Top tried-and-tested sponsorship tips     

Now your event is planned or even completed and you have to collect pledged sponsorship money.

• Some of our supporters comment that collecting up the money is harder than taking part in the event itself! To prevent this, try getting people to give you cheques post-dated to shortly after the event date (but no more than six months), as soon as they have pledged to sponsor you.
• Always carry a pen and sponsorship form with you.
• Give sponsorship forms to friends, family, workplaces and get them out raising sponsor money on your behalf.
• On your sponsorship forms you will see a box titled 'Gift Aid'. By encouraging every sponsor to tick the box and give their full home address and postcode on the form we can claim another 25% on top of their original pledge. For example, a donation of £10 will actually bring us £12.50.
• Ask your employers to match your sponsorship pound for pound, that way you raise twice the amount and your employers can get some brilliant publicity – get them to get in touch with the press.
• Invest some money in a prize and hold a raffle/ competition at work and put the proceeds towards your sponsorship amount.
• If you are self-employed, your clients might respond to a humorous letter asking them to support you.
• Other people might want to help or might know someone who could – always ask around.
• Write to local companies asking for their support – address letters to the Chairman or Managing/ Marketing Director. Again, try to make it humorous, it will stand out more.
• Contact your local press. People who know you or know of you may get in touch and support you.
• Do you belong to any clubs or groups? Have a chat with some of your fellow members and see what ideas you can come up with together.

Don't forget to remind people that:

• You are taking part for the two million people in this country with diabetes.
• That over the past five years, the number of children under five with Type 1 diabetes has doubled. In the UK, every five minutes, one person is diagnosed with diabetes and research shows that during the next 15 years the number of people worldwide with diabetes will reach 230 million, over double present-day figures.
• Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in people of working age.

For further information, please contact the Fundraising team:

Telephone: 020 7424 1000

Email: events.fundraising@diabetes.org.uk