Good companies to approach for sponsorship?

[punkypossum]

My take on it is as follows...last year I was looking at cycling challenges and found one which could have involved a charity. It meant raising a certain amount of money and I looked at it and thought 'well, if I was to ride it on my own as a challenge I'd have to pay that amount or more' and decided that if I was ever to do any charity event I would fork out the minimum from my own pocket...then if I got anything else it would be an extra benefit.

Not sure if that make sense.

It does make sense noodley, but bear in mind (unlike with some charity rides) we already pay for the cost of travel, accommodation etc - in fact, I could probably do it for the same or probably even cheaper if I did it on my own! And yes, if I don't raise the minimum, I will pay that out of my own pocket as well!

However, it is a really good cause and I would like to raise as much as I possibly can, which is why I was asking for ideas about sponsorship from businesses, it's got nothing to do with me wanting others to finance my holidays - sorry if that's come across wrong!

 

[Craz]

Our minimum amount is actually really small - I think it was put in place more because of loads of people doing the ride last year without raising anything. They don't expect a thousand pounds or anything like that from us, so I'm not worried in that respect!

That's exactly right. From my point of view, I put a lot of effort into organising these things, booking accommodation, plotting routes, finding other volunteer ride guides, people to drive support cars, booking ferrys and so-on. Then there's the smaller things that still take time... where do people leave their cars, gathering passport info, replacing people who dropout to keep the numbers up, pre-event get-togethers to let the riders meet up beforehand, liaising with the charities, trying to find 'celebs' to set us off and to attract the media, press releases, website updates. The list is actually longer than I thought!!

Anyway, having done that and then taken time off my paying job to guide the ride for free to find that a dozen people just turn round and say "I couldn't raise anything as no-one at work wanted to sponsor me" is pretty annoying to say the least!

The option was to introduce a minimum amount to stop these people from using our charity rides as a mini-break without them having to put in any effort whatsoever to organise or leave it as it was with no minimum. Clearly the latter had problems. Unfortunately so does the former. People now get to the minimum (£200 in our case) and then simply stop fundraising whereas last year the average for the Amsterdam event was over £600 per person. So instead of raising £38k this year we're looking at a potential £13-14k. A massive difference I'm sure you'll agree.

And while I'm having a moan, I hate the companies that organise rides where the minimums are ridiculously high (£1500+) which they then take a large percentage of for themselves. Which is one reason why we're a not for profit organisation. Still, we get cr*p off people all the same!!

Craz.

 

[Dave5N]

Why? If you want to raise money for your cause, wouldn't it be better to direct all that effort into raising money for your cause, not organising bike rides for people that don't want/can't to do them, paid for by the office collection system. (We ALL pay in more than we get out.)

Have you thought about asking people to just send begging letters. " I am trying to raise money to cure cancer. Please send me £5. I am spending my tme raising money for this good cause, not risking my anterior cruciates in the London Marathon."

 

[punkypossum]

Why? If you want to raise money for your cause, wouldn't it be better to direct all that effort into raising money for your cause, not organising bike rides for people that don't want/can't to do them, paid for by the office collection system. (We ALL pay in more than we get out.)

Have you thought about asking people to just send begging letters. " I am trying to raise money to cure cancer. Please send me £5. I am spending my tme raising money for this good cause, not risking my anterior cruciates in the London Marathon."

That is a bit out of order Dave - at no point did craz say that they were organising bike rides for people that can't/won't do them - a lot of people can and will do them! Also, fact is that a lot of people are more willing to give to charity if they feel they are "paying for something", i.e. someone climbing everest, so money gets raised that normally would not get raised. And to be honest, if I wanted to do an organised charity challenge, I would rather sign up with a company where I know that half the money I raise won't end up being used for their admin fees etc!

Also, it is not just about the charity is it? These rides offer people that might have thought they could only just cycle to the shop to actually achieve something and to push themselves, but at the same time the targets are set in a way that the average Joe Blogg thinks yes, I might be able to do that and I will be able to raise enough to go. Not everybody is/feels ready to cylce thousands of miles and raise thousands of pounds. The Charity Adventure rides give people a chance to get that sense of achievement! And it is a major achievement - for some people a ride of 250 miles is nothing, but for a lot it is a huge step and the feeling when you have completed it is fantastic. Certainly for me, it was one of the things that got me into cycling properly. And Craz and the rest of the guys put a lot of their time and effort into offering people that chance, so why have a go at him?

However, it is a given that if you sign up for a charity ride, you would be expected to raise at least some money for said charity - fairly obvious as far as I'm concerned. So I don't think that it is surprising that it's frustrating for Craz if people just sign up, take advantage of having everything organised for them and then turn round at the end to say "sorry, have not raised anything". You can't tell me that with a bit of effort, it is not possible to raise at least something - and if you are sure you can't, you shouldn't sign up for a charity ride but maybe do a cycling holiday instead. Like he said, last year there was no minimum at all, but to avoid what happened then, a small minimum amount has been put into place.

As for the office collection system - I don't know of anybody who has been held at gunpoint to donate, if you don't want to, you don't...certainly, in my office, there is a lot of people that won't give anything on principle - there is no problem with that at all, it's not compulsory and nobody is forced!

 

[Danny]

I don't think you immediately have to be reduced to selling sexual favours - you could try some more conventional fundraising events first to back up your sponsorship.

