What small charities often lack are the skills, confidence and networks to deliver better services and reach more people in need of their services. That is why, thanks to the FSI’s donors, hundreds of them are becoming stronger each year and improving their impact on the world around them. To find out how our donors are making this possible take a look at what we do and the impact they are having.
We consider ourselves lucky. Each day we meet incredible people who are stepping up to change the world one bit at a time. They come in all shapes and sizes, but they have one thing in common. They understand how the FSI’s support multiplies the impact small charities can have on the sector. In short we have some of the most entrepreneurial donors in the world. Find out below how you can join them, or just do something new.
Tell a small charity about us
If you know of a small charity who needs help developing their organisation or securing income for the future, pass on our contact details or send them to this site. We would love to hear from them and get them on the small charity map for all to see.
Tell us about opportunities for small charities – We love to spread the word about free events and activities to take part in and post them up on our news items. Several organisations have benefited from winning charity of the year awards, or received free help as a result of your tips, so keep them coming!
Tell us your stories – we love to hear about all the great work small charities have done, especially if what they have learned through the FSI is having an impact on their work. Send us photos and news of what your favorite small charity has been up to and we’ll gladly share it with everyone!
Make a Donation
There are a heap of things we are proud of at the FSI, but one of the best has to be the impact our donors have on small charities across the UK and their work all over the world. Every £1 donated is converted into £4.80 worth of impact and value for the small charities we support.
They leverage every £1 donated into £4 in services for small charities and in turn small charities are going wild with success! Our best story to date is a delegate who turned our £170 donation to them in training, into a £500,000 gift when using the skills we had provided them with.
If you want to make your donation to charity, go the extra mile and take a look below at how you can give to hundreds of charities in one go and check out our impact page for more stories of success.
Donate
It costs the FSI just £170 to train a charity to be better at securing income and keep its doors open. You can start your multiplier effect right here by donating on our site, or alternatively contact Kim Sutton on kimsutton@thefsi.org or call 020 7637 2264. Take a look below to find out about other ways to give and get involved.
Monthly Giving
Giving regularly is the best way to support the FSI. It means we have reliable income which allows us to plan in advance and budget more effectively. There are different ways you can do this. Read more below.
Payroll Giving
Payroll Giving is making a regular donation to the FSI, or any other charity, through your pay. Donations are deducted from employees’ salaries before tax. This makes it an incredibly tax efficient way of giving to charity.
For example, if you choose to give £5 a month and you pay 22% tax (basic rate), you’ll actually only miss £3.90 off your monthly wages (and just £3 if you pay higher rate tax).
Standing Order
You can set up a standing order with your bank for money to go to charity whenever you want.
Giving monthly through standing order from your bank means your money is taken out after tax. However, if you are a UK taxpayer the FSI can claim back Gift Aid.
This means, if you choose to give £3.90 a month and you pay 22% tax (basic rate), the FSI can claim back £1.10 – which adds up to £5 for the charity. Find out more about Gift Aid.
Gift Aid
Gift aid is tax relief on money donated to UK charities. The government treats donations as if the donor had already deducted basic rate tax from them. The charity can then reclaim this tax to increase the value of a donation.
So, for example, if you are a UK-tax payer and donate £10 to charity, the charity can get £12.82 from that donation. Certainly worth a tick in a sponsorship form!
Have a play around with this clever Gift Aid Calculator to work out what your donation amounts to: http://www.itforcharities.co.uk/gaidcalc/simple.htm
If you’d like to find out more, have a look at the government HM Revenue and Customs website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift-aid.htm
Legacy
Leaving a gift to the FSI in your will is a fantastic way to make a difference long into the future. The great thing about the FSI is that you know your money will be supporting so many worthwhile and vital causes from young families with cancer to giving ex-offenders the chance to start again. To find out about leaving a legacy contact us.
Share knowledge, skills, time, resources
There are so many ways you can help, we have listed some of the key ways here, but get in touch if you have any other ideas.
Volunteer
If you have time to offer, volunteering your skills can be a great way of getting involved. We often run events that we need help at, so get in touch and register your interest. A great way to get charity experience on your CV or make a really big difference to our work.
And if there is a small charity you find on our site that inspires you, think about how you could help their cause. We often have volunteer requests posted on our job site so do look out for what comes along.
Offer free venue space
If you have access to a venue that you think would be great for one of our conferences or events, please let us know as this valuable gift saves us much valued money and fundraising effort.
Work for a small charity
The sector is full of bright, energetic and passionate people – and we are always looking for more. Take a look at the jobs posted on our site for news of small charities recruiting
Participate in an FSI Event
We are constantly looking for ways to help you support small charities and for those of you who like to pull on a pair of running shoes we’ll even put on a race! Take a look at what we have going on to take part in…
The FSI Challenge 2010
Last year it rained and just when we thought no one would turn up, 200 committed small charity supporters arrived to run and fundraise for their favorite causes. Fancy walking or running 4 or 10km through the Peak District dressed in purple tutus, glittery cowboy hats and wigs next year? Find out more and download the Entry Form here or read about last year’s event here.
Run/walk
London Marathon 2010
Do you have a ballot place for London Marathon 2010 or find yourself looking for one? Fancy running for small charities and having your own purple cheer squad? Get in touch and see if you’re up for the challenge of a life time. Take a look at last year’s runners and cheerleaders to see what’s involved!
BUPA London 10,000
Fancy running a slightly more manageable distance in 2010……10,000 metres through London? Get in touch if you want to raise funds for small charities and take part in one of the most breathtaking runs in the UK as London’s streets close for your journey.
Online donation pages
There are also great tools you can use to help raise money whilst training for all this activity.
The FSI are signed up with Everyclick.com, Justgiving.com and Help.co.uk, which are online donation websites. You can set up your own personal page, with a story and picture, then send your friends and family the website address to sponsor/support you online. This way you don’t have to chase people for their money!
The Small Charity Car Draw
If running isn’t your thing perhaps the chance to win a car is. This year 413 charities raised over £72,000 helped by the FSI organising the largest online and offline lottery for charities. If you didn’t get your tickets for the car draw this year, or sign up your small charity to take part, make sure you don’t miss out next year when we aim to beat all records!
Small Charity Week
Are you as passionate about small charities as we are? This is the week to celebrate the work and success of small charities across the UK and their value in our society. In May 2010 we will be taking a closer look at public perception of small charities and what issues they face and we will be supported by a number of partners in making fundraising and media attention turn to the small guys for the week. Fancy helping us celebrate? Get in touch and find out how you can get involved.
Fundraising
Do you prefer your sofa to running? Or do you have some great ideas of your own? There are great ways to raise money for the FSI and small charities – they can be fun and not cost a penny. Have a look through our A-Z of ideas and let us know if you’ve got some of your own. Get in touch and we can send you some information and encouragement to help you on your way.
Simple ideas
We know that not everyone has the time or energy to pull together fundraising events, but there are little ways that you can help.
You can choose Everyclick.com as your online search engine, this raises money for the FSI even as you search the internet. Set it as your homepage on your internet browser, encourage your friends and colleagues to use it too, or maybe even suggest it to your boss, to get the whole company going on it.
You can also shop online (often saving money) and raise money for the FSI at the same time using http://everyclick.shop.com/ or www.easyfundraising.org.uk/fsi and you can even select the FSI to benefit from items you sell on eBay.
