EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR SING FUNDRAISER IN THE WORKPLACE

A charity registered in England and Wales no. 268293

We’re over the moon you’ve decided to take part in Sing to raise money for your local Samaritans – so first things first, a big thank you!

What is Sing?Sing is all about getting together with your work mates to do something a bit different that’s a whole lot of fun, for a great cause. We’re calling on workplaces from across the nation to down tools for an hour or two and organise a fun and informal public singing performance.

So whether you work in an office, a hospital, retailer, restaurant, café or even a fire station – get a group together, get rehearsing, and get singing for Samaritans.

It’s nothing like a singing contest, so if you’re more of a secret shower singer than a karaoke king or queen, now’s your chance to indulge in the safety of singing in a group. To be part of the biggest charity singsong ever, all you need to do is pick a time and date that works for you, decide what songs you’d like to sing, organise some lunchtime rehearsals (you’ll want to practice!), and last but not least, plan your public performance.

We’ll provide the materials, collection buckets and guidance to help you get your Sing fundraiser off to a cracking start – and support you in raising as much money as you can.

Why Sing for Samaritans?Being there for people in your communityEvery six seconds, somebody contacts Samaritans for help. Whether we can be there for every person, though, depends on donations from people like you.

All the money you raise at your Sing event will support us, so we can be there when it matters. People are often surprised to hear that their local Samaritans is run entirely by trained volunteers – ordinary people who give their time to help others who are struggling to cope.

Our helpline is open to anyone, around the clock – 365 days of the year. And any money you raise by singing for Samaritans supports this vital service and makes it possible to reach out to more people in local communities…offering support in places like schools, universities, homeless shelters, prisons, and local work places.

Sing is a wonderful way for you and your colleagues to do something genuinely GOOD for your community. Every £20 you raise means we can answer five calls from people struggling to cope. And just £10 could give much-needed support to teenagers in schools, helping them learn the importance of their own emotional health.

IF I HADN’T CALLED SAMARITANS, I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW WHERE I’D BE TODAY. I HAVE MY LIFE TO THANK THEM FOR.Charlie

“”

Creating harmony in your workplaceSinging in a group has become the nation’s favourite activity (after sport that is!) – and it’s not surprising, given the proven emotional, physical, and mental health and wellbeing benefits associated with a good singsong.

Singing is a lot like laughter…it’s enriching, uplifting and infectious. And once you start, it can be tricky to stop! Singing in a group can also be a great leveller at work, bringing people together who might not otherwise have the opportunity to sing with a group, or perhaps breaking down those social barriers with colleagues.

So having done a GREAT thing in support of Samaritans through Sing, you may well find you’ll want to carry on…and on…and on.

YOUR SING FUNDRAISER IN TEN EASY STEPS

1. Form a singing group! First up it’s time to recruit your singers. So, put the word out to the team, making the best possible use of your internal channels. Try anything and everything, from an email invite and a front page post on the company intranet – to posters in the kitchen and the backs of toilet doors, or a mention in the weekly team meeting. And remember to tell people they don’t need any singing ability to join in. This is all about having some fun with your work mates…and putting yourself out there in the name of a great cause!

2. Pick a time and location for your performance Where you work will likely have an impact on where you decide to sing for Samaritans. If you work near a busy high street, then a lunchtime singsong on the high street is probably a good bet. Or maybe your workplace is near a train station, shopping centre or supermarket? (If so, these are also great spots to sing and collect cash from generous passers-by.)

If you select a venue like a station or a retail space, you’ll need to get permission in advance from the site owner or manager. You don’t need a license to sing in public, but the venue does, so be sure to check beforehand with management.

And if you don’t work near an obvious pedestrian hotspot, then have a think about where an audience might await you – and organise a lunchtime outing, or perhaps an evening jaunt after work. Alternatively, you could opt for an office singsong and collect money via ticket sales, or sponsorship from colleagues and family members for braving Sing in the workplace.

Next up, you’ll need to find a date and time slot that works for your singing group. If you’re struggling to find a slot that everyone can make, just pick the date that most of you can make – or try out this nifty little tool… www.doodle.com.

3. Set your Sing list Next, you’ll need to give some thought to the songs you’d like to sing. Ask your singing group for ideas and put the best ones to the vote (this will give you the best chance of everyone already knowing the lyrics!). Generally, four or five songs will be about right.

You’ll need copies of the song lyrics and the backing track for your group to practice with before your performance. These can easily be found with a quick Google search. And you can even find instrumental versions of most pop songs on Spotify or YouTube.

To buy sheet music for any well-known songs (for a piano accompaniment for example) you’ll need to get permission from the copyright holder. This is simpler than it sounds! Just visit a music website like www.musicnote.com and you’ll be able to download a copy of the sheet music for just a few pounds. Doing this means you’re keeping things legal and it gives you peace of mind.

