Do photos on a fundraising page make a difference?
The short answer is yes. Allow me to demonstrate:
That's in the Sahara Desert.
It's also the 'toughest footrace on earth'.
Lots of sand? Check.
Would I recognise Ben? Check.
10/10 there.
Here's another:
Amusing take on our cartoons? 10 bonus points.
Proficiency with Photoshop?
Definitely.
Communicates the theme of the event? Check.
Are they smiley? Yup.
are cycling through Ireland.
Do they have bikes? Check.
Proper looking 'tour de france style' bikes?
Oh yes.
Matching polo shirts, like they're in a team? Indeed.
The point is easy. If you upload a really good photo that is easily recognisable, is relevant to your event and maybe a bit funny then it will definitely help your potential sponsors connect to you and what you're doing.
What we don't like seeing on pages so much are our stock cartoons.
So if you've been putting it off, sort that photo out right now, and don't forget that you can update it as often as you like, or even make a .
'ten four!
'
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is about to embark on his latest mission: scaling the North Face of the Eiger and raising £1.5m for Marie Curie Cancer Care while he's at it.
There's lots of coverage in the papers about it today, I know this because I read about it over various shoulders on the bus this morning.
On his , Sir Ranulph states Climbing the Eiger will be truly challenging, but with every step that our three-man team takes, I’ll know that our efforts will be making a real and carers across the UK.
Best of luck to him, find out more on his .
It's Tim's birthday tomorrow.
Here's a picture of him eating the chocolate and cognac birthday cake we bought him. We ate the rest of it. And a sponge one too.
Tim's our charity subscriptions dude. He does a lot of number crunching. And he .
And he supports Tottenham Hotspur, poor boy.
He's one of the youngest people in the office. Tomorrow he turns 15.
| So often do we see plain fundraising sites where hardly anything is different… the image is just left default and the text is lacking anything inspirational. Be it in the form of text, images or anything else that just gives people an extra incentive to put money (that would otherwise go on a pizza down the local or an extra beer after that long day at work) to the charity you feel so strongly for.
Well this all has to change and I will give you a tool that will instantly make you a hit with browsers, this super special spice will give that extra nice finish to your site and all you need to do is download it and follow the steps.
1, 2, 3… and you’re done! I've even made an animated gif you can click on to show you how it's done step by step.
First head over to this site which holds a nifty little utility called (this software is 110% free, and will never charge you to use it… how wonderful is that?
).
The flash-enabled Widget is nearly here. But we know you can't wait for stuff, so we've imported the Justgiving Badge from our American cousins at .
The badge is a simple button that links to your fundraising page. It's not got as many features as the widget does, but it's still useful and more fun than hyperlinks.
You can find them in the same section as the widget, just click 'Promote this Page' on any Justgiving fundraising page and you'll find the code you need.
There are three lovely designs to choose from, so here's three lovely examples:
For the last two days, I've been at the conference with Will, Adam and Dom.
It was fantastic. There are proper write-ups and photos over on , but the view from the balcony was rather sparkly:
Sweet.
The other week I wrote a that summarised our top ten fundraising tips.
It was pretty popular, so since it's full-on marathon fundraising time of year, I thought it would be useful to expand on some of the points that were made.
And so, the JG clinic is born.
Getting Personal
First things first, you have to make your page compelling. I know it's tempting to build a page, not bother to type anything in to the personal message section and forget about a photo.
The fact is, pages that aren't personalised raise much less money than their nicely decorated peers.
There really is no excuse for not putting your own photo on these days, bearing in mind all the we have access to now.
And make it a good one. An action shot maybe, at least something relevant to your event, your charity or something that your sponsors will recognise.
Like Jeremy's page , look at him go! You can even go one step further and do something like this:
Now, on to the message part. If you have a look around the site, you'll quite often come across this:
.
..with nothing else.
Now that's what we wrote. Please edit it. If you do, you could end up with something brilliant, like this:
Stay tuned for another JG Clinic healing session tomorrow.
to you all out there, I thought I would do a quick little post about something different outside the walls of Justgiving Towers.
Being half Chinese, I still really like to get into the whole spirit of things and celebrate this oriental festive season. The new year for us Chinese is a time of eating nice food (sadly no ), gathering with family and giving out (we call these Fung Baow).
This year is no different! Some of my vast array of family from my Chinese side are all coming to my house tonight to munch and chat about what is new in their lives. Lots of my cousins are soon heading off to university to learn new things and quite a few of my uncles are setting up new so it is always a busy for them yet we try to get together at least once in the year.
