5 steps to a successful business fundraiser

Fundraising for Shout with your business is the perfect way to encourage personal development and team building, all while fostering a workplace environment that prioritises mental health and wellbeing.

If you’re looking to fundraise for Shout, read on for our top tips for a successful organisational fundraiser. From the challenge you pick to the goals you set, we’re here to help engage and motivate your team to take on an incredible challenge for mental health.

1. Pick your challenge

We’ve found that hikes and treks offer the perfect opportunity for team building within businesses. You could take on the UK 3 Peaks, the Morocco High Atlas Mountains or even Everest Base Camp with colleagues!

We also have a huge variety of marathons, walks and cycles available, many with subsidised entry costs. These offer the perfect shorter challenge to take on as a team, in a part of the UK that works for you.

The bigger the challenge for you, often the more keen people are to donate!

Pick your challenge

2. Share your story

Many businesses choose to fundraise for Shout following a charity nomination and/or a workplace presentation. If you’re planning to nominate Shout as the charity for your organisation to support, we recommend the following steps:

• Share a personal story. Whether you’re a Shout Volunteer, have used the service before or have other relevant lived experience, let your colleagues know why fundraising for Shout is so important to you.
• Tell everyone the impact your fundraising will have. As a team, you could help to fund hundreds of life-saving conversations for people in mental health crisis who reach out to us in their hundreds everyday.
• Highlight the importance of our service. As a free, 24/7, confidential text support service, Shout is life-saving and vital for those who need discreet mental health support out of normal service hours.

3. Set clear goals

Setting a fundraising target is important for any event or challenge. Whether individually or collectively, having a goal to work towards can be really encouraging.

Heidrick and Struggles’ employee Malcolm nominated Shout in his workplace and rallied a team to hit their £6,000 fundraising target for the service. Read his top tips for fundraising within your business or organisation here.

4. Build your team and keep them engaged

Getting a team on board is the most important step! Remember to share all of the benefits of your fundraiser with your colleagues.

Our challenges offer an incredible opportunity for personal growth and team bonding, all while ticking off a bucket-list experience and having a resounding impact on the Shout service.

Once your team is signed up, keep them engaged with the tips shared by Nikki, a Shout Volunteer and employee at Agilio Software.

Thanks to Nikki nominating Shout to be a charity partner and then presenting to colleagues (telling them all about Shout’s work and the UK 3 Peaks Challenge), 21 Agilians joined their fundraising team and many more donated.

A dedicated Teams channel, regular virtual meetings and a WhatsApp group to share tips and advice all helped keep the team motivated, raising an incredible £24,600 for Shout.

5. Spread the word

When your team is signed up to fundraise for Shout, the key to success is spreading the word among colleagues, clients, friends and family. Ask your team to:

• Download our fundraising pack and share the graphics on social media and in the office
• Ask your employer to match donations or to make a donation themselves
• Share regular updates. Everyone loves to see photos and videos of the team as you get closer to your challenge, and as you succeed
• Hold raffles, bake sales or other events as a team to raise awareness and boost your fundraising

If you’d like to plan a business fundraiser for Shout, reach out to [email protected] for support and more information.