Fundraising guide

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Setting up your fundraising page

JustGiving is our preferred way to fundraise online as you can set up your page and send it out to your contacts within minutes! Follow this link to the official University of Sheffield JustGiving page to set up your own fundraising page.

Click on the blue 'Fundraise for us' button and follow the instructions below:

• If you are taking on a challenge of your own click on the 'Personal Challenge' option
• Fill in your details and give your page a unique URL
• Tick 'No' for the two questions
• Now personalise your page - add text, picture and updates to welcome your supporters
• Check out our top tips for maximising your online fundraising

If you do end up fundraising offline, the safest way is to pay donations in via your fundraising page. Alternatively, you can donate via our online giving page.

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Alternative fundraising options (offline)

The University of Sheffield has now gone cashless. In light of this, we recommend online fundraising or using a sponsorship form, rather than using collection tins or buckets.

Sponsorship form

Materials

We have a range of materials that you can use to help with your fundraising:

• Personalised fundraising posters that link to your JustGiving page –  this is a great way to encourage people to donate during your fundraising activity. Posters include the link and a QR code which directs your supports to your JustGiving page.
• Posters or flyers - these can be a great way to advertise a fundraising event and educate your supporters about the cause. We can provide you with logos and other information you might need for producing your own materials.
• Publicity - we can post about your fundraising on our website and social media channels in the lead up to your event, publicising good luck messages and a write-up afterwards. Sending these links around can help to bring in those last few donations.

Contact us to for more information

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Fundraising top tips

1. Spread the word about your fundraising! Use our instructions to set up your page on Just Giving. You can then share your page on social media, via email to your contacts, put in your email signature, even get friends and family to promote it on your behalf as well. Why not get the ball rolling become your first supporter? Visitors to your page are more likely to give if they can see that others have already!

2. Educate your supporters about the cause – You know why the cause is so important, now is your chance to tell your supporters. Use short and snappy messages on social media posts with a longer explanation on your Just Giving page. Do include any personal connections to the cause if you have some.

3. Explain the impact their gift will make - It can be difficult for a supporter to feel special when donating towards a large target, so let them know what a £20, £50, £100 donation would go towards. Don’t be afraid to explicitly ask your supporters for an amount, and reference the impact of that donation. 

4. Update your supporters – in your social media posts and by using the ‘update’ function on your Just Giving page. Let them know when you reach milestones, e.g. reaching halfway to your fundraising target or completing a significant distance whilst training for a race. The more detail you can give, the more personalised your updates and page become – let your supporters follow your journey.

5. Get creative with your fundraising – Have a look at our stories for some inspiration, but don’t be afraid to try something new or different. This will stand out to your supporters and encourage them to donate to you!

6. Thank your supporters. Just Giving automatically sends a confirmation email and thank-you message to supporters, we definitely recommend personalising this. You can also go one step further in this by sending a personal thank-you to your supporters via email, social media, or by dropping them a text. It might feel a bit daunting but your supporters will really appreciate it. If you’re taking part in an event, this personal thank-you could encourage them to donate to you post-event.​​​​​

Download our Fundraising Guide here 

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