Organising your own fundraising event or activity is a great way to support UCAN.  Whether you are organising a large or small event, or asking for donations from friends and family at a celebration or party, planning is important, and we would like to help you out with some hints and suggestions.

Receipe for a successfull event

• Decide on the type of event you would like to hold. Click here for an A-Z of fundraising ideas.

• Decide on a date to hold your event. The weekend or an evening may be easier for everyone to attend, unless you plan to hold your activity during work or school hours.

• Find a venue. If your event is too big to hold in your workplace, school or home, consider local halls, community centres and sport centres. You will need to contact the owners of these venues and get their permission. Make sure you plan your activity well in advance as some venues book up quickly.

• Work out a budget. Set yourself a fundraising target and make sure it's at least three times as much as you spend – otherwise it may not be worthwhile.

• Write a checklist of all the things that you'll need, for example costumes, equipment, refreshments, then tick them off as you go along.

• Delegate. Find out what skills people have, then try to give them tasks they'll enjoy. So if some of your friends are creative, why not get them to design and make badges, banners etc?

• Try to keep costs low, for example, ask local businesses if they'd donate prizes and cover the cost of printing posters, banners and so on.  Remember to send thank you letters to everyone that helps to support your event in this way.

• If you are under 18, please check with your parents or guardians that it's ok for you to take part in a fundraising event.

• Advertise your activity. Tell everyone in your neighbourhood, social club, gym, office etc, for example by putting notices in your staff or social group newsletter. Remember, word of mouth is always one of the most successful forms of promotion!  The UCAN website is also a place where you can advertise your event.  All you need to do is get in touch and let us know the details.

• Create your own fundraising page on-line – this is one of the easiest ways to fundraise.  Your supporters can donate to or sponsor your event on-line and the money will come straight to UCAN.  Log on to www.justgiving.com/ucan for further information.

• Contact local newspapers, radio and TV stations and ask them for publicity. Ask them to also include your contact details in case readers or listeners wish to sponsor you or some of your event costs.  The UCAN office can help you to write press releases and contact local media.

• Invite everyone you know. The more people you involve, the more money you will raise to help local people affected by urological cancers. So look to invite friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, and business contacts – anyone you can think of!

• Put your most generous sponsor at the top of your form if it is a sponsored event. Hopefully others will follow suit!

• Ask your sponsors to Gift Aid it – this means we get an extra £28 for every £100 you raise, for free. As long as your sponsors tell us their home address, we can claim this extra money from the government.

• Ask your employer if they operate a matched-giving scheme, if they do, they will be able to match £ for £ on the money you raise.

• Record – keep details of everyone who has supported you, this is good practice but also helps you keep track of who you need to thank.

Set up a fundraising group

If you would like to set up a fundraising group with your friends, simply call us on 01224 599312, or e-mail us – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We'll provide you with lots of support.

Tell us about your fundraising activity

Simply give us a call or email us. We can also post you a fundraising pack, complete with a sponsorship form and information about urological cancers.