Promote your fundraising

Getting publicity for your activities will help you to raise more money for Friendship Works and will bring the work that Friendship Works does to the attention of a wider audience.

Start a blog

If you are training for a big event or doing a series of fundraising activities, you might want to set up a blog or website so that you can update it with your progress and have somewhere to direct potential supporters to for information. You can link it to the Friendship Works website, and your JustGiving page to encourage online donations.

Blogs are easy to set up and run. The most important thing is to keep them simple, know what you’re trying to achieve with them, make sure that the information you put on them is relevant, and update them regularly.

Wordpress.com is a free and easy-to-use site which lets you set up an account and explains how to get a blog going quickly and easily. You can make it as simple or as whizzy as you like.

Twitter and facebook

Use your twitter and facebook to promote your events or progress if you’re fundraising or training for something. You can also use them to promote your new blog posts as well. If you’ve not already got twitter and facebook accounts, they are free and easy to set up.

Write a press release

Contact local papers and radio stations with your news. Email them with a press release to let them know what you're doing and make sure you call them to follow it up and check they have received it.

For your press release:

  • Keep your information brief and to one side.
  • Try to come up with an eye-catching headline.
  • Summarise your story and cover 'who, what, why, when, where and how' in your first paragraph.
  • Tell them you are raising money for Friendship Works with a short description of what Friendship Works does.
  • Add interest with a quote. This can be from a spokesperson at Friendship Works or someone who has benefited from our services (contact us if you would like a quote), or from a celebrity associated with your event.
  • Include more detailed information in sub-paragraphs.
  • Send quality photos to support your news, or if you are promoting an upcoming event, see if they want to send a photographer along.
  • Add a 'Notes to Editors' or 'More information' section at the end to include the following information about Friendship Works:
    1. Friendship Works is the oldest children’s mentoring charity in the UK. In 1977 they pioneered long-term mentoring for some of the most vulnerable children in London.
    2. Friendship Works provides adult volunteer support for vulnerable children across London in desperate need of help. Many of the families they support face financial hardship, domestic violence, alcohol or drug misuse, divorce or bereavement.
    3. Friendship Works is a registered charity (Charity No. 1017460) and in 2007 received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
  • Include a 'Contact' section so that they can get in touch with you.