Today, an email from Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, is hitting the inboxes of over 10,000 fundraisers, volunteer mangers and CSR staff.
Phil Hope is encouraging charities and companies throughout the UK to benefit from a new free website, How2fundraise.org, creating hyperlinks from their site and sharing it with their volunteers.
Built by the Institute of Fundraising and funded by a partnership of the Vodafone UK Foundation and the Office of the Third Sector, How2fundraise.org offers a wealth of information to volunteer fundraisers, and the aims of the site are to:
- Offer ideas and answers to inspire and support volunteer fundraisers;
- Motivate and build loyalty by making volunteer fundraising an even more positive experience;
- Provide detailed guides on running an array of fundraising activities, including law and best practice in a volunteer friendly format;
- Increase the funds available to good causes.
Organisational members of the Institute are offered the exclusive benefit of bespoke co-branding on the site, which also generates a range of template documents, such as sponsorship forms and posters, bearing the charity’s chosen text and logo.
It is no longer necessary for charities to build a whole range of online fundraising resources for their volunteer fundraisers, leaving them free to create inspiring campaigns and nurture their volunteers.
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive at the Institute of Fundraising says: 'Volunteer fundraisers raise billions for charity each year.
'If we can help them raise even a few percent more then that will be a massive additional contribution to good causes.'
Sarah Shillito, Head of The Vodafone UK Foundation and Social Investment, comments: 'The professionals are not exclusively the experts when it comes to this area of fundraising.
'We hope we’ve created just the place for volunteers to share their secrets of success.'
The site offers the volunteer fundraising community an opportunity to create its own vibrant web 2.0 resource through forums, event calendars and ‘my fundraising’ pages.
How2fundraise.org has already received support from BBC Children in Need, Barclays, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Volunteering England, who are among an array of launch partners who have already decided to use the site to enhance their volunteer fundraising.
The Institute sees the site as a natural extension to its services, helping both volunteers and the professionals that support them to achieve the highest standards in fundraising practice and management.
The Fundraising Standards Board has welcomed How2fundraise.org as an ideal way to guide volunteer fundraisers through the range of legislation that applies to many fundraising activities.
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For further information please contact:
Diana Mackie Tel. 020 7840 1027 / 07793 802 852
Institute of Fundraising
Email Diana Mackie
