Fundraising for Making Connections! Did you know, research shows loneliness and isolation is worse for our health than smoking fifteen cigarettes a day and twice as deadly as obesity? In our own community, many older people are facing endless days alone in their homes. Loss of mobility, friends passing away, and other age-related challenges leave people extremely vulnerable. The impact of loneliness can be devastating. On a daily basis, we hear from older people how “useless” they feel and “such a burden on others” and they wonder how anyone – much less young volunteers – would be interested in them.

“Loneliness is the sudden realisation that you are not needed anymore, by anybody, for anything. It’s worse than pain or illness, it feels like you’re just waiting to die” Margaret, Making Connections beneficiary

Making Connections has a vision of communities where no older person is lonely or isolated. Older people need more than ‘services.’ They need company, human warmth, genuine interest and meaningful interaction. Making Connections receives no Government Funding, so we are completely dependent on donations, grants and fundraising activities. Thank you for choosing to support us. The following pack contains everything you need to run a successful fundraiser, but do get in touch with us if you have any questions or suggestions

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Thank you for making a difference!

Your Event!

If you already have an idea for a fundraiser, that is great. Go for it!

If you don’t, just think of the kinds of events you enjoy yourself. This will make your event a

lot more fun to organise, promote and attend.

Some of our favourites include;

• A Charity Bake Off

• Runs/Walks/Sporting Challenges

• Table Quiz

• Fashion Swap Evening

• Carol Singing

• Music Gig

• Art/Photography Exhibition

• Treasure/Scavenger Hunts

• Cake Sales/Coffee Mornings

Getting Organised

• Choose a date that doesn’t clash with any other major events of holidays, and one

which allows you plenty of time to get logistics, lists and everything organised for

your event – if you need anything from us here, let us know!

• Set a fundraising target, this is a great way to motivate yourself, and to inspire others

to give generously

• Set up an online fundraising page with sites like www.everydayhero.com,

www.justgiving.com or www.mycharity.ie. It’s the easiest way for people to donate.

• Add a personal story to this page, tell people why you have picked Making

Connections to support and what the charity’s work means to you – most of us have,

or have had an older person in our lives that we care about, making it relatable will

encourage donations. If you need help with any of this we are here to help too!

• Don’t forget to thank everyone who donates or helps you along your way, all of

their contributions matter!

If you have any questions for us, or any new and exciting ideas for fundraising for Making

Connections we would love to hear them! email us on info@makingconnections.ie or call us

on (01) 2951053

Promoting your Event!

• Word of Mouth – You are your best tool for promotion! Tell your friends, family,

colleagues and anyone you can! They can’t donate if they don’t know about it!

• Email your contacts to spread the word of your fundraiser. Add your online

fundraising link to make it even easier them to donate!

• Phone calls are also a fantastic chance to have a natter, catch up and ask for

sponsorship!

• Notice Boards are a great way to increase your visibility! Work, community or even

local shop notice boards are the perfect place to let people know about your efforts!

• Is your event something your Local Press might be interested in

promoting/reporting on?

Social Media

• Use social media like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. These are great ways to tell

your friends, family and colleagues. If you put up a link of your online fundraising

page they can donate too!

• Don’t forget to tag us in any of your posts, we would be delighted to share/retweet

your events on our pages so more people see them! Facebook and Twitter

Sponsorship Tips!

• Aim high, if you ask for two euro you will probably get two euro, however if you ask

for €15 they might give you €10! It’s a good cause after all!

• Some companies have donation matching schemes. Ask your employer if they would

match the amount you raise. Many companies love it because it’s good marketing

and keeps their staff happy!

• Make your fundraiser look the part! Get in touch with us and we can send you t-shirts

or decorations, alternatively we can send our logo so you can make your own.

What your donation can help?

Your donations help Making Connections to reach more people.

Recently we heard a touching story from Colm whose wife had passed only a few weeks

previously; while seriously ill and hardly able to communicate, the

high point of her week was our volunteer Caroline’s regular visit to

paint with her

“It was unbelievable.... I never thought I’d see her hold a

paintbrush again. I am so grateful to Making Connections. It

meant so much to see the joy this brought back to her life”

Making Connections also works closely with local health care professionals to ensure we

complement their services.

“We really appreciate the wonderful link between occupational therapy and Making

Connections. Occupational therapy emphasises quality of life and maintaining the

older person in their own home as long as possible. Making Connections has an

important role to play in this area. The charity fills a gap in services for Older People. It

is positive, professional and innovative.”

(Occupational Therapy Department, St Vincent’s Hospital.

The Final Step!

Once all your hard work is done, all the is left to do is gather up all your donations to send

them to Making Connections!

If someone has said they would sponsor you but haven’t yet, give them a little nudge- they

might just have forgotten over the weekend! Every little bit helps!

Once all of this has been done there are a few ways you can get the funds to us;

• Bank Transfer Bank Sort Code: 93 11 87, Account Number: 3599 2099, Account

name: Making Connections Ltd, BIC: Aibkie2d, IBAN: IE68AIBK93118735992099

• Send us a Cheque, along with the sponsorship form to

Making Connections,

Glenard University Residence,

36 Roebuck Road,

Clonskeagh,

Dublin 14.

• Donate it online through our website www.makingconnections.ie

As a Fundraiser for Making Connections, members of the public may at times

approach you regarding issues an older person in their family or locality may be

facing. It is very important for your safety and for the person’s safety that in this

instance you can direct this person to us. You are not expected to address or

manage the persons concern.

Phone: (01) 2951053 Email: info@makingconnections.ie