Thank you for donating your time to join our fabulous fundraising team! Now, where to begin...
Thank you for choosing us!
Who we are
Who your money supports
Setting up your giving page
Increase support with social
Banking those bucks
A-Z of fundraising ideas
Your safety and the legal bits
Forms and templates
Welcome to our fundraising team
Thank you for choosing to fundraise for ZCT!
By donating your time to support us, you’re helping us provide crucial funds to our charity partners, making it possible for them to continue their amazing work within our communities. Don’t forget, we will double your dosh! All fundraising for ZCT is matched by 100% - helping your money go even further!
Watch our fundraisers in action below...
Zipslide the Clyde 2023
Custard Factory Abseil 2022
South Downs Way Walk 2022
Who we are
We (Zurich Community Trust) are the charity arm of Zurich in the UK. We're an independently registered charity, who offer a full package of support to both our local and national charity partners. All partners are selected through voting by our employee donors. Our extensive package of support includes grant funding together with access to a huge range of free resources, such as membership to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), and our learning hub.
We also deliver the Zurich UK's employee engagement programme, offering opportunities to volunteer, fundraise and share skills with our partners.
Thanks to donations raised through employee giving schemes, fundraising and the UK business donation, we are able to help improve the quality of life for disadvantaged people all over the UK through our 58 charity partnerships.
In total, we've awarded over £100 million since we began in 1973! Take a look at our 2022 Impact Report to find out more.
(Our 2023 Impact Report will be available from March)
Who your money supports!
Our current national charity partners address three separate causes, selected by our employee donors, Mental Health, Dementia and Poverty. Each partner benefits from a grant of £300,000 over two years.
(We review our national charity partnerships this year)
Mental Health
Dementia
PovertyOur local partners
Fundraisers help us provide crucial funding to our 58 charity partners each year.
See if you recognise any of the charities we supported in 2023 in the locations near you.
Setting up your giving page
Zurich UK Employee fundraisers
In 2022, we launched Zurich's new platform, MyImpact, to support the activity of our UK volunteers and fundraisers. This platform is being used across the globe by employee volunteers and fundraisers and is already proving popular with users in the UK.
You can now create your fundraising page in MyImpact with 'Giving Opportunities' Find out how here >
External Fundraisers who are friends and family of Zurich employees
Setting up and personalising your own online giving page couldn't be easier! You can make your page as engaging as you like, by adding photos, videos, and more about what you are doing and why. All you need to do is click the button to the right and follow the giving site's simple steps to getting your page ready to receive those all important donations.
Recommended wording for your giving page summary:
I'm taking part in <insert event name> on <insert date> to raise money for the Zurich Community Trust (ZCT).
Since 1973, ZCT has awarded over £90 million in funding to charities, causes and community programmes all over the UK and overseas. Their current national charity partners are Barnardos - supporting children and young people's mental health, Dementia UK - supporting those living with dementia, their loved ones and carers, and Magic Breakfast - supporting child hunger.
Each national partner receives £300,000 over two years, so any fundraising will really help provide that promised support.
Each year, they also support over 60 local charity partners through funding, free access to learning resources and skill sharing through employee volunteers.
We also recommend including the following caveat in your wording, just in case, through no fault of your own, you're unable to take part in the event:
'In generously sponsoring me, you are donating unconditionally to support Zurich Community Trust, irrespective of whether or not I am actually able to complete the event on the day.'
Increase support with social media
You're about to do something amazing for charity - that deserves shouting about.
Share your fundraising news with all your family, friends and colleagues by posting to all of the social platforms they're active on. Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly know as Twitter) are some of the favourites, but there's also LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok and many others. These media sites are all perfect ways to reach out to a wider audience. Whether it's to keep them updated on your progress, invite them to your events, or to ask for help, it's a quick and easy way to connect with people and share your journey.
Keep things fresh by including various forms of media in your posts, including images, short videos and vlogs. Don't forget to always include your online giving link. We'd love you to share your fundraising achievements with us too, so make sure you connect with us at:
Banking those fundraising bucks
It's very likely that you'll receive the vast majority of your sponsorship through your online giving page. However, there may well still be occasions when either cash or cheque are the easiest way to accept donations. When this is the case, you'll find everything you need to know below!
Via Cash
Ensure the amount of cash is recorded and signed by you with a second person to verify.
Once it's been counted, please keep the cash safe and secure until it is banked. (We do not recommend taking any cash home. Please keep it in a locker or locked cupboard). Please bank fundraising money regularly, and within five working days of your event.
Deposit cash at your nearest Lloyds Bank, or transfer online using the following details:
Sort code: 30-00-02
Account number: 01009848
Via Cheque
All cheques should be made payable to 'Zurich Community Trust' and need to be deposited at your nearest Lloyds Bank. Or you can transfer the funds online the following bank details:
Sort code: 30-00-02
Account number: 01009848
Include a clear description in the reference field of the paying in form or bank transfer to ensure ZCT can allocate it correctly once it appears on the ZCT bank account. Obtain a ZCT Banking Advice form from ZCT's administration team. Complete the form, then scan and return it to jackie.lee@zct.org.uk, to ensure we have a record of your banking deposit.