Well that’s all from me but for me to hope you enjoy your day and you’re all now making your way off to the just around the corner! Happy Chinese New Year or..
| Say 'yo' to Rohit.
He's a new developer on our product team who started this month, so he's in for the now-compulsory starter interview. Let's begin:
What's your favourite website?
Did you get up to anything fruity on Valentine's Day?
What is Valentine's Day? Oh dear.
What's your favourite joke?
A bear and a rabbit are both taking a ..
.(NSFW, sorry folks)
What was your favourite metal album of 2006?
by .
Roar.
Which word or phrase do you completely overuse?
Your CV mentioned you were fluent in OOP.
It sounds messy, can you elaborate?
OOP is Object Oriented Programming. Not very exciting.
I'm much more interested in CSS-based web design and web 2.0 graphics, yo.
Tell us one thing about you that we'd only ever find out if we gave you one of these silly questionnaires.
..
When I was at a university, me and a mate once finished a whole bottle of absinthe (that's half each) within a 20 minute bus journey.
The moral of the story being: don't get on a bus in Warwick.
Welcome to the fold Ro!
| Justgiving will be unavailable between 3.
00am and 7.00am GMT on Saturday 17th February 2007 for essential maintenance.
That's Friday night so most of you won't even notice unless you have insomnia or stay out really, really late.
Thanks for your understanding.
| Ah, love is in the air. Girls wait expectantly for the postman while boys stumble ineptly round florists and panic buy saccharine cards from newsagents.
Dewy eyed couples shoot winsome glances across overpriced dinners and sales of fluffy bears with slogan adorned stomachs fill the air with the sweet sound of ringing tills. Yep - it's Valentine's Day.
Around 25 million Valentine's Day cards will be sent this year, at a cost of £75million, apparently.
And those fluffy bears don't come cheap either. So if the rampant consumerism of love leaves you cold, why not divert your cash from card manufacturers to a more worthy cause.
Royal London Society for the Blind has set up a brilliant .
The concept is simple. Instead of buying your loved one a card or pressie, donate to the page and declare your undying passion in an accompanying message. Then email your Valentine the web address so they can see your gift for themselves.
You'll get points for originality, and your money will be well spent helping people with visual impairment. Roses are so last year, dontcha know.
| We've been involved with the for over half a decade now.
During that period of time we've collated loads of feedback from runners who've told us what's really helped their fundraising. Since we're all round good eggs, we don't do anything silly like try and charge people money for our knowledge. So as a special pre-Valentine's treat here is our definitive FLM guide: if you're running in April then this will help.
Just a bit of perspective, last year over £12.5m came through our site for the Marathon and over 10,000 runners had pages. So enough numbers, on to the top ten:
1.
Get Personal
Start with your close friends and family. They're your core group of supporters after all so it's important to communicate why you're taking part in the marathon. Maybe it's something you've always wanted to do, or you're particularly passionate about the charity you're running for.
Whatever your reason it has to be crystal clear and communicated without hesitation. If people can get behind your reasons too then it's going to be easier to hit that target.
Hopefully this group will also be some of the most generous sponsors you'll have.
With our fundraising pages it's always intimidating to see zero donations, so make sure that before you cast the net out a little wider, your close friends and family have made some good donations to your page. It helps if they're not too small, since your sponsors will tend to match the average donation on your page. If the first five people all donate a tenner, then it's going to be hard to push that average donation higher.
To give you all an idea, last year's average single donation per page for the marathon was just over £40.
Make sure that you're really proud of your fundraising page. Make it pretty.
Get some decent photos on there and make your personal message really really good. And once it's done don't forget that you can update it whenever you fancy. Check out great example.
2. Tell the World!
Tell everybody!
Be utterly shameless. It's a big target you've all got so make sure everyone who knows you even remotely knows that in April you're running the London Marathon, and which charity you're running it for.
So keep on at your work colleagues, post flyers through your neighbours door, get on and nab the email addresses of all your old schoolmates.
get in touch and don't be afraid to make the ask. Same goes for old uni mates and ex-colleagues.
Also if you're a member of a club: it could be your local gym, golf club, cycling club, running club, poker club, anything.
Make sure they know and make sure they don't forget!
And whenever you're down the pub, make sure everyone knows there too.
3.
Get in Print
If you have a page on our site, you can access a sample press release by logging in to . Customise it a bit, call up all your local papers and send it over. But don't stop there, local journalists are pretty busy people, so phone them a week later to check if they received it and whether it's going to print.
