• Fundraising Pack

Save Communication Matters! Fundraising Pack

Join Us for the Communication Matters 3.4 Challenge!

Thank You

We are so grateful you have decided or are thinking about fundraising for Communication Matters.

We support people of all ages and conditions who find it hard to communicate because they have little or no clear speech. Our vision is to live in a world where all individuals have a right to a voice through the provision of communication solutions and ongoing support services.

As a charity Communication Matters relies on membership income and donations to raise funds for its vital work. In particular, to support Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users and those that work with them. Fundraising also generates awareness – of the needs of AAC users, AAC in general, Communication Matters and the work we do.

This guide should give you some ideas on what you could do to help fundraise for Communication Matters (CM) and have fun doing it!

We can help you with your fundraising too, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time by emailing admin@communicationmatters.org.uk.

Good luck with your fundraising!

How will the donations you raise make a difference?

Our day to day work has at its heart, the sharing of information with those who have communication disabilities, their families and those who work with them in any capacity.

We estimate that 0.5% of the UK population require some type of AAC and approximately 0.05% of the UK population require powered communication aids (reference: Shining A Light Report).

Your money would help us continue to:

  • provide information and support via our website
  • host remote support groups for AAC users
  • produce our journal which gives useful advice and support to families and other members about technology and communication
  • provide regular weekly updates about free resources and online training opportunities via our online forum
  • support the Mentoring Project to deliver qualifications in mentoring and other training opportunities for disabled young people
  • host a Conference, Study Days and AAC Information Days in the future to share AAC knowledge

The Communication Matters 3.4 Challenge!

You may have heard of The 2.6 Challenge which took place on 26th April 2020. This was a national virtual fundraising effort for various UK Charities after the cancellation of the London Marathon. Supporters were encouraged to take up the 2.6 Challenge and do any activity relating to a 2 and a 6 or 26. For example, running 2.6 miles or flipping 26 pancakes in a row!

We would like to take our own twist on this online event and host the Communication Matters 3.4 Challenge!

Our 34th AAC Conference was due to be held on 13-15th September 2020, but sadly had to be cancelled because of COVID-19. The conference is a brilliant opportunity for the AAC community to come together and learn and share knowledge about AAC, network and dance! Many AAC users have said how much they will miss the conference as it is like meeting up with family and they will especially miss the social aspects of the conference.

We have had a huge loss of income this year and the charity may not be able to continue without significant funding come Summer 2021. That’s why we are calling on you and the rest of the fantastic AAC community to come together at this difficult time and raise these much-needed funds for CM.

The 2020 Conference is our 34th anniversary year and so we would like you to try your own 3.4 Challenge on [date TBC] March 2021!

The challenge is open to anyone. All you need to do is think of an activity based around the numbers 34 or 3.4 that suits your skills and complete it between [dates TBC] March. You can do it at home and raise funds from your very own living room, bedroom, balcony, or garden!

You could pledge to run 3.4 miles, do 34 minutes of yoga, or juggle for 3.4 minutes non-stop!

Here are some other ideas:

  • 34 press-ups with your dog on your back
  • walk or wheel 34 laps around your garden
  • listen to 34 podcasts
  • 34-hour piano playing marathon
  • fancy dress workout for 34 minutes
  • 34 hours of volunteering
  • film 34 TikTok videos in a row
  • paint 34 paintings
  • cook a dinner with 34 ingredients
  • 34 cartwheels in under 3.4 minutes
  • 34-hour silence
  • 340 squats in 34 minutes
  • watch 34 episodes of The Simpsons back-to-back
  • 4 hours of meditation
  • compliment 34 random people
  • bake 34 cupcakes
  • cycle for ¾ of an hour
  • walk or wheel 34 miles in 3.4 days
  • get your colleagues together to dream up a (socially distant) 3.4 team challenge!

Target

We rely on voluntary donations, so every penny you raise really will help us make a difference.

Our initial target is £3,400, but we’d love to raise even more! Along with fitting the 3.4 theme, it will enable us to continue sharing vital resources with those who have communication disabilities and the wider AAC community, and it would see the charity through this difficult period.

  • £248 provides an AAC user with a subsidised place at our conference!
  • A Personal Assistant subsidised conference place costs £294.
  • Our JustGiving subscription costs £216 for the year.
  • And £264 per month keeps our website secure and maintained.

If you manage to raise £100 please let us know and we will send you a free CM goody bag!

If 34 people can raise £100 each, or if 68 people can raise £50 each, this would mean we reach our target, but of course … we need you!

I’m in! What do I need to do next?

  1. Think of your activity that fits a 3 and a 4, 34, 3.4 or ¾!
  2. Set up your own fundraising page on JustGiving
    – it is quick and easy but a guide on how to do this can be found here
    – and see these top tips
  3. If you want to, film yourself talking about or demonstrating your challenge and email it to admin@communicationmatters.org.uk
    – please state you give permission for us to share this on our website and social media channels
  4. Share your challenge with a photo or video on your own social media pages
    – include the hashtags #CMThreePointFourChallenge and #SaveCM
    – don’t forget to put a link to your fundraising page on your posts
  5. Ask all your friends and family to sponsor you and challenge them to do their own 3.4 Challenge
  6. Get ready to complete it at some point from [date TBC] March and [date TBC] March 2021
    – remember to follow the Government guidelines about social distancing

Promote your challenge on social media!

  • Use your profile to post regular updates about your progress and tell everyone how it went afterwards!
  • Take some video footage of your event / challenge and post it to YouTube – then share this on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Post a link to your online sponsorship page regularly, reminding all your contacts why you’re fundraising for Communication Matters.
  • Don’t forget to tag us @Comm_Matters (Twitter) or @communicationmattersuk (Facebook) and use #CMThreePointFourChallenge

Your local paper

Your local paper will be interested in your fundraising and why you’re doing it (your personal story), especially if you’re doing something unusual. Your story has a greater chance of success if it’s sent with a picture, so ask friends and family to take high quality pictures on the day – pre, post and during your event.

Your responsibilities

In law you must ensure that all donations and sponsorship money from your event is paid to Communication Matters. You must inform potential donors if any of the funds you raise will not be paid to the charity.

Please understand that if you do something that threatens or damages the name or reputation of CM we will ask you to stop fundraising.

Make sure you conduct a risk assessment to identify any risks or hazards for your challenge.

If you are under 18, your parent/guardian is responsible for you – please show them this pack and make sure they are happy with what you’ve chosen to do.

Here are some other ways you can fundraise for Communication Matters at any time!

  • Donate via our Virgin Money Giving or JustGiving page
  • Declutter and Donate your unwanted items
  • Give as you Live raises free donations when you sign up and shop online
  • AmazonSmile donates a % of your Amazon shop to your chosen charity
  • Set up a Facebook Fundraiser
  • Livestream a challenge
  • If you enjoy playing video games then Gaming for Good is for you!
  • For those fitness fanatics why not connect your Strava account to your fundraising page?
  • Host a virtual Comedy, Music or Quiz Night, Cooking Class or Craft Night, share those skills!
  • Have an ‘At Home Sports Day’ and get sponsored to do a challenge.
  • Ask your local supermarket to make CM their local ‘drop a token’ charity appeal
  • Check out this A-Z of Fundraising Ideas

Please help us to spread the word

#CMThreePointFourChallenge

#SaveCM

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