It's important we receive this form to ensure the money is correctly allocated to your fundraising activity.
A paper sponsor form is still a great way to ask people to sponsor you – especially for those who don’t use internet, email or social media.
Circulate it around your office, neighbours, family and friends and encourage and remind those who are UK tax payers to complete their contact details to enable ZCT to claim Gift Aid (see section on Gift Aid and Matching).
Sponsors who have given you a cash donation can be added to your online giving page and you can include a message on their behalf. Don’t forget to complete the HMRC declaration correctly.
What to do with Sponsorship Forms
- Include your name, address, title and date of the event.
- Ensure sponsors who have selected Gift Aid have completed their personal details correctly to enable ZCT to claim for their donation.
- Scan the original sponsor form(s) and email to Jackie Lee in ZCT.
- Be clear with your donors. A big part of fundraising for charity is being transparent. If you intend to use any funds raised to pay for expenses associated with your fundraising activity, you must state this up front, so your donors are aware of this.
Please note: If you are raising money for ZCT, you are obliged under charity law to pay the money to ZCT and not another charity of your choice. If you decide to raise money for ZCT and another charity at the same time — please let us know and we'll let you know how best to do this.
Don’t forget about Gift Aid!
A UK tax payer can include Gift Aid when they donate. The taxman adds 25% to their gift so that’s an extra £1 for every £4 donated! This money can make a huge difference to the charities we support, so please make sure all UK tax payers select Gift Aid on your sponsorship form, together with their name, address and post code.
Plus! The annual donation made to ZCT by the UK Zurich business allows us to match any fundraising by 100%, giving us the opportunity to DOUBLE YOUR DONATIONS!
However, please note that Gift Aid is NOT matched.
The A-Z of fundraising ideas!
Organising a fundraising event?
Here's how to keep it safe and legal!
- Allow plenty of time to organise your fundraising event and consider those extra things you may need, such as insurance, risk assessments, licensing, having written agreements in place, data privacy etc.
- Choose the right venue for your event. This could be at home, in the workplace or at a venue in your community. Whichever you choose, think carefully about the space you will need and accessibility for any potential wheelchair users. Also, make sure you're aware of the fire and evacuation procedures and that emergency exits are kept clear throughout your event.
- When preparing or selling food, make sure you read our Food Safety section. This will provide you with everything you need to know about food hygiene and preparation standards, as well as Natasha's Law
- Popular fundraisers, such as raffles, lotteries and prize draws, are highly regulated. If you're thinking of running one of these to help you reach your fundraising target, please contact Kerry Chambers, UK Fundraising Manager, for some advice beforehand.
The age at which children may engage in fundraising activities may vary from event to event, geographic location and law.
If your event is likely to involve engaging with children or vulnerable adults before, during or after your fundraising activity, please become familiar with ZCT's Child and Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding Policy and read our Safeguarding guidance below.
Safeguarding
We are committed to keeping the welfare of any child or vulnerable adult who is involved with any of our activities paramount and to ensuring that everyone who we engage with is valued, listened to and respected.
Everyone engaging with the Trust’s activities is responsible for ensuring that children and vulnerable adults are safe. When working with children and vulnerable adults we must remember we are acting in positions of trust. All employees and fellow fundraisers are likely to be seen as role models and must act in an appropriate manner at all times.
As part of Zurich's commitment to safeguarding, all employees are required to complete the annual mandatory Safeguarding Training Module. If it's been over a year since any employee within your fundraising team has completed this, we recommend they complete it again before the date of the event.
We know you'll be keen to take lots of photos of your fundraising events, and we'll be really keen to see and share them too! To ensure you capture all the best pictures and to enable us to use as many as possible, click here for our Photography Policy.
If your fundraising involves any type of food handling or preparation, please read the Food Preparation Guidelines and Food Hygiene Guidelines before you start to plan the event.
Natasha's Law
From 1 October 2021, Natasha's Law changed the requirements for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food labelling in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. This labelling helps protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging. Learn more here >
Your health and wellbeing are of paramount importance to us and we do not want participation in any ZCT fundraising activity to jeopardise that. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, please consult your GP before undertaking any strenuous or endurance challenging activity. If at any stage you feel your health could be compromised by going through with an event, then don't do it - you're too important to us!
If you have any concerns prior to your event, please contact Kerry Chambers, UK Fundraising Manager and/or your Health & Safety Officer, Donna Phipps-Bilton.
What's covered and what's not!
- Personal accident cover is not provided for, although normal sickness entitlement applies for Zurich employees. Additionally, WPA Protocol Plc health cover may apply, dependant upon your contract of employment and/or flexible benefits chosen options.
- Please be aware that any personal belongings taken with you throughout the duration of your event will be your responsibility and are taken at your own risk.
Forms and templates
And last, but not least