Crucially, make certain they're going to print the address of your fundraising page, or if not at least something which will allow readers to get in touch with you. If your story is good enough it's really easy to get an article in there.
But just because the local gazette has got your story, don't expect thousands to start rolling in from complete strangers, just wallow in the publicity for a while and perhaps it will raise a few extra quid.
4. Get online
We do kinda have to say this one. Have a look at your page, and underneath your total there's an RSS button.
Like this chap: 
Give it a click. Basically, RSS feeds give you an up-to-date total right on your desktop or on a every time you open your browser.
If you want to find out more and how they work then click the more about RSS link and you'll be sorted. There's a very concise write-up on the
On to blogs. You can do these on if you want an official marathon one, or any of the big blog sites will do it too, such as , and .
If you update your blog regularly with your training news and keep communicating why you're running the marathon, it will help your sponsors to keep up with what's going on, and it could be the tipping point for someone to make a donation.
Next up is our . We just released this, and what it allows you to do is put a mini version of your fundraising page on your blog or on any website you might be involved with.
It's more compelling than just posting links everywhere and you can ask your friends to host your widget for you too. And they look nice. Check out the blog for a great example.
We've also just released a new , which can import your contacts from all your email addresses. Maybe it's Outlook at work, Hotmail at home. It works with them all and saves lots of copying and pasting.
5. Talk to each other
You've all got similar targets and you've all got different ideas on how you're going to get there. If you've come up with a great initiative then tell everyone, and also if something hasn't quite gone according to plan then tell everyone too.
It's easiest to do this online, we've got which is also linked from our homepage and the realbuzz forums are great for this too, not just for figuring out which types of Lucozade are isotonic or not.
6. Make some Printables
Get creative and make some posters with your page address on it.
You can make some business card sized versions too to hand out to people you meet when you're out and about.
Also you might have some contacts in your mobile that you don't have an email address for, so send them a text message with your page address so that they can find out more. They might sponsor you.
There are loads of places you can get t-shirts printed too so get your web address put on your training gear so that everyone down the gym knows.
7. Communicate the Cause
It sounds really obvious but so many people forget to do it.
Get the facts from your charity and find out exactly what a donation can pay for.
When you've got halfway to your target, update your blog and email your supporters, tell them what that money has achieved and what a difference the full amount will make. It is already in a charity bank account after all.
Your friends are donating to you and not necessarily the charity in alot of cases, but they're probably going to give more if their donation makes a tangible difference. Check out as an example.
8.
Talk to your charity
Pick up the phone and keep in touch with your events team. They do get a bit nervous if runners disappear off the radar, and they've got tons of ideas and resources that can help you. They are, after all, the professionals at this stuff.
Also, make sure you know what the whole marathon team is up to and share your training and fundraising tips. Maybe some of them are local and you could train together. Like are doing.
9. Talk to us!
We are totally dependent on your feedback.
It shapes everything for the future, so if you're happy with your page please ! Similarly if it's not working for you or there's a feature that you'd like to see then .
We update this blog nearly every day so keep an eye on it, it's linked from every page on our site.
We're going to be featuring runners from now until April so if you think your story is a good one then and say so.
Also we've got a little stand at the in Docklands, where you all get registered for the big day. do come and say hello and give us some feedback.
We will have .
And if you fancy a chat then call Mike on the helpdesk, here's the number: 0845 021 2110
.
10.
Keep Fundraising
Don't stop when you've finished the race and don't stop if you've hit your target. There's always more money out there if you keep looking and if you've finished the marathon then people don't have an excuse not to sponsor you anymore. It can make a huge difference for your charity.
Tell everyone how it went, put a photo of you crossing the finishing line on your page, update your blog, let everyone know the nasty recovery stories!
Right that's it. If you've got any tips to share then leave some comments or get on our !
As the footballing fans at JG Towers start to get ready for this weekend's Fifth Round of FA Cup action (Sofa, check. Chilled beer, check.
TV, check), it seemed an appropriate time to mention one real fan whose efforts are pretty awe-inspiring.
Sebastian Blair, and his partner in crime, Kirsty, are attending each of the 14 rounds of the FA Cup 2006-7, from the very first extra-preliminary round, right through to the final on 19th May .
They are asking people to sponsor them in this unique endeavour, and have decided to raise money for MENCAP because, as they say, it is a charity close to our hearts, as our uncle Michael is in full time care all his life and has benefited from support given by MENCAP and other charities.
