• Help & Advice
  • Find a Service
    Close icon

Fundraise

However you decide to raise money for Brook, we’ll help make it a rewarding experience.

In 1964 our pioneering Founder, Helen Brook, refused to let stigma stand it her way. To this day, we continue to follow in her footsteps and we will not rest until we see a society that welcomes everyone and trusts people to make decisions about their health, their bodies and their identities. 

Why fundraise for Brook?

This year, millions of people in the UK will experience attacks on their sexual and reproductive rights that are both shaped by, and reinforce, stigma. 

Brook will never stop fighting until everyone has access to safe, confidential, accessible healthcare, no matter who they are. 

What will your fundraising support?

By fundraising for us you will help to: 

  • Change perceptions of sexual and reproductive health, normalising access to services 
  • Shout louder about the harm caused by stigma, tackling the damaging misinformation that is rife online 
  • Fearlessly champion the rights of young people and other communities that find their rights under attack 
  • Fight for a strategic policy commitment to sexual and reproductive health 
  • Educate and equip professionals, parents and families to challenge stigma and address misinformation at every opportunity 

Fundraising ideas and inspiration

You could wash cars, start an office swear box, run a sports sweepstake, organise a jumble sale or swap shop – the sky’s the limit!

But if you need some inspiration, here are some simple ideas to get you started:

Host a quiz night

Why not organise a quiz to get those brain cells working and some competition going? It could be a pop quiz or general knowledge, you could even include a ‘guess the baby’ round with embarrassing baby photos! Raise money by charging for entry, refreshments and having a collection, and ask local businesses to donate prizes.

Organise a bake sale

Why not organise a Great Brook bake sale? Thanks to Mary Berry, baking has never been so popular! Get your pinny on, and impress your colleagues or friends with sweet treats by running a bake sale.

Get active for Brook

Challenge yourself to run, cycle, swim, trek, hop, skip or jump and get active for Brook! Whether you’re a seasoned runner, a first time 5ker, mad enough take on open-air swimming in the freezing winter months or keen to get pedalling, we want you on our team! Get fit, push yourself and raise money to make a huge impact for young people in the UK. We’ll be here cheering you on all the way.

Hold an evening event

From black tie dinner to talent show, to club night or a disco, make it glamorous, make it quirky, just make sure people will want to come! Charge for tickets and hold a raffle to raise cash.

Dress down day

A dress down day is one of the easiest ways to fundraise. They’re simple to organise and it’s easy for everyone to take part. If everyone in your class or team paid £2 to wear their jeans for the day, how much could you make? What about the entire school or building?

Sponsored silence

Sponsoring someone to stay silent means that everyone gets some peace and quiet and you’ll raise loads of cash for Brook in the meantime. Whether you take on the challenge yourself or nominate a mate, get people to sponsor for every 15 minutes of silence. You could even run a sweepstake on how long the quiet will last to raise more!

Run a sweepstake

Appeal to your friends and family’s sense of competition by running a sweepstake in aid of Brook. 

Top tips to get you started

Here, we’ve shared our top tips for fundraising success. This will help you think through some of the basics of planning and promoting your event.

The what, when and where

Once you’ve decided on the type of event you want to run, think through:

  • When are you going to do it? Give yourself enough time to organise everything and make sure it doesn’t clash with other things that are going on that same day.
  • Where are you doing to do it? Think about what your event needs to succeed and plan the location accordingly. For example, if you’re selling alcohol, you’ll need a license.
  • What’s the budget? No event will be completely free to run (unless you’re very creative!) so make sure you’ve thought this through carefully and can cover your costs or get what you need donated.

Set a goal

Set yourself a fundraising target and decide how much you want to raise, and when you want to raise it by. A great way to motivate your supporters is to demonstrate how their donation helps. See the challenges young people face and why Brook needs your support now more than ever.

Make it easy to support you

Setting up an online fundraising page is both a great way to share your goal – and reach it. It’s also the easiest way to raise money, because you don’t have to handle any cash and the money comes straight to us, so we can put it to good work immediately.

Online fundraising also makes it really easy to collect Gift Aid, which adds 25p on for every pound you raise, with no cost to you.

Brook is registered on a number of giving sites such as JustGiving.

Shout about it!

Promotion is key to getting the support you need and without it, your event is unlikely to go with a bang.

  • Send an email or text round to friends, family and acquaintances to let them know about the event, why you’re supporting Brook and how they can get involved or donate! Make it personal and they’re more likely to be motivated to help.
  • Facebook and Twitter are perfect for shouting about what you’re doing – make sure you link to your fundraising page on Facebook and Twitter and remember to keep everyone updated with your plans.
  • Contact us at press@brook.org.uk to let us know what you’re planning! We’d be proud to give you a shout out on social media or via our newsletter.
  • Let your colleagues or fellow students know – send a friendly email round or put up a poster in a communal area, don’t be scared to ask for support. We can send you a poster template to help.
  • Ask people to share what you are doing with their friends. Emails, retweets or ‘likes’ all help spread the word!
  • Take pictures! Doing a run or challenge? Get a shot of you lyrca’d up! Planning a bake sale? Some tempting cake shots are definitely in order. Photos will remind people what you’re up to.
  • Free advertising is easier than you think! If you are planning a local event, get nearby shops, hairdressers and pubs to put up a notice or even ask your local paper to feature your fundraising.
  • Be loud and proud about what you’re doing. Carry a sponsorship form with you everywhere, invite everyone you meet, write to companies or organisations and ask for support – explore every opportunity.
The practical stuff

We are thrilled you have chosen to fundraise for Brook. This page provides more details about how to keep your fundraising safe and legal to make it a huge success. 

