One of the elements of my business that gives me immense satisfaction is fundraising. Whether it’s a local organisation looking to raise funds, or someone who supports a national charity on a local level, there are a number of ways in which I can help.

Ways of fundraising

When I first started out on my journey as a Consultant with The Body Shop at Home, way back in 2008, I thought Facebook was simply where you found out what someone you went to school with many years before had for their breakfast. Heck, the iPhone had only just been invented!

Thanks to technological advances and the popularity of social media, there are now several ways in which The Body Shop at Home can support your chosen cause. Let’s explore these.

1. Face to face party
2. Online party
3. Fundraising links
4. Pop up shops in businesses
5. Stalls at community events
6. Other ideas? This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I pride myself on thinking outside of the box. So, if you have other ideas you’d like to explore, let’s have a chat.

How does fundraising work?

As a general rule, at least 10% of the value of sales generated from your fundraiser will be donated to your chosen cause. I say at least 10% because I’m always as generous as I can be. For parties, I will also donate a raffle prize and you would take all of the income from raffle ticket sales. Sometimes, with pop up shops and community events, the organiser may opt to receive products instead of 10% or a flat stall fee. Just some examples of the kind of organisations I’ve supported by giving products in this way in the past are food banks, gifts for NHS volunteers and rewards for staff.

Getting the most from your fundraiser

Really, most of the tips below apply to just about any fundraiser, not just those booked with myself and The Body Shop at Home. And, of course, it isn’t an exhaustive list, just the highlights from my last 14+ years.

1. Make a list of who you’d like to invite and reach out to them personally. The personal touch always works well as people will know that you’ve taken the time to think of them. It’s also harder to ignore than generic posts and group messages.
2. Having said that… Do flood your communication channels with news of your fundraising endevours. You never know who might be watching. Don’t be shy. Think confetti – you want to be everywhere. Generally-speaking, a single Facebook post won’t cut the mustard. The key is repetition, and more repetition.
3. Over-invite. If you think you’d like 20 people at your event, and just invite 20, you might end up with 10. Go for 50 invites, or more. Scale it up to the numbers you’d like and think big.
4. And don’t forget to tell people they can bring a friend along too. More than one friend if they’re popular ????
5. Why not set up a booking link so that you have an idea of numbers? Websites such as TryBooking and EventBrite allow ‘free’ tickets for this purpose.
6. Consider offering tea/coffee and sweet treats to those who attend, and ask for a donation in return. Or you may consider charging a small amount for the ticket. Doing this can really boost how much you raise.
7. When someone says they can’t attend, use that website link to full effect. They may be a regular purchaser of all things The Body Shop, or know someone who is, and you don’t want to miss that opportunity. So pop that link to them and ask them to share it on as well. People know people, who know more people…
8. If you have a licence that permits it, why not sell raffle tickets in advance of the event?
9. Fundraising with a link? These links can be shared in a multitude of places. On your social media, and also WhatsApp group chats, by direct, old-fashioned text message (sometimes the old ways work the best), on an email autosignature… And keep sharing it – the best results come from consistency. If you have premises, why not create a QR code that people can scan, that will take them directly to your link, or information about your fundraiser? I can help with QR codes if you need.

Where to hold fundraising events

Choosing where to hold your fundraising event can seem like a mammoth task, but it really isn’t. Your venue doesn’t need to be grand (it could be in your home) and certainly do not, ever, never, ever, pay for room hire. My top tip is to find somewhere within easy reach of those you’ll be inviting and look for a venue that would like to support. If it’s somewhere like a pub, which is their quietest night? If I managed a pub I definitely wouldn’t be charging someone who is going to bring business through my door.

Why fundraising fails

Of course, not all fundraisers are a roaring success. Over the years I’ve done many successful fundraisers, and also some that have flopped. And a flopped fundraiser does not make for a happy Body Shop Consultant.

So, why might a fundraiser not be successful? There are a number of reasons, and this may feel a little like ripping a plaster off, so hold on tight…

1. It’s important to remember that not everyone is as invested in your chosen cause as you are. You may need to repeat your invitations to events or keep re-sharing those links, for people to take notice. Remember, most people need to see something at least 7 times before they take notice, so as mentioned previously, be like confetti – get everywhere.
2. In the past it has sometimes been assumed that I can personally provide a room full of people, so the organiser has thought that all inviting efforts can be left to me. Of course, I do have my own customer base, but to expect them to support every fundraiser I do would be very unrealistic. Not to mention tiresome for them and could potentially result in my losing customers if I’m constantly asking them to support charity X or Y. Plus, I have a family to support, so allocating all my orders to charitable causes simply isn’t good business sense. And my kids aren’t fans of fish finger butties (I know, strange kids, right?).
3. Remember, it’s not always about numbers – we can sometimes raise as much from smaller groups as we can from larger ones. So please, don’t cancel if you only have a few people who have committed to attend. There are always ways to make your fundraising event a success (reverse-scroll to ‘Getting the most from your fundraiser’ above).

Whether you’re just thinking about a fundraising event, or already have one booked, I hope that these tips help you.

If you’d like to chat further about how I can support your fundraising efforts with The Body Shop at Home, please contact me and we can have a chat to come up with a plan.