Fundraising for Marie Curie You’ve chosen your Swimathon challenge, booked a swimming lesson to help hone your technique, started your training, so what’s left to do? Why not make your Swimathon challenge extra special by supporting Marie Curie? If ever faced with a terminal illness, most of us would choose to die peacefully, in our own homes, surrounded by the people that mean the most to us. Marie Curie makes this possible. We care for people living with any terminal illness and offer vital emotional support for their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support, to help them get the most they can from life. Your fundraising for Swimathon 2015 will enable us to make sure people with terminal illnesses can continue to access the high quality care they need when they need it most. mariecurie.org.uk We want to make Swimathon 2015 the biggest yet but can only do this with your help, so we’ve pulled together our top tips to help you hit your fundraising target. Our number one tip – don’t be shy about asking your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you. You are taking on a huge challenge for Marie Curie and you’d be surprised how many people you know will be impressed by your dedication and will want to sponsor you. s h How to smash your fundraising target Jazz up your giving page! Quiz night You set up your Giving Page when you registered for Swimathon, you can access this going to the Swimmers Login area on the website. Spend a bit of time personalising your page by adding a photo and changing the copy to give the reasons why you’ve decided to take part, whether this is for the challenge or because you have experienced the amazing work that Marie Curie nurses do, your sponsors want to know! Hold a quiz night at your local pub and get your friends and colleagues to give their brains a work out. Share your giving page Once your page is looking great, it’s time to spread the word, click on the Get Sponsored tab at the top of the page for easy ways to share this with your friends, family and colleagues. Don’t be shy about this, you’re taking on a big challenge for a fantastic cause and money you raise will help Marie Curie care for more people, every penny helps make a difference. Suggested fundraising amount You could include a suggested donation amount based on the number of laps you’re planning on doing: 20p per lap for 2.5k swim is £20 which would pay for an hour of Marie Curie nursing care.  ? Heads or tails Raise more money at your quiz or dinner party by asking guests for a £5 donation to play heads or tails. Everyone stands up and, for each flip of the coin, puts their hands on their heads or bottoms (for tails). Those who guess wrong sit down and the game continues until there is a winner, who gets a prize. £ Bake sale Love cake? Then hold a bake sale! Include a cake decorating competition to find the star baker. Auction of promises  £20 Matched Giving Matched Giving is when an employer offers to donate an amount of money towards your fundraising. Some companies might agree to match your fundraising £ for £ or agree a fixed amount to donate up front. It is a great way to increase your fundraising for Marie Curie and to help you reach your target. Your HR dept. is usually the best place to find out more about this. If you can offer a special skill or service, then auction it off for a day to the highest bidder. Whether it’s being designated driver for a night out, window cleaning or IT skills, you have what other people want! Fancy dress Make your school or work day more interesting by having a fancy dress day. Have a simple non-uniform or dress-down day, or go all out and introduce a theme. Raffle Gather a donation of prizes and put them all into a raffle. Ask friends and family for high-quality items or approach local businesses.   mariecurie.org.uk  66