How does Asthma UK fundraise?

Asthma UK raises money from a variety of sources. This means that we minimise risk, and maximise the stability and sustainability of our income. We fundraise with individuals and the general public, companies, trusts and foundations, via events including the London Marathon and our annual Carol Service, and from legacies and bequests. Asthma UK also receives a small amount of money from statutory sources including national and local government.

As our current Annual Report and Accounts show, we received £6,164,000 in voluntary income from individuals, companies and trusts and foundations, with a further £2,220,000 from legacies and bequests, and £88,000 from statutory sources.

As a charity, Asthma UK has an obligation to use the most effective ways of fundraising, to generate the maximum income to support our work. Street fundraising and direct mail are both proven to be effective and generate sustainable income. We recognise that not everyone will want to be approached in the street and asked for money, and not everyone will want to be written to and asked for money, this is why we use a wide variety of fundraising activities, in order to appeal to as many people as possible.

Of course, there are some people who will hate being asked to give no matter how we do it, and we respect this decision as well. We do have a commitment to change things for the better for people with, or affected by asthma, and this has to be our overriding priority. After all, it only takes a moment to say ‘no’, but if we don’t ask, we will never get that ‘yes’ and we will not be able to achieve our aim of control over asthma today, freedom from asthma tomorrow.

Asthma UK employs a wide range of fundraising techniques to generate its annual income, and each of these requires a slightly different approach. For example, companies and trusts will be targeted on the basis of the criteria that they have agreed for support; some companies will only support children’s charities, while others will only support national charities. Some trusts will only give money to medical research, while others will only give to new pieces of work. We target all of our supporters based on their criteria, previous donations, and any additional relevant information.

The Data Protection Act is an important piece of legislation that requires individuals to give their permission for companies or charities to mail them. So ultimately, if we have written to you, this is because at some stage you have permitted us to do so. 

You can give your permission in a number of ways, for example, by making a donation to us, being a mail-order customer, completing a questionnaire or by subscribing to something. If you wish to change the way we contact you, or if you would prefer us to contact you another way, by email or telephone perhaps, just let us know by calling 08456 03 81 43 or emailing info@asthma.org.uk

Asthma UK has tested a number of different ways of asking supporters for money in appeals, and we’ve found that most of our supporters prefer ‘prompts’ to guide the level of their donation, as it makes the decision easier. It also helps us to illustrate more effectively what donations will help us to achieve for example by linking the suggested amounts to services or activities.

Of course we welcome donations of any level, and provide options for people to choose their own amount when they give, as well as the suggested prompts.

There are a number of ways in which Asthma UK is regulated, and various professional standards that we follow.

We are registered with and regulated by the Charity Commission in England and Wales, and our charitable registration number is 802364. We provide annual reports each year, which comply with all the relevant legislation. These give a full and accurate picture of our audited accounts and expenditure, as well as an overview of our work.

We are members of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB), the body for self-regulation of fundraising in the UK. The FRSB scheme is open to all fundraising organisations and members will agree to adhere to the highest standards of good practice with their fundraising and a Fundraising Promise.
www.fsboard.org.uk

We are also members of the ImpACT (Improving Accountability, Clarity and Transparency) Coalition – a public education campaign driven by the UK’s leading charities. The campaign is committed to improving transparency and accountability of all charities, and enhancing public understanding of the ways in which charities operate.
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/impact

Our street fundraising activities are regulated and monitored by the PFRA, which has a code of conduct and ensures that street fundraisers adhere to agreed standards and practices.
www.pfra.org.uk

We also adhere to the Codes of Practise developed by the Institute of Fundraising (IoF). The IoF is the professional membership body for UK fundraisers, working to promote the highest standards in fundraising practice and management.
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

Yes – Asthma UK works with professional agencies to support our own fundraising team and ensure that we can raise the maximum income to support our work. We work with reputable companies, who adhere to the same rigid standards as ourselves, and who have proven track records in fundraising and campaigns.

Combining a professional, experienced, highly motivated in-house fundraising team with external expertise enables us to deliver more effective fundraising campaigns - and generate greater income - more cost-effectively. We monitor all our campaigns carefully, and evaluate them against strict criteria to ensure we achieve our objectives and maintain standards.

Asthma UK values all supporters, and welcomes the opportunity to keep people updated about our work, advances in treatments and research, and new services and activities. Most of our supporters welcome this kind of information as it shows that we are using their donation effectively to make a difference for people with asthma. Many people who have given donations in the past like to be contacted again because they often wish to support other appeals or projects.

If you wish to change the way we contact you, or you only want to hear from us about certain things, then please contact us on 08456 03 81 43 or email info@asthma.org.uk and let us know

Asthma UK regularly reviews its fundraising activities in line with industry standards and our own organisational benchmarks, and makes changes to activities as necessary. We find, as do most charities, that mailings are the cheapest way for charities to attract donations from a large number of people at once.

Using mailings is a cost-effective and efficient way to raise money to support our work, and to raise the profile of Asthma UK and the need for our services. We target our mailings carefully, and adhere closely to all the relevant guidelines and legislation.

If you do not wish to receive mailings from Asthma UK, please notify our Supporter and Information Team on 08456 03 81 43 or email info@asthma.org.uk.

Asthma UK is keen to ensure that it receives money from a variety of sources, this lessens the risk of having ‘all our eggs in one basket’. Therefore we undertake a range of different fundraising activities to achieve this spread of funding.

The effectiveness of all our fundraising activities is carefully monitored. Some types of fundraising generate gradual but continuous income over time, whereas others just provide a one off injection of income. However all our activities are judged on the return on the investment we make in our fundraising activity over a certain period. With some activities we know we won’t make a positive return on investment immediately, but we know that the returns over a longer period are such that the activity is justified.

A fundraising event is a great way to raise money for Asthma UK and it can be lots of fun! We can give you support to set up an event whether you’re planning a coffee morning with a few friends or a concert for hundreds, as we have lots of experience. We can provide you with a fundraising pack of ideas along with materials to use at the event and ideas of how best to collect money. Either go to the ‘Raise money’ page on our website or contact our Supporter &Information Team on 08456 03 81 43 or email info@asthma.org.uk to get ideas and advice.

There are many ways to get your company involved in supporting Asthma UK from a Charity of the Year partnership with Asthma UK, to simply carrying out fundraising activities at work. We can tailor your company’s involvement with Asthma UK to your needs. Either go to the ‘Corporate partners’ page on our website or contact our Supporter & Information Team on 08456 03 81 43  or email info@asthma.org.uk to discuss your ideas with us. If you’re after some ideas on how to fundraise with your colleagues, why not look at our page ‘Fundraising at work’ and this will give you lots of great ideas of what you can do.

Volunteering is a fantastic way to get involved with Asthma UK, help people with asthma and have fun! There are lots of different ways you can volunteer your time. You may want to volunteer for one of our Kick Asthma holidays run across the country in the summer. This is a fantastic way to make a difference to the lives of children living with asthma. Other ways include speaking to local schools or community groups about asthma to raise awareness and share your experience with others. However much time you have to offer there’s a volunteering opportunity for you. Either go to the ‘Volunteer for Asthma UK’ page on our website or contact our Supporter and Information Team on 08456 03 81 43  or email info@asthma.org.uk so we can find an opportunity for you.