Spina bifida comes with a risk of developing pressure ulcers, also called pressure sores. In…

SHASBAH’s Tips For A Successful Fundraiser
Lots of our members and volunteers are fundraising superstars. We’re so impressed by their talents and creativity in raising money for charity. But we know that running a fundraiser can be a daunting task. Where do you even start? Well, we’ve put together our top tips for fundraising to give you some inspiration.
1. Do something you already love
What are your hobbies? Are you into cooking, gardening, cycling or gaming? Get creative and use these hobbies in your fundraiser. You could sell plants, run a charity Come Dine With Me or a charity Twitch stream.
Last year, SHASBAH parent Julie used her passion for baking to raise £1500 by selling her bakes on Facebook. Joe and Laura Rose have supported our charity by competing for us in local running races.
Click here for a list of 130 fundraising ideas from Easy Fundraising.

2. Make it personal
Don’t miss the chance to tell people your story and explain why you want to raise money for your cause. What’s your personal connection to the charity? They’re much more likely to support you if they know where the money is going and how it’s having an affect on people’s lives. Tug on their heartstrings! Here’s an example:
“Azeema, our baby girl, now one, was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. We discovered SHASBAH only recently and we have been able to connect with other local families already. We feel like part of a supportive community. We want to raise money for this charity to keep them going and reach many more families who will benefit too.”
3. Challenge yourself
The more difficult the challenge, the more attention it will gain and the more likely people are to donate. Common challenges include shaving your head, growing a moustache or taking part in Dry January. If you think you could manage to do a 5km, why not challenge yourself to a 10km?
Or think like our trustee, Jan, and do a longer-term challenge. She ran 5km every day in May, which gave her lots of opportunities to post about it on social media and remind people what she was doing.
Remember: it’s not about comparing yourself to others, but about pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

4. Make it digital
Putting your fundraiser online tends to make it much more successful these days. This doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact many platforms make it very easy to do. Set up your fundraiser on Facebook (we’ve got a blog post about it) or use JustGiving. And if you’re not digitally confident then we can help you out!