Fundraising

There are many occasions in life when it feels right to share what you have with others. Whether the occasion is a happy or a sad one, collecting money for Together can be an appropriate way to mark the event. We’re very grateful for personal gifts and appreciate the generous spirit behind them. We can assure that all of the money you collect will go towards improving the wellbeing of people experiencing mental distress.

Together is a member of the fundraising regulator self-regulatory scheme. The Fundraising Regulator works to ensure that organisations raising money for charity from the public do so honestly and properly.

Gifts in celebration

More and more people are asking for charity donations instead of gifts at:

• Religious festivals
• Birthdays
• Weddings, civil partnerships and engagement parties
• Christenings
• Anniversaries.

This can be a great way to celebrate with friends and family while achieving something really worthwhile for people living with mental distress.

Gifts in memory of a loved one

Inviting friends and family to an event on behalf of a family member or friend who has passed away can be a good way to honour their memory. Try to think about their likes and loves and put on a personal and fitting event.

One of our supporters, Caroline, ran the Two Castles run in Warwickshire in memory of her good friend Richard, a keen runner. She ran with her sister Alison, and friends and family sponsored them and cheered them on.

“Richard had struggled with mental illness most of his life. One of the ways he coped with his illness was to run, and the last time I saw him we had planned to do a 10K run together. Sadly we will never have the chance to do that, but it inspired me to go out, buy a new pair of running shoes and run a race for the two of us. And we did it! We raised £1,248 and I know that money will be used to help someone like Richard have a reason to live another better day.”

Caroline, Together supporter

You might also like to hold a charity collection at the funeral or memorial service and ask people to contribute as little or as much as they can afford.

Inheritance tax

Look at HMRC’s website for information about inheritance tax and what it could mean for you. Leaving a gift to charity can bring the value of your estate within the threshold for inheritance tax liability.

“Rima supported Together for 20 years, and chose to leave a gift to us in her will, along with a number of other charities. Her legacy was worth more than £8,000, which could pay for 13 people to complete our Leadership Training. The course is designed by people who have experience of living with mental distressthemselves, and equips them to lead their own recovery.”

Collecting money

JustGiving offer an easy way to set up a fundraising page online, or you could have a charity collection point at your event.

“When Sam died, he made a generous gift to us in his will of a quarter of the residue of his estate. This gift turned out to be worth more than £60,000. Sam’s generosity has made possible fantastic projects like the new North Lancashire project, which helps people using mental health services to have a role in developing the services they use.”

Community fundraising

If you’d like to organise a fundraising event in your community to raise money for the work of Together, we have lots of ideas to help you out.

Promoting your fundraising event

The more people you tell, the more money you can raise. So update your Facebook status, email friends, distribute publicity materials and contact the local press. Download our branded posters (Branded poster blue or  Branded poster purple) to help spread the word.

Collecting money

If you’re collecting money at an event, you can ensure everyone who donates signs a Gift Aid form and if you’d like one of those please contact us at comms-admin@together-uk.org. This way, every pound you raise could be worth at least 25p more. If you are being sponsored, remember to get those who donate to fill in your sponsorship form. Or set up a sponsorship page online to donate to us through Enthuse or with Just Giving.

Sending money to Together

Please don’t send cash through the post. Please let us know which project you are fundraising for (if applicable) and provide your contact details so we can thank you properly.

To arrange the bank transfer personally, please use the details below and add the reference “Community Fundraising” and the Together project or service you were fundraising for (if there was a specific one):

Account Name: Together for Mental Wellbeing
Account Number: 36774804
Sort Code: 60-30-03
Bank Name: NatWest

If you would like to send a cheque you can address this to:

Together for Mental Wellbeing
52 Walnut Tree Walk
London SE11 6DN

Easyfundraising

How you, your friends and family can raise money for Together when you buy things online

There is a really easy way for Together staff, their friends and family, to raise money for Together when buying things online.

It costs nothing, and doesn’t affect how things are bought online, other than the requirement to go to the site you want to buy something from, via a site called www.easyfundraising.org.uk.