Introducing HelpFilm

Video is one of the most impactful ways for charities to promote their services, increase engagement, and inspire people to donate.

In fact, 57% of donors use video to make giving decisions.

This makes video an essential part of the fundraising toolkit.

However, for many small charities, promotional films are an unaffordable luxury … unless you know where to look.

Enter HelpFilm.

HelpFilm is an award-winning media production charity that produces high-end video and animation content for small charities.

Founded by former television director Alan Walsh, and staffed by a team of professional filmmakers, it aims to ‘promote the power of storytelling in a sector where resources are limited’.

HelpFilm achieves this by filming, producing, and editing compelling promotional films and absorbing the costs.

Wait, absorbing the costs?

Yep, the films are free. However, charity partners are given the option to contribute 10% of the final fee to support the production of future videos.

Track record

Since launching in 2020, HelpFilm has created emotive video content for a range of worthy causes, including Hope for Children, Children’s Heart Federation, Sumatran Orangutan Society, and Kids Inspire.

And 2022 was their most successful year to date. They saw a whopping 312% increase in applications and five of their films were shortlisted for Charity Film Awards.

One of the finalists was Birch Tree Café in Northamptonshire.
The café with a purpose’ is a place where young people with Down’s Syndrome can go to work, socialize, and be accepted.

Check out their video here.

Open for business

HelpFilm is inundated with requests for help. So they only accept applications during certain periods of the year.

The good news? They’re open for business.

If you want to level up your video content, the first step is to fill out the online application form.

If your application is successful, Helpfilm’s Communications Manager will meet with you to discuss your charity and the film concept in more depth.

The details of this meeting, together with the referral form will then be shared with the wider team, and they’ll decide whether to give your project the ‘green light’.

Criteria

HelpFilm only works with small charities (with an annual income of up to £1 million), and limited communications teams (4 people max).

On its website, the charity also states that applications will be rejected if:

• the referral form is incomplete or the organisation is not a registered charity

• your charity has an existing film portfolio online

• HelpFilm has worked with your charity in the past

• your organisation is a startup and its impact cannot be measured

• it’s unclear what your charity is trying to achieve

Need an additional fundraising bod to manage the application? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.

Peer-to-peer fundraising hit an all-time high on JustGiving in 2023

Happy New Year folks!

We hope you enjoyed some downtime over the Christmas break and have returned to work feeling refreshed, recharged, and positive about the year ahead.

If not, this blog post should change your mindset.

Here’s some good news to kick off 2024.

Fundraising is on the up

According to JustGiving, 2023 was a record-breaking year for fundraising.

Despite the challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis, a whopping £550 million was raised through the platform, benefitting 20,000 good causes across the UK.

The highest amount raised since JustGiving launched in 2020, the numbers tell us two things:

1.   People are still giving.

2.   Peer-to-peer (p2p) fundraising is on the rise.

With this in mind, here are a few key takeaways from 2023 to inform your fundraising strategy for the year ahead.

According to JustGiving:

• 950,000 JustGiving fundraising pages were set up, an average of 2,600 pages per day (9% more than 2022).

• There were two million more donations to charities in 2023 compared to 2022, with 3.5 million people donating to a good cause more than once.

• The most popular fundraising activities were running, walking, cycling, and swimming. Over 65 million miles were recorded on fundraisers’ Fitbits and Strava apps (the equivalent of 2600 laps around Earth, or 169 trips to the moon!).

• Skipping challenges saw a 286% increase in popularity from 2022, raising almost £230,000.

• London Marathon fundraisers raised over £39 million, including £2m+ on race day alone.

• £1.5 million was raised through live streaming, via Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.

• Thousands of brave fundraisers jumped out of planes for good causes, collectively raising £5.5 million (a 40% increase on 2022).

• Norwich proved to be the most charitable city in 2023, (22% of residents donating to good causes), followed by Bristol, Reading, and Cambridge.

• Schools across the UK raised an incredible £605,000.

Fundraising in action

Those are the stats. Now let’s look at some of the inspirational fundraisers that contributed to that incredible total.

Prepare to have your cockles warmed.

Seren Price

At just five years old, Seren Price became the youngest person ever to complete the Three Peaks Challenge.

