Our Charity Income Manager Nicky Sargent has recently joined RLSS UK and here she has shared with us some great ideas for fundraising.

Many of us will already be familiar with JustGiving, which is well used by fundraisers in place of traditional paper-based sponsorship forms nowadays.

Setting up a page for your fundraising event is really straight forward, and the ability to share your page instantly with your social media contacts is fantastic.

But there are many more ways to use JustGiving, so even if you aren’t planning event, there are ways you can use it to raise funds for RLSS (UK).

1. Regular Giving – a small gift each month adds up to making a huge difference. Setting up a regular payment through JustGiving is simple and easy to manage. Using their online form, you can choose your donation amount and preferred day of collection, and you are free to change your information at any time, leaving you in control.
2. One-Off Donations – Even with cheques gradually becoming a thing of the past, deciding to make a donation needn’t be difficult. Your donation can be made easily and safely directly to RLSS UK through JustGiving, and you can even boost your donation by 25% if you are a UK tax payer, by ticking a box to register for GiftAid*
   
   
3. Crowdfunding – a relatively new buzz word in the world of fundraising, ‘crowdfunding’ is really a modern take on campaign funding. Want to run a community lifesaving course in your local area? Consider setting up a crowdfund to get your project off the ground. JustGiving will lead you through the simple process, enabling you to share your idea quickly and easily through your email and social media contacts. People love to see that their donations really mean something – and what better way to illustrate this than to let them see their money going directly into a lifesaving project?
   
   
4. Occasions Pages – if you’re celebrating a special birthday, anniversary, or even your wedding day, but don’t want to receive gifts, consider setting up an occasions page on JustGiving. Your family, friends and colleagues can choose to make a donation, leaving special messages in celebration of your special day, whilst raising funds for a cause that means as much to you as they do.
   
   
5. In Memory Pages – Losing someone we love is always hard. A special way to celebrate that person could be to set up a JustGiving In Memory page. Your loved ones can leave personal messages, share memories and thoughts, and can choose to leave a donation to charity in memory of the person they’ve lost – a touching and important legacy.
   
   
6. To find out more about JustGiving and to register for an account, visit www.justgiving.com. You can visit the RLSS UK charity page to find out what other fundraisers are up to, or take a guided tour using their help function.

If you have any questions or want further information, please feel free to contact me via email [email protected]