How to setup a fundraising page . . .

“ In a recent article Bryn Parry, our Co Founder and CEO, was quoted as saying Bmycharity was our prefered option when it came to on line giving. What Bryn actually said was that if someone can do it without cost to a charity that was to be encouraged. This does not mean that Bmycharity is our preferred provider, just we are happy that someone has found away of removing the cost to the individual. We are happy with anyone including Justgiving or Virgin, that can help raise much needed funds for our wounded heroes, it is very much up to the provider how they do business. We hope this clarifies the position of both Bryn and Help For Heroes”

Creating your Page
Go to the website www.bmycharity.com/helpforheroes and click on the "start fundraising" button. Fill in the form to register and then select your challenge from the drop-down list, or choose "fundraising" and click on the "create page" button. Then choose a website address for your page, and personalise your message and photo. Then click on the "save page" button and you are ready to fundraise.

Photo or image
Make this personal, use a photo of yourself, avoid using the stock image if you can. If you really don’t want a photo of yourself in Lycra then feel free to import Bryn’s biking Hero bear cartoon.

Target
Be ambitious but not too ambitious. You have to raise £2000 to do the ride but there is no limit. The important thing is to fill it in so your donors see how their contribution is helping you achieve your target.

Your message
This is really important, so don’t just use the message that is supplied. Be creative and be personal. Explain your motivation in your own way, why are you doing this?

For example, ‘my brother/ son/ mother is in the army and I feel that they are risking their lives on our behalf and I want to help,... I read about this in the paper and it really touched me... so I decided to get off my sofa and onto a bike and do something really practical to support what he/she /they are doing. This will be an enormous personal challenge for me as I last sat on a bike when I was ten but I am prepared to do this to show that I support them.’

Make it interesting and personal and stress the challenge, sense of urgency and real need to support our Servicemen and women, especially the wounded. Have a look at our website and feel free to cut and paste phrases that strike a chord with you.

Donations
Try and find a rich friend to be the first donor. If the first donor bungs you £50, it sets a standard, if they give you £5 then others will follow.

Communicate
Once you have built your site, don’t just sit there and expect people to find it; they will not. You need to draw people to your site. Email everyone you know and say what you are doing; even better if you can write an handwritten letter. Use your contacts; use your business... think viral... ask people to tell others and spread the word.

Follow up
Once you have your site don’t relax. Send out a monthly newsletter saying how you are doing, for example: 'I have now been training for a month and think I must be mad. I have fallen off three times but at least I can now get up Bastard Hill and next month I hope to be able to indicate right turns without falling off.... I must be mad but its worth it and you can make me feel better when I fall of by donating to this great cause...’

Update
Use your site to update with your progress and thoughts. People have been known to donate more than once.

Email signature
Put a simple message and link on every email you send out saying what you are doing and ask people to sponsor you each time.

Make it personal
This is you and this is your site so make it personal and have fun. This is a big challenge and a great cause. You will be riding alongside guys who have lost their legs and in at least two cases, their sight. They want to do it, you want to do it and we want everyone to know why you are doing it so make it passionate and creative, fun and appealing.....

Over to you and good luck!