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Planning 1 - How Do I Begin

How do I Begin

You've heard about others running a Sponsored Fundraising Event or you've had an idea but haven't taken action and moved it to reality - now you definitely want to give it a go. There is no secret to organising a sponsored row. However, you need to come up with a proposal that's realistic and the determination to make it happen. In the early days of your planning you'll have lots of thoughts of what you want to achieve and the ways to reach this goal. So now you're ready to initiate the project - be prepared for few sleepless nights but you'll have a great result!

You might be alone working on the Sponsored Fundraising Event but its best to have a couple of friends with you shaping the plans. They'll be helpful to you when you meet in the first few weeks gathering ideas and setting objectives. It's important that you write these down and keep a record of how you'll deliver the Sponsored Fundraising Event.

Project File

Bring together your planning notes in a Sponsored Fundraising Event Project File. Here are some ideas for the sections:

Research and collect as much information as possible and welcome offers of help, advice or support - keep a note of this as you'll find a place for it to be incorporated as the plans develop. Build in flexibility/options and look for opportunities at all stages of your planning - even the most extreme ideas can turn into an exciting fundraising result for you. Summaries from each section in your file will help define your plans and provide you with the basis of text for sponsorship forms, flyers and PR handouts to the media.

Checklist

First plans

Checklist

Looking at Options and Variables

Now you'll have some ideas about how your Sponsored Fundraising Event will be delivered. As a summary, let's look at some options and variables:

Now you've begun your planning let's look at earlier successes. Here are some examples from past events. So far, in these reports, the emphasis has been towards Sponsored Fundraising Events raising money for Charity. Obviously, we'd hope this will continue but would recommend that you buy your own Indoor Rowers from your first Sponsored Fundraising Event. Later use them for a wide range of worthy causes for many more years and enjoy the benefits from using the Indoor Rower. Check out the Links to other pages on the site and the Newsletter reports. If you currently don't receive the fortnightly Concept 2 e-newsletter, you can register now. Just follow this link to the home page: www.indoorsportservices.co.uk If you are still short of ideas, at the end of this section there are a few more suggestions. Good luck with your planning.

Examples of Sponsored Fundraising Event

Rowing a Set Distance

Teams from Farnborough School Nottingham, row across The Channel

This is a story reflecting very strong commitment from all those involved. There was a lead time of just six weeks from when the decision was made to run the Event and it happening. Within the report there are examples of people going much further than the extra mile. There are also great incentives to motivate the participants. Read the full report

The Royal Marines Rowathon - Row around the World

Lieutenant Ed Perris said: "...the lads are rowing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all in aid of a fantastic cause", Ed went on to say: "without the Indoor Rower, this would not be possible".

Full report in Newsletter 67

Lancaster University row 1,270k from Land's End to John O'Groats - one machine with unlimited rowers

Lancaster University Boat Club (LUBC) undertook the challenge to row the 1,270 kilometres (800 miles) from Land's End to John O'Groats on just one rowing machine. Rowing non-stop in the open air through day and night the distance took five days and four, very cold, nights to complete. LUBC decided to make their annual fundraiser a huge event and split the money equally between the Furness General Hospital ICU, which helped Nate and his family, the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust - a Leukemia Research Group and the Lancaster University Boat Club.

Full report in Newsletter 93

Leeds University 100,000m attempt - one machine and a team of ten

Leeds University had a crack at the BUSA 100,000m record in an effort to raise money for Comic Relief.

Full report in Newsletter 78

Transatlantic Prison Row - four machines with a team of six rowers

The row consisted of four teams of six rowing 3,700,700 metres, the distance from St John's, Newfoundland to Blacksod Bay, County Mayo. The teams finished in 63 hours and 28 minutes in front of many staff and guests that had visited and supported them.

