Thank you for your interest in fundraising for Help Musicians UK.
We are the leading independent music industry charity. Since 1921 we‘ve provided help, support and opportunities to empower musicians at all stages of their lives and we rely on incredible people like you to help.
To find out more about how you can help musicians across the UK, please email us at fundraising@helpmusicians.org.uk or speak to the team on 020 7239 9114. If you have any questions or need fundraising support please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Fundraising Pack 2017
To help kickstart your fundraising, check out our fundraising pack
Top tips for fundraising
Use your networks
- Approach family, friends, colleagues, local businesses, groups and clubs that you belong to
- Use email, social media and word of mouth to get donations
- Contact local journalists would who may want to run your story
Why you are doing it
- Share your passion and make sure you tell people why you are fundraising when you approach them for support
- Linking your fundraising to the stories of the musicians we help, will show potential supporters their impact
Be creative
- Don’t be afraid to be different and use unusual promotional strategies to catch people's attention
- You could set up a competition to win tickets, get an advert in your local paper or design your own poster
Use social media
- Keep your supporters posted about your fundraising progress via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Make sure you include photos to grab attention!
Call in favours
- Ask friends, family and colleagues to help you at events and gather prizes
- Set up an online fundraising page as soon as possible:
- Ask everyone you know to donate!
Ask for some fundraising materials
- Flyers, buckets and t-shirts are all tools for shouting about our cause as well as encouraging donations
Get matched
- See whether your workplace will match your fundraising
Here are some fun music fundraising ideas to inspire you
- Organise a benefit gig, recital, concert, festival, music quiz or percussion competition
- Get the office to dress like a Rock Star for the day, charge double if they forget!
- Evening of entertainment – bring people together to play music, cook or host a dinner party for donations
- Hold a music tribute night to your heroes
- Arrange an Open Mic Night include local talented singers, musicians, actors and poets
- Organise a Battle of the Bands, Talent Show or Jam Session
- Play musical chairs – for a small entry fee, get a friendly competition going, with the winner grabbing a brilliant prize
- Do a Karaoke or a Bandaoke night - Robbie, Tina, Freddie or AC DC? The choice is yours!
- Attempt breaking a Guinness Book of Records musical challenge
- Host your own music themed party; Glam Rock David Bowie style?
Sponsored outdoor activities
- Walk, row, swim, sail, horse ride, bungee jump, cycle or get on your motorbike!
- Do a skydive, trek in a beautiful setting, climb a mountain, try an abseil or zip line
- Challenge yourself to play an instrument in a magnificent and unusual outdoor location
Other fundraising ideas
- At events do a raffle, live or silent auction, sell refreshments or start a sweepstake
- Hold a coffee morning and have a bake off, see who can make the best cake!
- Getting married and don’t need/want gifts? Why not ask your guests to donate to Help Musicians UK instead?
Fundraising Calendar
October
Royal Parks Half Marathon. Full details here.
Would you like to run in The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon for Help Musicians UK?
This award winning picturesque charity run on Sunday 8 October 2017 is a fun challenging event giving you the opportunity to take in London's most iconic locations via the city’s stunning Royal Parks, whilst also raising money to help musicians in the UK.
To secure a place at this sold out event and to find our more, please contact Sinead at sinead.whelan@helpmusicians.org.uk
Thank you
Here are some of the wonderful fundraisers that happened in 2016:
Prize-winning pianist Anne Shingler gave a recital where she performed music by Bach, Kabalevsky, Schubert (arr. Liszt), Janacek, Peter Sculthorpe and Stephen Hough in an intimate setting and donated the proceeds of £375.
Daniel Parkinson organised and conducted the Soundscape Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Northern College of Music in February and raised £720.60.
The Rugby Music Union hold a collection for us at their Christmas Concert and this year they donated £224.50.
Mary Parish has been supporting us for many years, and donates her fees from theory tuition to us. Last year alone she donated £1475.
Students at the Royal Academy of Music chose us as their charity for RAG week and raised £238.98.
Robert Bridge, founder of Knitting Concerts, collects money for charity after each concert and in January he donated £400 to help us help even more musicians
We hope you feel inspired by some of our fundraising ideas and find something fun that suits you, your friends, family or colleagues to do! We love to hear how our fundraisers have got on, so keep in touch. Send your photos and write us a blog about your fundraising story to fundraising@helpmusicians.org.uk