Together with her father, Glynn, Seren battled snow, poor visibility, and -18C temperatures, to conquer the summits of Yr Wyddfa, (formally known as Snowdon) in North Wales, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and Scafell Pike in northern England in little under two days.

The duo had intended to complete the challenge in 24 hours but stopped to help a fellow climber on Ben Nevis who had become fatigued and needed help back down the mountain.

The selfless young climber raised over £7,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Joshua Patterson

For most people, one marathon is a struggle. But not for Josh Patterson.

Last year, the TV personality and mental health campaigner ran 76 marathons in 76 days in each of the UK’s 76 cities, to raise awareness and money for mental health charity, Samaritans.

He started his epic challenge in February, in Inverness, and crossed the finish line in London’s Pall Mall on May 13, to the cheers of hundreds of supporters.

He travelled across the UK in a camper van and battled all weather conditions to complete the challenge.

By the end of the 11 weeks, he’d covered a whopping 1992 miles, bagged himself a Guinness World Record for ‘the most cities to run a marathon distance in, on consecutive days’, and raised more than £320,000 for Samaritans.

Gabriel Clark

13-year-old Gabriel is a bit of a whizz when it comes to woodwork.

The teen first went viral in 2022 after launching a unique fundraiser to help children affected by the war in Ukraine.

Gabriel spent hours crafting a wooden bowl, which he dubbed 'Bowl for Ukraine'. He finished the bowl off by etching a blue-and-yellow ring round it in the colours of the country's flag.

His father, Richard launched a raffle on social media, which attracted thousands of entries and a phenomenal £250,000 for Save the Children.

Spurred on by the success of Bowl for Ukraine, the 13-year-old, who taught himself woodwork and has been honing his craft since the age of four, created 'The Hope Bowl' in 2023, to support children further afield.

The bowl, which took him ten hours to turn, comprised of three types of wood – ash, sapele, and zebrano – representing three of the main areas of Save the Children’s work around the world – education, food, and medicine.

Gabriel’s efforts raised more than £24,000 for the charity’s Emergency Fund to support children in crisis globally, taking his fundraising total to nearly £275,000.

Final Word

Looking to add a community fundraiser to your team in 2024? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.

Five psychological hacks to help you unwind over the festive period

2023 has been another challenging year for the charity sector. The cost-of-living crisis provoked a cost-of-giving crisis. And charities have suffered as a result. 

They’re having to adjust to rising costs while managing the added challenge of people needing them more than ever, while donor income is squeezed.

And it’s all been compounded by staff shortages.

It’s no surprise that 36% of charity sector employees are suffering from professional burnout, and 35% more are on the brink.

Roll on Christmas

The festive break is the perfect opportunity to grab a glass of mulled wine, put your feet up and enjoy some much-needed R&R.

But that’s easier said than done. For some of us, relaxation doesn’t come easy.

To help you switch off, we’ve compiled five top tips from experts in the fields of health, science, and psychology.

1.     Practice ‘doing nothing’

“If you spend most of the year being highly productive, relaxing and experiencing ‘stillness’ may feel like wasted time,” says Dr Jason Culp, a naturopathic doctor at the multiple award-winning Chiva-Som spa resort in Hua Hin, Thailand.

“However,” he continues, “it is within these moments that we become fully aware of the present, letting go of what we have done and what we should do.

Practicing present-moment awareness is one of the easiest ways to drop into holiday mode.’

He recommends yoga, meditation, and simple breathing exercises to induce relaxation.

Need a little encouragement? Check out Vinyasa yoga expert Max Strom’s popular TedX talk, ‘Breathe to Heal’.

2.     Get in the water

If meditation isn’t for you, why not give cold water swimming a go?

Joe Minihane, writer of Floating: A Life Regained says, “going for a wild swim is a surefire way to decompress. The fact you can’t take your phone in the water with you means the only things you need to focus on are kicking your legs, moving your arms, and slowing your breathing down.

Research has shown that just three minutes spent in cold water has an anti–inflammatory effect, helping to reduce stress. Throw in a quick hit of dopamine, a post–exercise endorphin rush and you can swim back to the beach or lake shore certain of the fact you’ll have washed away the worries of work.”

We know what you’re thinking. Its winter. It’s the UK. The water will be freezing.

You’re right. But the colder the water, the better it is for you. So, check out the Bluetits Chill Swimmers website, find a local group, and start reaping the rewards.