Full report in Newsletter 73

Rowing a set time

Edgbaston High School raise over £30,000 in a six hour row

There was six months of planning once the project went live and it involved collaboration between hundreds of pupils, parents and staff. Check out this comprehensive report - it'll give you encouragement for your project and it can be repeated again - it could be your Sponsored Fundraising Event: www.indoorsportservices.co.uk/schools/edgbaston

Hinckley Sea Cadets raise £25,000 for their changing room facilities - one machine and unlimited rowers

The Hinckley Sea Cadet Unit Sponsored Row took place on Saturday 15 June 2002. Cadets starting rowing at 8:30 am and finished at 6 pm, taking it in turns to row for either ten minutes or 2,000 metres, but for no longer than fifteen minutes at a go. The aim of the Sponsored Row was to help raise £25,000 to build a new toilet and shower block for the Sea Cadet Unit at Hinckley.

Full report in Newsletter 63

"Row for Sydney" Eight Hour Team Row thirty five teams with a machine each

The British Olympic Appeal "Row for Sydney" took place successfully on Saturday 8th July at Salisbury Leisure Centre. An eight hour team event, thirty five teams took part and over £10,000 was raised to help send British athletes to the Sydney Games.

Full report in Newsletter 17

24 Hour Row at Tesco's - one machine and two rowers

A 10 am. start at Tesco's London flagship branch on Cromwell Rd, Kensington, Will Mason and Tim Thurnham set off on a 24 hour row. The aim was to collect money both for SPARKS (Sport Aiding medical Research for KidS) plus fund their entry in the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge. Overall the total time including changes and stretching was 26 hrs and they managed to row a total distance of 312,386 m, averaging 2:18.3, raising £1,400 for SPARKS with more pledged.

Full report in Newsletter 28

Extra Ideas

Set up an Indoor Rowing section within your rugby, cricket, tennis or hockey club

Use ten Indoor rowers each with a team of six rowing for eight hours. In addition to the machines being sponsored by local businesses, each rower pledges to bring in at least £200. This will bring in a minimum of £12,000 - enough to buy up to 15 Indoor Rowers for use by your newly formed Indoor Rowing section. This will be a real win-win opportunity as fitness for all will be enhanced throughout the year and there'll be extra revenue from new membership and club activities. Having this number of Indoor Rowers together you can organise crew classes - a great way to train together.

Introduce Indoor Rowing as a sport within your school

You have full justification to present plans to your Head teacher for wanting to join the growing number of schools that have included and integrated Indoor Rowing into the whole school curriculum. Here's a chance to involve staff and students working together with a clear purpose as year groups, houses, forms, staff and departments challenge each other to raise the most funds to buy your own Indoor Rowers. Let's look at some factors: numbers in the PE lesson, how you plan to deliver the Indoor Rowing - crew class, part of the CV suite, circuit training, or clubs - and the space where they'll be used and stored. Each school will have its own environment but don't forget the huge opportunities for cross-curricular links and specific fitness testing. You should aim to have the greatest number of people involved so plan your Sponsored Fundraising Event for half a day with as many machines as you can fit into the gymnasium or hall. Teams of ten per machine will give short spells of rowing plus maximising the fundraising - you can do your calculations but expect to be buying quite a few Indoor Rowers! You might want to offer some motivating incentives to the pupils. See if you can persuade a local business to sponsor the top girl and boy fundraisers with an away day visit to a theme park. And for the adults, a meal at a restaurant or a couple of bottles of wine.

The interest shown in your school's Sponsored Fundraising Event will spread into the local community and feeder primaries. If your school is part of a Sports Partnership Programme then your PDM and SSCO's in the group could plan for these other schools to run similar events. How about collaborating between the cluster schools? If your school already is the first one to have your Indoor Rowers, you could raise funds for the next school and so on, rolling this out school by school. In time, when all of you have your own machines you'll be able to organise and run your own inter-school fixtures. You become a facilitator making health, fitness, competition and learning central to the school and community.

Rowing Club activity during the winter

Your boat club is by a river so use the whole length of the river from source to mouth as the distance you row for your Sponsored Fundraising Event. Treat it like a long head race with the team/crew of eight rowers and cox sharing the full distance. There'll be plenty of rivalry between the crews.

Your Club, School or Organisation

You'll have an overview of the purpose in the promotional material for your school, sports club, business or organisation. This will help define some objectives:

Venue

Look at all possible venues and include the whole range from the most likely to the unlikely. Use the checklist to see the ones that will enable you to have the greatest exposure and potential for extra fundraising - tombola/raffling a prize - and donations on the day of the Sponsored Fundraising Event: