How to Fundraise for Tusk

If you are undertaking a challenge on Tusk’s behalf – thank you! The following list may help you raise your sponsorship money. Just remember that Tusk is here to help and can send you lots of information to help your campaign - contact Adele in the Tusk Office

• Remember - Tusk is a non-political conservation Trust, supporting a range of conservation, community, education and research projects throughout Africa. On average over 80% of all funds raised are invested into the field.
   
• Start as soon as possible - Adopt a similar determined and planned approach to your fund-raising as you do for your training. Carry a sponsorship form with you at all times.
   
• Check out online sponsorship – Take the hassle out of sponsorship by going to the  Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving websites (UK) and the First Giving or Crowdrise websites (US) where you will be able to create an online sponsor form in minutes. Tusk Trust is registered with these websites. Supporters can donate by credit card and their money will go directly to your chosen charity and it’s all tax-efficient – earning Tusk Trust even more through Gift Aid which enables us to claim 28p for every £1 of sponsorship money you raise, providing the sponsor is a UK tax payer. This form of donating is becoming one of the most popular methods of giving in this country. It is easy to operate, no hassle, you can keep an eye on who’s donating what and you don’t have to chase people after the event to pay up.
   
• Make it easy for sponsors – Divide the sponsorship form into a table format with easy-to-fill-in sections for the sponsor's name, address, telephone number, pledge amount and a signature column, allowing Tusk to claim Gift Aid (simply write “ I wish Tusk Trust to reclaim tax on this and all other donations I make hereafter” as the header). Copy the sponsorship form and hand out to potential donors to complete. Put a large donation on the top line of your sponsor form to encourage others to follow suit!
   
• Be easy to contact - Ensure your name, address and telephone number are clearly marked on the sponsorship form. This way any photocopies should eventually return to you.
   
• Target with military precision - Make a list of all your family, friends and work colleagues as well as associates you know through sporting or social activity. If it helps, list them in separate sections and decide how you are going to approach them and what you want to say to them.
   
• Face-to-face is best - It's more difficult for sponsors to say no if you're standing in front of them. If you can't meet them, send a letter, fax or email as they are harder to ignore. A tear-off reply slip at the bottom is another handy hint. Make sure they send any donations to Tusk with their Gift Aid consent- signed, dated and addressed.
   
• Approach your company of employment - as well as other local companies for support. Many companies match individuals own fundraising efforts, and like to be seen to be supporting this way. Tusk can provide photographs for in-house magazine stories etc as well as Tusk literature and leaflets to help support your campaign.
   
• Have a high profile - Meet as many potential sponsors as you can. Contact your local newspaper or company newsletter and tell them about your venture. Sponsors like good publicity. If you have a newspaper that is interested in writing an article about you, let Tusk know. Tusk can provide photographs and further details of the projects being supported by the event.
   
• Enlist the help of others - Encourage family, friends and work colleagues to help fund-raise on your behalf. Rather than cold calling, try to target organisations, businesses or individuals where you have a contact.
   
• Approach your local school - In return you could possibly give a talk about your experiences after the event.  
   
• Organise an Event - around an activity you do in your spare time eg. pub crawl, roulette evening, pub quiz evening, raffle/sweepstake, fitness competition, parachute jump, safari party, design a T-Shirt competition etc supported by your company, local newspaper or pub, etc.
   
• Organise a Collection - at a supermarket, shopping centre or church or have a spring clean and have a car boot sale.

Donate Now!

About Tusk

Join our growing online community on facebook to keep up-to-date with our news