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If you’re new to fundraising, the simplest and fastest way to help is to join one of our regular Hospice events, or a third-party event with Harbour Hospice as your chosen charity. If you want to do your own thing, or are looking for inspiration, this is a great place to start. Follow the steps below to kickstart your fundraising journey.

Join an established event
Here are some great events that support the work of Harbour Hospice. Joining one of these established events is one of the fastest and easiest ways to support what we do.
    Annual Harbour Hospice events:   Coastal Challenge     Tour de Backyard
    Events with charity partners:   Auckland Marathon    

Create your own event or fundraiser
If you’d prefer to create your own innovative fundraiser, the below might give you some inspiration.

  • Create a page in tribute to a loved one
    Creating a memorial page in remembrance of your loved one is a special way to remember them. It only takes a few minutes to customise your page and share with your friends & family. You can also include a link to your page in a funeral Order of Service or a funeral notice and every donation will be recorded on your fundraising page along with a message of support. Click here to get started.
  • Donations to Harbour Hospice instead of gifts
    A donation to your favourite charity for celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries or weddings, is fast becoming a popular option for many reasons. For example, people want less ‘stuff’ in their homes, environmental considerations or they wish to give back to a cause like Hospice because they have a strong personal connection.
  • Challenge yourself
    If you’re an adventurous type ask people to sponsor you to complete a challenge, such as a skydive, climbing Auckland’s 53 volcanoes or completing a stand-up comedy gig!
  • Give something up
    If you have strong willpower why not shave off your beard, go car-free or mobile-free for a month and ask people to sponsor you.
  • Host an event
    For the social lovers get out the BBQ, host a karaoke night or get the girls over for a clothes swap and ask for a donation as an ‘entry fee’.
  • Sell something
    Perhaps you’re a budding chef or a bit clever with knitting needles – if so, consider selling your goods and raising money for Harbour Hospice that way.

Once you have your idea in place, the next step is to decide how you’ll collect and account for all the money you raise.

Create an online fundraising page
Cashless options like online fundraising pages are a safe and simple choice. You can set up your own fundraising page quickly and easily on Givealittle or JustGiving

Once you’ve set up your online fundraising page...

  • Tell your story about what Hospice means to you and why you’re fundaising.
  • Set a fundraising target to create momentum and give yourself a goal to focus on. Be ambitious but make it achievable, because you’ll feel great when you exceed it.
  • Make the first donation to give others an idea of how much they should give and encourage them to jump on board.

If you receive any donations by cash or bank transfer, they can be manually added to your online total so supporters can see all your efforts. 

What if I don’t want to, or cannot, fundraise online?
If you choose not to use an online fundraising page to collect donations, we strongly advise you keep a record of all income and outgoings.

Let your supporters know that all donations over $5 are tax deductible and that you’ll forward their donation and contact details to Harbour Hospice for receipting. You need to take responsibility for all expenses and income relating to your fundraiser.

It’s a great idea to clearly state how much of your event profits are going to Hospice (e.g. “100% of all money raised will benefit Harbour Hospice”) to let your supporters understand the difference they are making. We also have eftpos machines and tap point (payWave) donation machines that you may be able to use. Please contact us to discuss whether this is possible for your event.

Now you’ve set up your online fundraising page (or other way of collecting money), you need to put the word out so that people can support you! Don’t be shy in asking for others to get behind your efforts, people are often only too happy to help especially when you share your story and why this means so much to you.

Ask, invite, share, promote – make a noise!
Invite others to get involved through every channel you can, including messaging Facebook friends, emailing friends and family, and chatting to co-workers in the lunchroom.

Keep your supporters updated
By giving regular updates – including photos, videos, shout-outs and thank yous – you'll keep your family, friends and colleagues engaged with your goal and achievements

Brand yourself
Use the Harbour Hospice logo on your fundraiser promotions to let people know you’re supporting our work.    

You really can’t thank people enough. We recommend you thank every donor individually at least twice - as soon as they donate, then again when you complete your fundraiser. If you reach your target early, that’s another opportunity to thank all those who helped you get there. Make it personal with a phone call, card or email, supplemented with more general thank-you messages via social media or email updates. Thanking people is more than good manners – donors who feel appreciated are more likely to respect your efforts and spread the word about your cause.

Now it’s our turn to thank you! We can’t thank you enough for choosing to support Harbour Hospice. Through your efforts you’re making a difference to patients and families in your community. We can’t wait to hear about your fundraiser!

Click here to tell us about your fundraiser

If you didn’t find what you were looking for here, please contact your helpful Harbour Hospice Community Fundraisers at events@harbourhospice.org.nz or phone 09 486 1688.

Resources

Getting funds to us
Keep it legal
Avoiding hazards
Brand guides