For example, why not organise have a skills auction where people who don't have much money to give can auction useful services - such as a night's babysitting, two hours gardening, a lesson in baking cakes, free bike service, etc.

Or you could try and approach a local football club and see if they would give you a couple of tickets to auction via your local radio station.

Your local CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) will probably have someone who can advise you on fundraising ideas, and what works best in your local area.

 

[buggi]

That is a bit out of order Dave - at no point did craz say that they were organising bike rides for people that can't/won't do them - a lot of people can and will do them! Also, fact is that a lot of people are more willing to give to charity if they feel they are "paying for something", i.e. someone climbing everest, so money gets raised that normally would not get raised. And to be honest, if I wanted to do an organised charity challenge, I would rather sign up with a company where I know that half the money I raise won't end up being used for their admin fees etc!

Also, it is not just about the charity is it? These rides offer people that might have thought they could only just cycle to the shop to actually achieve something and to push themselves, but at the same time the targets are set in a way that the average Joe Blogg thinks yes, I might be able to do that and I will be able to raise enough to go. Not everybody is/feels ready to cylce thousands of miles and raise thousands of pounds. The Charity Adventure rides give people a chance to get that sense of achievement! And it is a major achievement - for some people a ride of 250 miles is nothing, but for a lot it is a huge step and the feeling when you have completed it is fantastic. Certainly for me, it was one of the things that got me into cycling properly. And Craz and the rest of the guys put a lot of their time and effort into offering people that chance, so why have a go at him?

However, it is a given that if you sign up for a charity ride, you would be expected to raise at least some money for said charity - fairly obvious as far as I'm concerned. So I don't think that it is surprising that it's frustrating for Craz if people just sign up, take advantage of having everything organised for them and then turn round at the end to say "sorry, have not raised anything". You can't tell me that with a bit of effort, it is not possible to raise at least something - and if you are sure you can't, you shouldn't sign up for a charity ride but maybe do a cycling holiday instead. Like he said, last year there was no minimum at all, but to avoid what happened then, a small minimum amount has been put into place.

As for the office collection system - I don't know of anybody who has been held at gunpoint to donate, if you don't want to, you don't...certainly, in my office, there is a lot of people that won't give anything on principle - there is no problem with that at all, it's not compulsory and nobody is forced!

+1

Dave you sound like a right bah humbug mate. i have to raise a minimum amount of £1100 to do mine, i often end up putting in some myself and i tell people when they sponsor me some of it goes towards admin. and people prefer for money to go to causes when people actually put in some effort. Trust me, if you knew how much my "bits" hurt... it's worth every penny!

 

[Hilldodger]

Good luck in raising the money folks - I hope you can do it in these difficult times. Sadly, our trip to Paris for a roadshow to coincide with the end of the TdeF has been called off because the organisers can't find a sponsor

Last year there was no problem finding the money, it's just that they asked us too late to organise it all

 

[Craz]

bear in mind (unlike with some charity rides) we already pay for the cost of travel, accommodation etc - in fact, I could probably do it for the same or probably even cheaper if I did it on my own!

Jana, I'd just comment on this little snippet if I may (and by the way, thanks for replying to the other points that were raised.... couldn't have put it better myself ).

I completely agree with you here. If I were to get my bike out and head off to the ferry port at Hull, jump on the overnight to Rotterdam and then cycle up to Amsterdam for a couple of nights and then come back home I could probably do this trip for less than £195 (which is what the costs are for this trip for anyone that didn't know).

This is based on our trip dates:

• £98pp - P&O Hull-Rotterdam 2-bunk Inside Cabin (just taken from their website)
• £60pp - 2 nights in a shared mixed bunk room at the Vondelpark Stayokay Hostel in Amsterdam with breakfast (just taken from their website)

That's £158, so already £37 cheaper than I could come up with. However, the extra you get for this £37 includes:

• Fully organised and guided trip by 6 volunteer ride guides (1:10 ratio guides->riders)
• 2 massive support vehicles carrying all your luggage, spare bike parts, spare bikes, water, 2 support car drivers and space for anyone that's taken ill during the trip
• 2 buffet lunch stops in the Uk (one on the way to Hull and one on the way back to York)
• All you can eat dinner in the restaurant on the ferry on both the outbound and inbound crossings
• All you can eat breakfast in the restaurant on the ferry on both the outbound and inbound crossings
• Packed lunch on each of the three days we're in Holland(these are transported in the support vehicles on the day you're cycling)
  
• Breakfasts on both mornings that we're at the hostel in Amsterdam
• Ride Cycle T-Shirts

I'd honestly challenge anyone to do this trip, including food, support vehicles, accommodation, etc for any less. And we're passing on the exact costs, not skimming off the top as some organisations do. Oh, and not to forget that if you did it yourself you'd be carrying your luggage and spares too.

I know on the face of it that it might seem like a lot of money, but it's a 5-day event, every ride guide taking part is taking time off work to help out, the support vehicles cost money (insurance, fuel, ferry costs, etc). That's 8 people already involved voluntarily just to make things easier for the you!

As you said a bit further up this thread, if you didn't want to do a charity ride we're not twisting your arm and you could go on a cycling holiday instead (6 night Holland cycling trip with Inntravel -> £778).

Craz.