3.     Get back to nature

Another powerful de-stressor? Nature.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that just twenty minutes in the great outdoors is enough to significantly reduce cortisol levels.

Dr. MaryCarol Hunter, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan and lead author of the research said, “we know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us. Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes each day sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature.”

The American Heart Association also recommends spending time outside to reduce stress, anxiety and boost your overall mental well-being.

4.     Practise self-awareness

Many of our decisions are made on autopilot.

Psychologists call this ‘System 1’ thinking. It’s fast, unconscious, and prone to biases and errors.

To break a habit (i.e., checking our work emails every ten minutes when we should be enjoying some downtime), we need to engage ‘System 2’ thinking, which is conscious and controlled.

Ready to switch? Psychologist Peter Willis recommends doing the following:

• Take 5 deep breaths and close your eyes.

• Become conscious of the touch of your keypad or the phone in your hand.

Then ask yourself the following two questions and think through the consequences.

“What am I saying yes to by opening my emails during my holiday?”
Consequences: “I’m encouraging my boss to intrude on my personal space.” Or “I’m saying yes to more stress and possible burnout.”

“What am I saying no to?”
Consequences: “I’m saying no to quality time with my son.” “I’m saying no to giving my body and mind time to recover.”

Questioning the consequences of our actions is a simple way to interrupt the habit cycle. 

5.     Bargain with yourself

For some of us, the act of taking time off can result in an immense amount of unavoidable guilt.

Data published by the Pew Research Center in May 2023 found that nearly 49% of workers surveyed say they don’t take leave for fear of falling behind at work. 

If you struggle with holiday guilt, psychotherapist James Ullrich’s advice is to “negotiate a deal with yourself. Try striking a bargain to put a little bit of work in here and there, in return for extended downtime.”

Make a commitment to work for three hours in the morning, then relax for the rest of the day. And stick to it.

Happy Christmas from the Bamboo team!

Introducing the Charity Mentoring Network

How do you fancy upskilling your fundraisers, for free? You can, thanks to a new charity mentoring scheme.

Launched on October 27, the Charity Mentoring Network (CMN) is “a community platform that connects organisations, staff, and volunteers together so they can support one another and share their knowledge and expertise”.

The UK’s first nationwide mentoring scheme, it aims to connect people working across the sector and help them become more effective in their roles.  

How does it work?

Any organisation in the UK’s third sector can join the network.

Membership is priced on a sliding scale:

• Small charities (under 50 employees) will be able to use the service free of charge. (The cost will be covered by corporate sponsorship)

• Medium-sized charities: £500 a year

• Large charities: Either £1,000 or £2,000 a year, depending on income. 

Once signed up, members can invite staff and volunteers to register either as mentors, mentees, or both. They’ll then be automatically matched to a selection of people either offering or looking for support in specific topics.

The network is also open to corporates, who can use their volunteering days to mentor third-sector employees while accumulating CPD points.

What’s included in the membership?

Mentor Matching: Charities will be able to match staff and volunteers to mentors and mentees across the third sector, via the network’s mentoring software platform, PushFar. 

Reporting: Members can monitor the progress of their mentoring activity via bespoke reports that track engagement.

Support and resources: Monthly mentoring training will be included in the package, plus access to technical support during working hours.

Opinion

Thirty charities have signed up for the initiative, including the Royal Voluntary Service, St John Ambulance, Shelter, Alzheimer’s Society, and Epilepsy Action. And they’re welcoming the launch of the scheme.

Mary-Anne Fiorini, director of people and culture at Quo Vadis Trust, a provider of social housing, care, and support for people living with mental health needs, believes the network will benefit the charity sector.

“Having someone you can turn to for guidance and support is essential for acquiring confidence in your own abilities and encouraging leadership skills to grow. Developing a network within our charitable community can only help strengthen our sector as a whole, as the collective knowledge and experience shared from mentor to mentee helps underpin new ideas and decisions whilst forming alliances and sharing best practices.” 

Another proponent of the scheme, Heather Blanchard, learning and development business partner at housing association CHP, said, “having the Charity Mentoring Network available to our employees gives us a greater range of experience that our employees can tap into, both for growing in their own careers but also sharing their wealth of knowledge with others. We aim to use the CMN platform in particular to support our apprentices and graduates, as well as employees who are progressing into new roles internally.”