You can also find helpful guidance and information on fundraising regulations on the Institute of Fundraising website.

Events

  • If you plan to serve alcohol or include entertainment such as singing, music or dancing you may need to apply for a licence. Check if the venue is already licensed and, if not, speak to your licensing authority (this will usually be your local authority) about seeking a temporary licence.  
  • Follow food hygiene regulations at all events (www.food.gov.uk). 
  • You may not need a licence to sell food at your event, check with your local authority to make sure. 
  • Make sure all necessary insurance is in place, such as public liability cover. Check this with the venue prior to your event. 
  • All events needs to have been risk-assessed to reduce the potential risks to those attending.
  • Seek permission from the venue owner or from the local council if you are using a public place or could obstruct traffic.

Bucket collections

  • If you are collecting on a private property (such as a pub, theatre or supermarket) then all you need is written permission from the owner or manager
  • To collect in the street or a public place you’ll need a licence from your local council. Applications can take time to process so make sure you plan ahead. 
  • Make sure you use collection tins or buckets with a closed lid or are sealed with a sticker 
  • If you need a letter authorising you to collect on behalf of Brook, please email press@brook.org.uk and this will be provided. 

Raffles

  • If you’re planning a simple raffle at a fundraising event then you don’t need a licence. All you need to do is sell the tickets at your venue during the event. You can announce the winner(s) after the event.  
  • Have a look at the Gambling Commission’s guide to holding a raffle for charity. 

Promotional materials

  • You will need to make sure that any fundraising materials you produce include all legally required information. 
  • Any posters or flyers should state ‘Registered charity number 703015’. 
  • Please contact us at press@brook.org.uk if you’d like us to send you poster templates for you to adapt and print.
Paying your money in

Thank you so much for fundraising for Brook! When you’ve finished all your fantastic fundraising, you just need to send the money to us, so we can put it to good use.

If you’ve raised the money online

If you’ve raised funds by using an online fundraising site like JustGiving then just sit back and relax! The money will come to Brook automatically and quickly along with any Gift Aid due. Easy.

If you’ve raised cash

If you are collecting on a private property (such as a pub, theatre or supermarket) then all you need is written permission from the owner or manager

There are different ways that you can pay this to us, so just choose whichever method works best for you!

Please email us at press@brook.org.uk and let us know how much you’ve raised so we know to expect it and so we can say thank you!

Depending on how you’ve raised the funds, some methods of payment will allow us to claim Gift Aid so please read our Gift Aid guidance (below) first so we can make sure the funds you raise go as far as possible. And remember to send us copies of all completed sponsorship forms or Gift Aid declarations either by email or post.

Bank transfer

You can use online or telephone banking to transfer the money into the Brook account:

  • Lloyds Bank PLC
  • Sort code: 30-94-66
  • Account number: 01019185
  • Account name: Brook Young People
Cheque

Please make your cheque payable to “Brook Young People”, and write your name and contact details on the back. Please send it to: Brook Finance, 81 London Road, Liverpool, L3 8JA

Cash at bank

You can pay cash you’ve collected directly into Brook’s account at any branch of Lloyds Bank. Just complete a paying in slip with Brook’s bank details:

  • Lloyds Bank PLC
  • Sort code: 30-94-66
  • Account number: 01019185
  • Account name: Brook Young People

Gift aid

Gift Aid is a UK government scheme which means that for every £1 that is donated Brook can claim an extra 25p from the tax that the donor has already paid, helping each donation go further. This means that a donation of £10 can turn into £12.50 at no extra cost!

Brook can claim Gift Aid on donations made by UK taxpayers who give their permission.

If you are fundraising for Brook the following information will help you make sure that the funds you raise are eligible for Gift Aid.

Online fundraising

If you’re using an online fundraising site such as JustGiving then Gift Aid will be taken care of automatically, so there’s nothing you need to do.

Sponsorship

If you’re collecting sponsorship using one of our sponsorship forms, your supporters will have the opportunity to tick the Gift Aid box on the form. Just send us the sponsorship forms when you send us the funds you’ve raised and we’ll take care of the rest.

Small cash donations

If you’re collecting cash where each individual donation is £20 or less, such as through a bucket shake or donation tins, then Brook may be able to claim Gift Aid through the Small Donations Scheme.

You’ll need to pay the cash you raise directly into Brook’s bank account for it to be eligible. This is because if you collect the money in and then make a donation from your account you’re donating on behalf of someone else and that isn’t eligible for Gift Aid.

Please see ‘cash at bank’ (above) for details of how to pay the cash in. So that we can claim the Gift Aid please email us at press@brook.org.uk to tell us:

  • the total cash donations collected
  • the date of the collection
  • the date it was paid into our bank account.

Larger cash donations

If you have a generous friend or family member who would like to donate more than £20 (and you’re not using a sponsorship form or collecting online) you can ask them to fill in one of our Gift Aid declarations. You will need to pay the cash directly into our bank account as above for it to be eligible and send us the declaration by email or post. Or alternatively they could give you a cheque made payable to Brook Young People for you to send to us.

Donations ineligible for Gift Aid

Some donations don’t meet HMRC rules for Gift Aid. These are:

  • Donations made by anyone who is not a UK taxpayer
  • Donations made on behalf of someone else or a group of people
  • Donations made in return for something else – e.g. for a raffle ticket, or to attend an event
  • Donations made on behalf of a company