Why Sobell House?
“It's vital to pick a cause that is close to your heart” says Lloyd Scott, the man who ran London in a 122lb deep-sea diving suit in 2003.

Hopefully most of us will never need the services of Sobell House but you will be surprised how many people have been touched by the work Sobell does, either directly or through friends and family and how happy people will be to help out and support you.

You just need to ask.
• Sponsors: Recruit your biggest sponsors first to set the tome for others. Ask people to sponsor you up front if possible, especially if they are just visiting at home or work, as it can be very time-consuming for you to collect sponsorship money afterwards.
• Friends and Family: Involve as many people as possible. Make sure they know what you are doing and give them one or more copies of your sponsorship form and some info on the Hospice so they can really get behind you. Set them small targets to raise on your behalf – it’s surprising how keen people are to help if you only ask!
• Let People Know What You’re Doing: Why not contact your local newspaper or radio station? They are always keen to hear local ‘human interest’ stories’ and this can help you get the backing of your community – and help us to increase awareness of Sobell House. You could also write an article for your company newsletter or intranet and display posters at work, in pubs, clubs, sports centres etc.
• Matched Fundraising: Ask your employer to match whatever you raise. This could automatically double your fundraising. Many companies have specific budgets for this. If you work with other companies ask them to sponsor you as well. Don’t forget your colleagues who are often very generous when they hear what you’re about to do and why!
• If your sponsors are UK taxpayers, Sobell House can reclaim tax on their donations from the Inland Revenue (and we all like to get something from them, don’t we?) at no extra cost or hassle to them. This makes their donation worth an extra 28p for every £1 given. Simply ask them to give their full name and HOME address and tick the Gift Aid box on the sponsorship form.
• JustGiving.com: Want to spend more time fundraising and less time fund collecting? Increase your sponsorship amount by 28% and reach your sponsorship targets efficiently, quickly and with little effort? Just Giving.com allows you to build your own personalised online sponsorship page in minutes then simply email it to family friends and colleagues across the globe. And on top of that as we all know plastic money isn’t ‘real’ money so people are often more generous with their donations. Visit www.justgiving.com for more details.

Use your imagination
Dare to be different in your approach. When Scott ran his five-and-a-half-day marathon, he raised more than £100,000 for the Cancer and Leukemia In Childhood organisation. You don't have to go that far, but the more extraordinary you can make your fundraising effort or race activity, the more likely you are to get people interested and enthusiastic. Run in costume, sing your way round or offer to walk people's dogs while you're training. If you can use your imagination to catch people's attention, you'll probably catch their money, too.

Give something back
It's often easier to get people to part with their money if they feel like they're getting something in return. “We had some special forms made up, did some T-shirts, some badges and stickers,” says Scott. But you could also consider getting them to sign your race kit so everyone can see they're supporting you, or use the time-honoured cake sale to raise some extra funds. Or you could get your hands dirty and offer to wash people's cars or windows.

Ask the experts
Most charities are well versed in the art of fundraising (obviously) and they are an invaluable source of information to get you on your way and over your target in good time. “We supply materials such as collection tins, balloons, posters and leaflets,” says Leigh Pearce, events organiser at the National Meningitis Trust. “We send people a list of tips as well, and we even help them to get into the press by providing template press releases that they can then send to their local newspapers and radio stations. Local papers are looking for stories like this all the time, so it's not that difficult.”

Learn the tricks
Even an old trick like ensuring the first person to sign your sponsorship form gives a substantial amount can go a long way to boosting your funds, as people will tend to follow suit. And don't leave the money collection until after the event. Ask for it up front when they sign your form, because it is really easy to write the figure down and not so easy to go back and ask for the money. If something happens and you don't run the marathon for whatever reason, then try to come up with some sort of agreement with your sponsors - you'll find that most people donate anyway.

Every little helps
“Just standing outside your local supermarket with a collection tin for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon can be really fruitful” says Pearce. Even fundraising at the last minute can do wonders – why not carry a collection tin for gathering donations during the race, or even on training runs?

Delegation’s what you need
The secret of effective project management is delegation - so get family and friends involved. They're probably dying to present one of your sponsorship forms to their own workmates and among their circle of friends, so they can vicariously bathe in your glory (without doing the training). Or team up with a fellow charity fundraiser to pool your resources - doubling up this way can often more than double your money.

Play the corporation game
There's more fundraising potential in your office than just the wallets of your colleagues. As Drummond points out, “Many companies will have a policy on how they work with charities, and they'll have a policy on staff getting involved with charity.” Ask your employer to match your own fundraising efforts - you might be surprised by how willing they are to help. And if all else fails – there's always that deep-sea diving suit.

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