As if to mirror Seb's journey, his team of choice (the Tractor boys of ) have reached the Fifth round and face an eminently winnable game at .
They are joined in that round by another high flying team from the Championship, the mighty , whom your humble correspondent saw win in the last round from the salubrious settings of the boardroom (and met the famous, and very nice, ).
Good luck to Ipswich this weekend, all the football lovers at JG Towers hope you get to follow them all the way to Wembley (as long as it's not at the expense of our own teams.
..)!
| Last year, some members of decided to set up the Westminster Challenge. The idea was simple:
fundraise on their behalf. The organisation will act as a link between the political and charitable worlds, promoting the work of each with the other and the general public.
'
Well this year, five MP's from different parties are, as we speak, travelling across the Arctic wilderness by husky dogsled. When they're finished you'll be hearing a great deal more about we're sure, since they've got lots of journo-types hot on their heels.
However in the meantime, check out their very nice , their with links to all the others (especially the participants, like ), the and absolutely no mention of .
Although Friday's are sad times at JG Towers, a day when we have to trudge off home for two days before we're allowed back in the office (Ed - stop it...
), a ray of light is always provided by our Lead Developer, Mr Jason Horton Jason is normally a happy go lucky Welshman, (when he's not fixing the site with his techie followers and generally saving the world) but come Friday, 5 o'clock, this genial gent transforms into a fellow of facts.
As the clocks chime, a reverent hush descends across the office in anticipation of the lines Did you know that..
..?
before we are all struck dumb by the immense power of his factoids and he slams his hand on the table.
Once our mouths close again after the awe is quelled, Jason asks the question, What do we live in? to which we all reply.
.. A weird world .
Alas, Jason is on his way back to Wales as we speak so Adam is taking up the gauntlet...
We'll see if he can live up to the master, but if you think you can do better, post a comment...
| We're sorry to say we had technical problems yesterday. You may have experienced slow page loads and occasional server timeouts.
Our tech wizards worked really hard to rectify the problem and the site is now back firing on all cylinders.
We’re really sorry if you were affected. It's very rare that anything goes wrong, but we know how frustrating it is when the site’s slow. We’re pulling out all the stops to ensure we constantly maintain the high standards you expect from us.
Any questions, please do . We'll help in any way we can.
| Right now we're focusing on helping schools make the most of Justgiving to raise funds.
Thousands of schools in the UK rely almost entirely on the support of individuals. Not only independent schools, but also many special needs and faith-based schools.
Lots of these schools are already using our site, and some have been really successful, so we're hoping to help more pupils, teachers, parents and school supporters raise a whole lot more in 2007.
The children at had a blast using Justgiving. Almost 200 pupils created personal fundraising pages and for a sponsored walk to help fund their new sports hall.
Overall the school raised £2,771 online, including £481 in Gift Aid that we automatically reclaimed on their behalf.
“The service was fantastic,” said BRGS’s development director Emma Gauntlett. “We’re hoping to use Justgiving for regular giving to the school now.”
So if you know of a school raising funds, why not make their life easier and send them our way?
Ask them to call Molly on 020 7549 2215 or email her on for more info.
If a school signs up to Justgiving on your recommendation we’ll give them a free three-month trial, and if you have a fundraising page on our site, we'll make a donation of £50 as a thank you for making the introduction. Right, back to since everyone's dying to know.
2. The simplest way to cook Bird's Eye Potato Waffles
(Instructions on packet) Grill both sides = Put in toaster, use highest setting and put in twice!!
No need to dig out grill pan, stand watching waiting 3. Scooby Doo is in fact a Great Dane
already, but it really did come as a revelation to me, even though I watched the HannaBarbera cartoons all the time as a child, he was just a big brown dog. When someone told me this news last year I was surprised I hadn't picked it up!
At least one person you tell this to will not have twigged either!
Yoinks. Thanks Claire.
Good luck on !
| and half to half.
- Find a bed, table or sofa on which to work.
Fold the sheet in half with the top meeting the bottom (foot) of the sheet. left bottom corner and right top corner to bottom right corner.) Top corners will be turned inside out.
- Fold the sheet in half again so all corners meet. Again tuck the corners into each other. This will again force one set of corners to be turned inside
- This last step leaves you with a bunched up corner area.
To smooth it down, angle.). The short side can also be folded in.
- Fold the sheet again in half the long way. This should then cover the folded depending on how small you want the folded product to end up.
Coming later: waffles.
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