How to set up an online fundraising page

JustGiving

To set up a JustGiving page for the Take The Strain Campaign follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the St John Ambulance Virtual Fundraising Campaign page
2. Click on ‘Start Fundraising’ then either log in or create your account
3. Click on ‘Doing your own thing’ / ‘Personal Challenge’
4. Fill in the details to create your page. Build up your page, remember to tell us why you are doing what you are doing, your motivation for support St John Ambulance, if you need help just ask on our team
5. Share your page with your friends and tell them what day/days you’ll be doing the chores and which chores you’ll be doing
6. Collect your donations
7. Don’t forget to take photos and videos, and if you have your parent’s permission (or you’re over 13) why not share with friends and family using social media!

Don't forget to personalise your page with photos, videos, and the story of why you're fundraising for St John Ambulance.

JustTextGiving also gives people the option to make a donation via their mobile phone. Your individual JustGiving page allows you to create a unique text code - your supporters can text the code and the amount they want to give you to 70070.

Virgin Money Giving

To sign up, visit Virgin Money Giving - St John Ambulance and select the ‘Start fundraising’ option. Find the event you are raising money for, personalise your page, and select St John Ambulance as your chosen charity.

Set up a Virgin Money Giving page.

Handy tips to make your online fundraising page extra special:

• Make your blurb personal – talk about why St John Ambulance’s work is important to you and why you’re raising money for us.
• Add photos and progress reports to keep people coming back to your page - they might even donate more money!
• Send thank you messages to your donors.
• Set yourself a high target on the page. This is statistically proven to increase donation amounts!
• Make sure people Gift Aid their donations.

Gift aid

Gift Aid is a very simple and effective way of giving money to charity. St John Ambulance can recover 25p from HM Revenue and Customs for every pound you give, on the condition that you are a UK tax payer. This is at no extra cost to you.

For example, if you donate £20 to St John Ambulance, we can claim an extra £5, making your gift worth £25.

‘Gifts’ including individual donations and sponsorship, can be gift aided.

More information

Gift Aid can only be applied to 'gifts'. Gift Aid can't be applied when an individual donor can't be traced, such as funds raised in a bucket collection. Gift Aid also can't be used to boost fundraising totals on activities where people have been charged an entrance fee, have made a purchase, or entered a competition.

In order for St John Ambulance to claim Gift Aid, it is vitally important that the donor completes a Gift Aid declaration on a sponsorship form.

In order to complete a Gift Aid declaration your donor needs to:

• complete their name (minimum surname and initial)
• complete their full home address and postcode on the sponsorship form, (St John Ambulance will not contact your sponsors)
• ask your sponsors to clearly write or print all their information
• clearly tick the Gift Aid box on the sponsorship form or online giving page.

Remember: you can't claim Gift Aid on a donation if the donor is gaining a benefit from giving you the money. For example, if they attended an event or if they took part in a raffle.

Read our Gift Aid FAQs.