Emergency fundraisers: Your questions answered
General Fundraising-related questions
How can I raise funds?
- Street collections. Please make sure it’s legal, read our Collection Guidelines (PDF 97KB)
- Sponsored hikes
- Non-uniform days
- Cake stalls
- Charity music concerts
For more fundraising ideas download our Fundraising Guide (PDF 3,142 KB)
Also have a look at the Emergency Fundraisers Handbook (PDF 1,671 MB
How can I get my employer involved with Emergency Fundraising?
- Hold an office dress down days or fancy dress days
- Organise cake stalls or tea parties
- Carry out a collection in your office. Please get your managers' permission first — we don’t want to get you in trouble!
For more information on fundraising though your employer please email us: speakingout@savethechildren.org.uk
I need extra resources, who can I contact?
If you need additional fundraising materials, such as posters and collection tins or buckets, please contact us: emergencyfundraisers@savethechildren.org.uk
How much money should I raise?
There is no set fundraising target. No matter how small the donation, all funds can dramatically improve children's lives caught up in emergencies:
- £100 will supply emergency kits for seven families.
- £300 can buy clothes to keep more then 30 children warm throughout winter in Mongolia.
- £1,000 pays to feed 100 children in a paediatric hospital for a month
How much time should I commit to being an Emergency Fundraiser?
- We require your superhero powers when an emergency strikes, but we have no way of predicting when an emergency will happen. Therefore time commitments are variable. But your help is crucial in the first two weeks of an emergency appeal.
- Fundraising for emergencies needs to be quick. Many Emergency Fundraisers fit their superhero activities around full-time jobs or studying
- If you’d like to get more involved with our work, we're also running ongoing projects and challenges to raise funds for emergencies all year round. Please check your mailbox and the Emergency Fundraisers' main page for more information.
Can young adults and schools get involved with Emergency Fundraising?
Anyone can be an Emergency Fundraiser and we’re keen to get young people involved. If you’re under 18 we ask that you volunteer in a group, supervised by an adult. Get your teacher, youth Leader, parent or guardian to sign up for you.
Will I get paid for being an Emergency Fundraiser?
- Working as an Emergency Fundraiser is a volunteer opportunity. We're unable to offer payment to supporters.
- Save the Children has paid street fundraisers employed by the agency Face2Face. If this opportunity interests you, please look at the Face2Face website.
I have some new fundraising ideas, how can I share these with you?
We’d love to hear all your fundraising ideas, please contact us by sending a message to the Emergency Fundraising mailbox: emergencyfundraising@savethechildren.org.uk
Emergencies-related questions
What is as an emergency?
An event becomes an emergency when local families and communities cannot cope or recover from it on their own. Find out more.
The DEC is an umbrella organisation for 13 humanitarian aid agencies, including Save the Children and the Red Cross, with the remit to unite agency efforts in times of disaster. Read more about the DEC.
Where can I find out more on current emergencies?
Every year more than 60 million children are caught up in emergencies. Find out more about where we are responding right now.
Our staff are blogging from emergencies around the world. Follow their work by reading their blogs.
Watch videos of our work in emergency zones on YouTube.
General Adminstration Questions
How can I send you money I raised through fundraising?
Enter the money into your bank account. You can send it to Save the Children via cheque, postal order, or credit/debit card.
Always accompany the funds with a Paying in your Fundraising Form (Word 49KB).
I’ve changed my contact details, how can I send you my new details?
Send your new details to the emergency fundraising mailbox.
I can no longer be an Emergency Fundraiser. How can I remove my contact details from the mailing list?
Contact us by phone or email telling us that you’d like your contact details removed.
How can I get a license for collections?
If you’re collecting on streets and public places, you must contact your local council for permission and for advice on health, safety and legal issues.
If you’re collecting on private property (e.g. supermarkets, rail stations) you require written permission from the owner beforehand.
