

Charlotte – Events Team

020 3096 7700 or

charlotte.ulett@peas.org.uk

PEAS UK, 4th Floor, CAN Mezzanine, 7-14 Great

Dover Street, SE1 4YR

www.peas.org.uk

facebook.com/aboutpeas

twitter.com/PEASchools

Hear from another PEAS fundraiser

William Nelson I chose to do the Nightrider cycling event for PEAS because it was a fun way to raise money for an organisation doing great work. Working in a similar field myself, I really like what PEAS does in promoting quality and accessible education in a sustainable way. Many staff members are education specialists, which is a very important aspect of what they do.

Although the ride was around 100 km, the fact there were so many traffic lights and no sun meant it was quite a relaxing ride. I did this with some friends I don’t get to see that much due to me living overseas, so it was nice to do something as a bit of a team. Raising money for the event was made very easy through using www.justgiving.com. This only needed about 10 minutes to set up, after which I simply sent the link around work colleagues, family and friends - the fundraising was done for me! I think it’s really important to find a cause you believe in when fundraising for charity, this certainly motivated me to promote what I was doing and ask for sponsorship. I’d definitely recommend taking part in Nightrider and any event for PEAS. It’s a great organisation to raise money for and they offer a lot of support along the way.

Make the money matter and show your donors the impact their support could have!

£5 Could provide a student with a textbook

£10 Could help students learn outside the classroom with

sports equipment

£14 Could buy essential lab equipment for science

lessons

£17 Could buy a desk and chair for the many students

passing through classrooms each day

£30 Could provide a dormitory bed to help students

attend school who would otherwise be too far away

£90 Through the SmartAid model, this will create a

school place for the next 20 years

Thank you - you are building the fund that helps PEAS to build futures!

A world where all children enjoy an education that unlocks their full potential