1 October 3 1 October 20 WELCOME TO STEPS FOR PETS! STEP THIS WAY... 15
HI! Welcome to your fundraising pack, your simple step by step guide. It s full of ideas and top tips to support you every step of the way as you organise your own Steps for Pets activity to help us to achieve our target of 10 million steps, and, importantly, help pets in need. WHY DO WE NEED YOUR STEPS? Without your support in taking part in Steps for Pets, we wouldn t be able to continue helping pets who desperately need us. The energy and enthusiasm you put into fundraising keeps Blue Cross going and keeps pets happy and healthy. Last year we cared for more than 35,000 pets and we need your help to keep our doors open to even more in the future. Blue Cross doesn t receive any government funding so we rely on donations from animal lovers like you to fund our work. With 12 rehoming centres, four animal hospitals and a network of clinics across the country, we simply couldn t manage without you. Over 35,000 pets helped in 2015 Any donation, no matter how big or small, can go a long way towards helping a pet in need. Thank you for taking part, pledging your steps and raising vital funds to support more abandoned, unwanted, sick and injured pets. We rely on your DONATIONS Now it is time to lace up your shoes and begin your challenge to continue our work Your STEPS will allow us to HELP more pets like them
FUNDRAISING IDEAS! Steps for Pets is all about having a good time and enjoying your challenge, whether you do your steps on your own, with a friend or with your family. Why not get a group together at your school, club, fitness group, nursery or local youth group? You can do all your steps in one day, over a week or throughout the month of October - the choice is yours. Just remember to record all of your steps and then tell us how many steps you or your group have achieved by logging into: www.bluecross.org.uk/register-your-steps By logging your steps and adding them to our Steps for Pets totaliser, you will be helping to let everyone know how far we ve got to go to reach our 10 million step target. Here are a few step ideas to help you put your best foot forward Step up your pace and do a five mile walk or more. If you have a dog take them with you, they will love that extra mile or two. Get your skipping rope out, put the radio on and skip to the sound of the beat! RUN Why not step it up and challenge yourself to a 5k, 10k run or even a marathon? TROT, CANTER OR GALLOP Attach your petometer to your clothing on your hip and you and your horse can record your steps together. AS A GROUP TODDLE THEM Encourage your nursery or toddler group to hold a toddle-a-thon and see how many mini steps the little ones can do. ZUMBA THEM SKIP Jumping on the spot creates steps. How many jumps can you do and how long can you do them for?! Get those creative juices flowing and prepare to jazz up your steps by decorating your trainers, wellies, pumps, dance shoes or riding boots. It is so easy to do. Get out your colouring pens, glitter glue, sequins, ribbon, buttons, and pompoms - anything you like to funk those shoes up. It s great fun to do, not only for children but for adults too. Go on, brighten up your steps. WALK AS AN INDIVIDUAL JUMP PIMP YOUR SHOES Amplify the fun and get your Zumba class to step it up and hold a Zumbathon. Ask new people to come along and join in. SPIN-A-THON Up the ante and get your spin class to join in the fun. At the speed you spin you will create steps as well as sweat! SPACE HOP THEM Get the school involved and have a spacehop-a-thon - great fun for all the pupils. Have a competition between the classes and see how many bounces each class can do. AT WORK CYCLE Attach your petometer to your cycle shoes and see how many steps you do while spinning those wheels. Take part in a cycle challenge or create your own route. Challenge your colleagues to a competition to see who can do the most steps at your place of work. AT YOUR GOLF COURSE Bring your golfing friends together for a fundraising round and all donate into the pot. SET YOUR STEPS WITH YOUR FUNDRAISING TARGET Once you have decided what activity you want to do, think about how many steps you need to take to achieve your fundraising target. Here are a few examples: Skipping for one mile = 2,000 steps By raising 10 you could help us microchip two homeless dogs. Walking for five miles = 10,000 steps By raising 30 you could help to give an unwanted kitten the warmth and shelter they need. Running for 10 miles = 20,000 steps By raising 50 you could help us get a neglected and frightened horse back to health.
HOW DO I RAISE MONEY We know at times asking people to you is hard, hopefully these FROM MY STEPS? sponsor top tips will help: 1. GET SPONSORSHIP Enclosed in the pack is a sponsorship form. Go to everyone you know; family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and why not even carry it with you; you never know who you might bump into. Put your form up on your work or club notice board. Don t forget to get everyone to Gift Aid as it means that for every 1 they give, Blue Cross can claim 25p from HMRC, helping their donation go further. 2. JUST GIVING Fundraising online with JustGiving is so easy for you and everyone sponsoring you. Create a JustGiving page, make it as personal as possible, and make sure to include the reasons why you are doing your steps. Send your JustGiving link to everyone you know via your email contacts, Facebook, Twitter, even text everyone you know in your mobile phone list. You can also set up a team JustGiving page to raise money as a group. Set yourself a target you will be amazed as a team how much you can raise. 3. SPONSOR YOURSELF If you would rather not ask people to sponsor you, don t let that stop you achieving your steps. Sponsor yourself. It doesn t matter how big or small your donation is, every penny helps the pets in our care. TOP TIP Ask people to sponsor you on pay day, when everyone feels happy and most generous. Don t forget to update everyone on how you are doing with your steps, whether that be on your JustGiving page or face to face. Always remember to say a huge THANK YOU to those who supported you! Remember every step pledged and every pound raised will be helping us achieve our 10 million step target. Together you can help Blue Cross support hundreds of abandoned and unwanted, sick and injured pets just like Eve...
YOUR FINAL STEPS SENDING IN YOUR MONEY It is really important that you bank your money as soon as you can. The sooner you send your sponsorship money or donations to us the sooner we can help more abandoned and unwanted pets at Blue Cross. JustGiving If you have raised money online with JustGiving, the good news is you do not have to do anything more. JustGiving will automatically pay the money to Blue Cross. By post Write a cheque/postal order made payable to Blue Cross. Fill in the slip at the bottom of your welcome letter and return this along with your payment in your freepost envelope enclosed in your pack. By phone Call us on 0300 777 1974, quote payment Steps for Pets and use your credit or debit card. CONTACT US We re here to help you every step of the way! Call us on 0300 777 1974 Email us at events@bluecross.org.uk Visit our website at www.bluecross.org.uk/stepsforpets Write to us at Steps for Pets, Blue Cross, Shilton Road, Burford, Oxon OX18 4PF Online Go to www.bluecross.org.uk/stepsforpets and pay your money online through our Steps for Pets page. Note: please don t pay in your Steps for Pets donations through the Blue Cross general donation webpage as we won t know your funds have been raised through Step for Pets. Sponsorship forms Don t forget to send in your sponsorship forms so that we can claim the Gift Aid and make even more money for the pets in our care.