4. Plan how you’re going to raise the money However you plan to perform your Sing list, there are lots of different ways you can fundraise. Here are a few ideas from our volunteers to get you started…

DonationsIf you’re singing in a public space, like a busy high street or a train station, ask people to donate coins and notes. Your local Samaritans branch will be happy to lend you branded collection buckets.

You can even give people the option of making a donation via their mobile phone. To get a free, unique text-to-donate code for your Sing fundraiser just visit www.justgiving.com/samaritans-centrallondon.

People donating via your JustGiving page or by SMS can also Gift Aid their donation, turning every £1 donated into £1.25 at no extra cost to them or Samaritans. Just remember to promote your JustGiving web address and text-to-donate code at your Sing event, along with any promotional materials you use, to garner support before you sing.

SponsorshipDepending on what type of performance you decide on, why not offer colleagues, friends and family an opportunity to support you and your local Samaritans branch by sponsoring you to sing? Just use the sponsorship form provided with this guide (you can photocopy it as many times as you like) – and don’t forget, you can also setup your very own personal fundraising page for free at www.justgiving.com/samaritans-centrallondon.

JustGiving page

Collection bucket

Sponsorship form

Matched fundingDoes your company operate a matched funding scheme, whereby they agree to match the funds you raise with the same amount? It’s well worth finding out!

Ticket salesThe easiest way of raising money for an office-based Sing performance is to charge people a set amount to come along to watch your performance. You can either ask people to pay in advance or on the day, depending on what works best for you.

5. Don’t forget to set yourself a fundraising target Once you’ve established how you’re going to raise funds, it’s a good idea to calculate how much you think you can raise overall, as this gives you and your colleagues something to aim for.

6. Practice makes perfect! While we all love a charitable display of bravery, it’s probably a good idea to practice before you unleash your musical magic on the public! We recommend a minimum of three rehearsals for any Sing performance. Book them in well in advance of your performance date, so you’re feeling confident and ready to rock (or pop, depending on your musical preference!). And don’t forget that nifty little tool, doodle.com, if you’re struggling to get the group together to rehearse.

7. Promote your performance Whether you’re singing in the office canteen or on a busy high street, get the word out as soon as possible, and drum up as much audience support as possible ahead of your performance.

Put up posters in your workplace (or out and about nearby) – or create an event on Facebook. And use the event invitation template that came with this guide to invite friends or colleagues to come along to your performance, or to sponsor you.

There’s a handy image for promoting your Sing event on social media (just don’t forget to add the date, location and time of your performance in the free text area of your post). You can grab the social media image online at samaritans.org/sing/workplaces.

If you’re tweeting, please do add our Samaritans branch twitter handle, which is @CLSamaritans and we’ll share your posts and help spread the word.

Why not share your achievements with colleagues, friends and family members after the performance too? Just upload your photos to Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #SingForSams – and you may just inspire more people to give to your fundraising pot, or take part themselves!

If there’s anything else you need to help promote your event, please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.

8. Remind people it’s for Samaritans! At some point during your Sing event take a moment to remind people of the reason you’re all there. Most people will have heard of Samaritans, but might not know very much about the charity, so this is your chance to tell them why it’s such a worthwhile cause.

You could start by telling people that Samaritans branches are run entirely by trained volunteers, who are ordinary people that do an extraordinary thing: they give their time for free to help anyone struggling to cope. The Samaritans service is available around the clock, 365 days of the year, so that we can be there for people whenever they need us. And any money that’s raised by singing for Samaritans supports this vital service and makes it possible to reach out to more people in local communities.

You might also find it helpful to equate what people’s donations can help pay for. For example, every £4 raised is a call answered by one of our trained listening volunteers.

And if you’d like to borrow Samaritans branded banners to display, or require flyers or Samaritans t-shirts, get in touch with our branch to arrange this.

Contact: Elizabeth Irvine, Community Fundraising Coordinator, on 020 7758 0668 or at e.irvine@cls.org.uk

Social media promo image

Poster

Invite

9. Pay in the money you raised It’s really easy to pay in the money you raise from your Sing fundraiser. Just use the following branch bank details to make a BACS payment:

Bank name: Lloyds BankAccount name: Central London SamaritansBank account no: 00060577Sort code: 30-95-74Your Reference: [give your choir or company name]/Sing

Any online or text donations made via Justgiving.com will already be linked to the branch, so the paying-in bit will be done for you automatically.

10. Thank everybody Don’t forget to thank everyone that helped make your Sing fundraiser a success. You will have received a ‘Thank you’ poster with this guide for you to proudly display in the workplace, to let everyone know how much you raised for Samaritans.

Getting in touch with usWe’re here to support you in making your Sing event a success.

Contact: Elizabeth Irvine, Community Fundraising Coordinator, on 020 7758 0668 or at e.irvine@cls.org.uk

People talk to us anytime they like, in their own way, about

whatever’s getting to them. You don’t have to be suicidal.

Call us on 116 123 free from anywhere, any time, email

jo@samaritans.org or visit your local Samaritans branch.