It is not hard to add a bit of funding raising to any events you organise. (For ideas on helping charities with their fundraising in general, see the other ideas at: Fundraising.)

Be realistic with your fund raising aims. If you are attempting to raise large amounts of funds, in return, expect to have high finanical risks and great time commitments.

When buying merchandise to sell on, make an estimate of what you can really hope to sell, then divide that number by 3. It is much better for your moral and pocket for you after an event to feeel you could have sold more than to be in the situation where you have boxes of stock in your garage or bedroom with no way of recouping their costs. Selling is a skill that needs to be learnt. This is perhaps a subject we could arrange training for.

Here are some ideas on fundraising. It would be great to build on this, so do Contact Us with further ideas and information.

fundraising ideas

• collecting at a stall or hold a street collection - ask charities for collecting tins if you plan to do this often
• if you run a group and have social events, add a little on to the costs of the meal as a donation.
• organising an event where you get a group discount and give that to charity. An extreme example example of this is Veggie Snow
• holding a raffle at an event - local suppliers and Companies that have offered free promotional products are often happy to donate prizes if you ask nicely
• sell Vegan Society merchandise, which Network contacts can buy at a reduced rate, and keep the profits to fund your active vegansing. Just contact the Vegan Society about this (see below).
• Sell your handicrafts. Gaynor's Gift's is a fantastic example.
• Hold a 'pampering evening' which is a great money spinner apparently. Invite supplies and services such as massage, gacials, Lush, beauty-care, all with a vegan cruelty-free theme either overtly or subtly. Sarah of VegParentsSE says "We sold raffle tickets for a donated hamper (we made all the exhibitors donate a beauty product or voucher) for £5 a go, so we made loads on that. We had the local press cover it too. I handed out vegan leaflets to everyone and we gave free info bags out to everyone, so I stuck a leaflet about veganism in there too...well why not eh?"
• contact us with more ideas please!

managing the money raised

• always be clear which organisations you are raising funds for and how they will be divided, and if any of the funds are going on other costs
• keep the funds raised separate from any other money. It can be useful having a collection tin from the charity, a money belt and/or a cash box. Money belts are particularly useful in public situations. Collection tins need to be supervised and tied down if not held.
• if you funraise regularly it can be useful to have a community bank acount for your group, which you can set up with mainstream banks like the Cooperative Bank and Triodos Bank for free
• pay the funds raised as soon as possible in the way you advertised you were intending to

sending money on

• send cheques or postal orders made out to the organisation, enclosing a letter about how the money was raised and who by
• expect a receipt for small amounts with a thank you letter for larger amounts
• tell people how much you have raised and the good causes it has gone to

fundraising for the Vegan Society

The Vegan Society works really hard to promote veganism. Any funds donated to them will be gratefully received and well used.

• follow the "sending money on" guidelines above
• make cheques and postal orders payable to "the Vegan Society"
• post to the Vegan Society office
• please also email a description of your event, fundraising and any photos to Show email address., your Network Contacts Coordinator, so we can celebrate your achievements.