The Wilderness Society - Wild Endurance event - Saturday, May 3, 2008

The Wilderness Society is Australia's largest community based environmental organization. We campaign to protect our climate, water supplies and wonderful wild places to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren.

This year your fund raising will assist our campaigns to ensure:

Cape York Peninsula, one of the last wild places on earth, is protected forever through nomination for World Heritage listing.
The protection of the world's greatest River Red Gums forests along the Murray River through the establishment of new National Parks
Recognition forests and woodlands are properly recognized for their essential role in reducing climate change. This is particularly important as Australia now grapples with the complex issue of setting up a carbon economy.

Go here for more information on the work of The Wilderness Society.

How to raise funds without feeling embarrassed

Remember you are not asking for money for yourself. You are asking people to contribute to helping save the planet. You will find most people are pleased to be invited to help and happy to give. Also remember that you have committed a lot personally in doing this event, people respond to that commitment.

Tips for fund raising

All your fundraising can be done securely on-line. Just ask people who want to support you to go to our sponsorship page. There is no mucking around with receipt books and chasing money. All donations are tax deductible. Receipts will be issued direct to your sponsors based on the information provided on-line.

Copy a short text about the event you can use in letters or emails asking for support from local businesses and your employer (or in other promotional materials you might create to support your fund raising).

» Click here - short text

Hi, I am competing in The Wilderness Society's WildEndurance event and I need your support. WildEndurance is one of the toughest and most scenic endurance events on the planet. Me and my team will be trekking 100kms on foot through the Blue Mountains wilderness in 48 hours.

This event is a huge personal challenge and I hope you can help. We will be raising funds to support The Wilderness Society's campaigns to protect our climate, water supplies and wonderful wild places. Please assist me and my team by sponsoring me on-line and help support the vitally important work of the Wilderness Society.

Double the amount you raise from friends and colleagues by asking your employer to match your fund raising dollar for dollar. We have prepared some information that might help you make the request.

» Click here - matching funds

Matching Funds

Many companies have programs where they match dollar for dollar money raised by employees for charity. The Wilderness Society is a registered charity and every donation is tax deductible. If your company does not have a matching program, many organisations are prepared to make a donation to a charity to which their employees have committed.

Ask your Human Resource department or your Corporate Social Responsibility section if your company has a fund raising matching program. If not suggest that it might be a good thing to establish. With climate change and the environment topping people's lists of concerns now is a good time for your company to be seen to support environment organisations.

If no matching funding program exists ask your company if it would be prepared to support your effort by making a donation to help you. Remember they will also be helping to protect our climate, water supplies and wonderful wild places.

The Wilderness Society can provide all the paper work on our charity status if your company needs this. We will also be sure to thank the company for their support after the event.

Organising a fund raising event is a great way to get support. We have prepared a sheet with some great fundraising ideas.

» Click here - fundraising tips

Fund raising events - making it fun and easy

Fund raising events are a good way to raise cash and give your supporters a good time. If you organise events as a team and the team invites all your personal contacts it is usually possible to gather a good crowd. Otherwise look for community events you can ride on the back of – a cake stall outside a busy shopping area or at a community festival. The workplace is also a great captive audience!

Dinner Party
Invite your mates for dinner and charge them for the pleasure. It's often good to have a theme – Indian, Hawaiian maybe a Bogan BBQ.

Guessing Competition
You must all remember this one from school. Get a jar of smarties, coins or whatever and take it round your work place, friends and family charging them to guess how many objects are in the jar. Charge for each guess.

Drinks nights at work
Ask your employer if you can have a Friday night drinks in the boardroom or at a local pub. Perhaps your employer can provide the booze or else people can be buy their own. Charge a couple of dollars at the door and take the opportunity to make a short speech telling your colleagues what you are doing, inviting them to support you. A simple raffle with donated prizes is an easy way to raise cash. No one minds buying a $2 raffle ticket or throwing in $5 for 3 tickets.

Movie Nights
Most local movie theatres will sell you tickets below cost price which you can sell onto your friends at whatever price you think they will manage. Choose a flick you know your mates will want to see and a night most are free and send out the invites. The local independent cinemas are the easiest for arranging this sort of thing but most chains will also oblige.

Ragin' Party
Have a party and ask for a donation at the door.

Trivia Quiz
Organise a night in the local hall with trivia teams, word games, entertainment. Charge people to come and pass the hat around when they are inside also. Try a simply raffle or auction of goods donated by local businesses.

Lamington or Cake Drive
Everyone loves a home made cake. Make some cakes and take a trestle table to the local shopping centre or sports field on a Saturday morning. Some companies are set up to supply the gear for making bulk lamingtons which you can then sell at a profit. NB Some local councils require you to get permission to set up stalls in public areas.

Put up the poster
Download and print our event flyer and poster (PDF, 2.1MB)

Contact you local media

Don't forget to contact your local newspaper - media coverage is a great way to increase the impact of your fundraising. Ask the reporter if they are interested in writing a story about your involvement in WildEndurance. Local media is keen on local people doing interesting things, especially for a good cause. They may well send a photographer to capture your team in training. Use it as a platform to advertise your fund raising events or to solicit sponsors from the community. It also helps us get the word out about the event.


Email the organiser Phone (02) 9282-9553 Fax: (02) 9282-9557	The Wilderness Society Sydney Inc 64-76 Kippax Street, Surry Hills PO Box K249, Haymarket NSW 1240	The Wilderness Society home Site credits \| Privacy policy TWS © 2008