Fundraising - Top Tips

If you've signed up for this year's Palace to Palace, the work begins as you'll need to start training for the 45-mile ride.

But you'll also need to begin fundraising. We've asked Brette Alsop, Head of Individual Participation at The Prince's Trust, for some top tips for fundraising.

Tip 1. Have a strategy

On your Justgiving page and on your paper sponsorship form, get generous sponsors to sign up first. Start with a few sponsors giving, for example, £20. Others are likely to be influenced by this and to follow suit.

Tip 2. Work could be a very good place to start

Find out whether your company operates a matched-giving scheme. This is when the company matches, pound for pound, any money raised by its employees for charity (sometimes up to a certain limit). This could double the amount you raise, so it's well worth finding out about it early on.

Tip 3. Create a new email sign-off

For example: “On 7th September I am taking part in Palace to Palace for The Prince's Trust. I will be cycling from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. Please sponsor me at justgiving.com/xxxxxxxx. Thank you.”

Tip 4. Gift Aid it

Include Gift Aid in your fundraising total. This will help you raise extra funds towards your sponsorship. If your sponsors tick the Gift Aid box, The Prince's Trust can claim 25% on top of the money you raise. This means that for every £1 you raise, we can potentially claim 25p direct from HMRC, at no extra cost to you or your sponsors.

Tip 5. Keep up communication with your sponsors

Remember to always thank your sponsors when they sponsor you and inform them about the work of The Prince’s Trust. Keep them informed – a circular email is a good start. Let them know when you hit your fundraising target, how your training is going and how you are feeling during the week before the event. It’s also a great idea to let them know how you got on afterwards and thank them once again for their support. We have loads of case studies and videos on our website princes-trust.org.uk