Final Word

Mentoring is an effective way to develop your workforce, particularly if you’re a small organisation with a limited training budget.

Drop CMN a line to find out how mentoring can benefit you.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a fundraiser, we can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to get started.

Are you taking advantage of promotional fundraising?

Charities have been using promotional items to raise awareness and funds for their causes for years.

Take the Royal British Legion, for example. The charity has been selling its iconic red poppies to support the Armed Forces community since 1921. Over the years, its annual Poppy Appeal has grown into a multi-million-pound fundraising operation.

Last year alone, it raised a whopping £124.5 million. That’s quite a return on investment for an item that costs 2.8p to produce.

However, a healthy ROI isn’t the only reason to invest in promotional merchandise. It can supercharge brand awareness.

According to Fit Small Business, ‘people have to be exposed to a brand five to seven times to start recognising it.’ Sure, you can achieve this with glossy print ads or TV commercials, but you’ll blow your budget in the process.

Stamping your logo, slogan, and web address on a practical item like a tote bag or t-shirt is a much simpler and cost-effective way to do it.

Why? Research by FluidBranding found that 87% of people hang onto promotional items for 12 months or more. That’s one year of exposure for your brand.

How charities are winning with promotional fundraising

Those are the benefits. Now let’s look at promotional fundraising in action.

RSPB

Charity badges are among the most popular and effective items of fundraising merchandise, as they’re cheap to produce and are one of the few fundraising wearables that are exempt from VAT.

One charity that’s successfully tapped into the fundraising power of charity badges is The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The conservation charity launched its first set of four enamelled pin badges - the Bittern, Bullfinch, Puffin, and Red Kite - in 1997 to celebrate securing one million members.

The badges were a hit with supporters and quickly became a collector’s item.

Spotting an opportunity, the charity commissioned four new badges in 1998 and has continued to add to the collection each year since.  

The badges, which feature everything from flora and fauna to birds to fungi, are sold at RSPB nature reserves and in 8,000 independent shops, garden centres, and retail locations across the country.

The long-standing campaign not only raises awareness of the precious species the RSPB works to protect; it raises around £1 million each year to help the charity carry out its conservation work.

Northern Pride

Charity wristbands exploded in popularity following the success of Livestrong’s yellow silicone bands in the early noughties.

Designed by the cancer charity, in collaboration with sportswear brand, Nike, the bands were insanely popular.

87 million were sold between 2004 and 2013. They adorned the wrists of cancer survivors, supporters, and celebrities around the world, uniting people in the fight against the disease, and raising £66m for charity.

Still popular

The allure of wristbands continues. And charities are being increasingly innovative with their campaigns.

Take Northern Pride. The LGBTQ+ charity has teamed up with Eldon Square, one of the North East's leading shopping centres, to entice people to buy UK Pride wristbands.

In return for a £2 donation, the wristbands can be used to unlock discounts at a range of restaurants and stores within the shopping centre, including Bella Italia, Accessorize, Lakeland, Molton Brown, Chiquito, and Frankie and Benny’s.

In an attempt to appeal to socially conscious consumers, the wristbands are made from 100% recycled materials using PET–shredded pellets from plastic bottles which are spun into thread.

War Child

If your aim is to raise awareness and spread a message, you can’t beat a promotional t-shirt. Especially if it’s designed by Vivienne Westwood.

In 2017, War Child, (a specialist charity for children affected by conflict), partnered with the renowned English designer to launch its #StopArmingSaudi campaign. The aim of the campaign was to urge the UK government to suspend arm sales to Saudi Arabia amid the conflict in Yemen.

As a part of the campaign, Vivienne Westwood designed a limited-edition t-shirt which featured influences of her iconic design language and a skull motif, overlaid with phrases highlighting the atrocities of war. 

The t-shirt, which was modelled by a host of celebrity supporters including Simon Pegg, Dara Ó Briain, Melanie C, and Jack Savoretti, raised over £70,000 for War Child whilst opening minds and kick-starting difficult conversations.  

Final Word

These are just a few of the ways charities have tapped into promotional fundraising to raise funds and visibility for their causes.

Low-cost, high-value, practical merchandise can go a long way to maximising your fundraising return on investment while spreading your message far and wide.

On the hunt for a fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 or email us at info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get the conversation started.