Over 20,000 people killed already. Death toll rising, 40,000 missing, 1.5 million people affected. 

Aid agencies are appealing for help and say the need is “immediate and vast”.

Find out how you can help - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7389735.stm

Dear Promise Aid members,

Promise Aid has been live for three months now. Thanks to all of you who have signed up and created accounts. I hope your promises are going well. To give everyone an overview of what’s been happening in the community, every month I’ll be posting some shoutouts.

Here are the shoutouts for April -

New members, Julia R and Lorraine who promise to quit smoking

Caterina, a fellow gooner who promises to find a new job.

Laura the founder of Ecoescape, a green travel website and guidebook.

Carlo B, founder of Alchemyworld, a charity helping alleviate poverty in Ethiopia. 

Shannon C, Karolina C, V, Brandy – Keep up the weight loss

Alberto – Congratulations on the Unltdworld launch. Have you stopped smoking yet?

Jack T – Thanks for offering email support to anyone who wants to quit smoking or losing weight. Get in touch with him if you want support.

Habib F, Chris A – have you quit smoking?

Please let me know how you are getting on or update your profiles to get more personal messages from me and others. Sorry if I missed you out this month! Get in touch with your stories if you want to be featured in the monthly shoutouts! Remember you can get in contact with fellow Promise Aid members through their profile page and find them using the search function or by browsing the promise clubs.

Fundraising is a great way you can have fun and help a cause you care about. Here are a few ideas and tips I’ve adapted from WikiHow ‘Fundraising and Charity’ category articles.

Be creative - People are getting more and more requests for money. You’ll need your fundraising to stand out. Check out this A to Z of fundraising ideas for inspiration. Look at the resources you or your group have, and use them to the best of your ability. Do something you or your group will find fun. Check out DanniDoodle’s Jelly Wrestling fundraiser for Comic Relief below -

Formulate a plan on paper - Set your goals including financials, who to approach, a to-do list and create a timeline. http://projects.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp
Zoho projects is a free and useful planning tool that can help you manage your event particular if you have other people you need to collaborate. This online project management tool lets you share files, set tasks, manage milestones and create gnatt charts. You’ll also find online word processors, spreadsheets, wikis and conferencing on Zoho.

Get the word out and Ask, Ask, Ask - The more people you ask, the better your chances are of meeting your fundraising goal. It’s a numbers game. Try and get everyone involved including your employer, media and local community.

Champion your cause - People will not donate money unless they believe in the cause. In any fundraising activity, clearly state your vision and why people should join you in this cause. Be ready to communicate a few key points about the cause you are fundraising for.

Writing a sponsorship letter - Companies get asked to sponsor events all the time, so be sure to include an explanation of why a particular company would be a match for your event. Find a key contact person and make follow up calls to this person until the company gives you yes or no answer. You can find more sponsorship letter writing tips and sample letters on the Kelly Shire’s Breast Cancer Snow run website.

Be Ambitious - Don’t be afraid to suggest higher levels of giving. You may reap big rewards and the worst that could happen is for them to say ‘No’.

Don’t take "no" personally - Some people can’t give, some don’t want to. Either way, it is not a personal attack on you or your cause.

Keep it legal and safe! - Check with your local Council and consult with other people working for your cause for any necessary permissions, licensing, trading standards and health and safety issues. There is a good beginner’s guide to fundraising on the Oxfam website that can also be applied when raising money for other causes which covers this in more depth.

Remember to say thank you – Even if someone has only given a small amount, show some appreciation. If they don’t donate, thank them for their time. They may donate next time. If you can’t do this in person, give them a call, text or email.

Gift Aid donations - Gift aid is tax relief on money donated to UK registered charities. Make sure that donations made are Gift Aided where appropriate. For more information http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift-aid.htm

Take advantage of online tools - There are a number of websites where you can create free fundraising pages and widgets to promote what you’re doing and collect money. First Giving (US) and Just Giving (UK) (owned by the same company) are websites where individuals can raise money for registered charities or non-profits. Browsing through some of the popular fundraising pages can be very inspiring. Do bear in mind though that these websites make their money by charging non-profits a % service fee for donations and premium account features.

Also check out Chip In which you can
use to raise money for any purpose. Donations go directly into a nominated
Paypal account. While it is free and does not charge any transaction costs,
PayPal Premier or Business accounts may be subject to fees.

Good luck with your fundraising.

This post is adapted from WikiHow ‘Fundraising and Charity’
category articles. wikiHow licenses all content under a Creative Commons License