Frequently Asked Questions

Here you'll find the answers to some of your questions about supporting Changing Lives. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, you can contact the fundraising team by emailing fundraising@changing-lives.org.uk or by ringing 07857 501821.

Find the section you need

Donations

Fundraise

Volunteering

Donations

Can I donate directly to a project?

Please get in touch with our fundraising team and they will determine if you can drop your donations at a project.

Can I donate online?

Yes! You can donate to Changing Lives through our secure donations form.

Can I bank transfer my donation?

Yes if you would like to make your donation via a bank transfer you can contact our fundraising team who will pass on our bank details.

How do I Gift Aid my donation?

You can Gift Aid your donation by filling in a gift aid form and sending it to our fundraising team. You can either email your completed declaration to us or send it by post.

How do I increase/reduce/cancel my regular donation?

You can change the amount and frequency of your regular gift by contacting our fundraising team.

How do you spend my donation?

Your donation will go towards supporting people who are experiencing the most challenging of circumstances. Your donation will help support a wide range of life-changing services to over 100 projects across the country to meet the needs of people, locally and nationally, affected by homelessness, abuse, addiction, and unemployment.

How can I leave a gift in my Will?

You can find out how to leave a gift in your will on our How You Can Help page.

How can I start a Payroll Giving scheme?

You can find out how to set up Payroll Giving on our How You Can Help page.

Fundraise

I want to fundraise for Changing Lives and don’t know where to start?

You can visit our dedicated fundraising page where you can register to receive our free fundraising pack which has lots of ideas and advice for your fundraising.

Can you support me in my fundraising?

Yes of course! We have lots of fundraising resources such as posters, sponsorship forms, bunting, invites and more. These are available as a digital pack and also by post. We also have Changing Lives' fundraising t-shirts, collection tins and balloons.

Please get in touch with our fundraising team and we will support you throughout your fundraising.

How do I set up a Just Giving Page?

You can set up a Just Giving page by visiting our Just Giving page and clicking on the blue button “fundraise for us”. You can also find more advice on how to set it up by downloading our Guide to Setting Up A Just Giving Page.

Can my fundraising go directly to a project I want to support?

We provide a wide range of life-changing services to over 100 projects across the country to meet the needs of people, locally and nationally, affected by homelessness, abuse, addiction and unemployment. For this reason, we prefer to use donations to fund whichever of our services are most in need so we can provide the best support. However, if you would like to donate to a specific project, please email us, specifying which project and how much you would like to donate.

I want to subscribe/unsubscribe from your newsletter

You can sign up to our fundraising newsletter from our website or by contacting our fundraising team.

You can unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each fundraising email, or by contacting our fundraising team.

What if I want to hold an event that isn’t on your list of suggestions?

Check out our organise your own fundraising page, which has lots of ideas and inspiration or create your own - you can be as inventive as you like! Let us know what you decide so we can support you every step of the way. We can provide advice, ideas to maximise your fundraising, materials, resources and more.

How can I promote my event?

Spread the word across social media, email your friends, colleagues and family, put posters up, send invites if appropriate and get talking!

We would love to promote every fundraiser’s event on our social media pages but because we have so many amazing fundraisers (and we want to treat everybody equally) we are unable to share your fundraising events.

However, if you share your story after your fundraising event, we may able to share it as a case story to inspire other fundraisers! We'd love for you to email us to tell us what you did, how much you raised and any photos you're happy for us to share.

Can I use your logo on my fundraising materials or website?

You can access our branded materials when you request a fundraising pack, which contains our logo, which you can use to show you are fundraising for Changing Lives.

If you would like to use our logo on other materials, on social media or websites, please contact the fundraising team who will be able to advise you.

Can someone from Changing Lives speak at my event?

If you feel having a member of our team to deliver a talk or presentation would enhance your fundraising, please contact us at and we will try to have someone attend where possible. Unfortunately, our fundraising team is very small, covering a large geographical area, so we cannot guarantee attendance.

Alternatively, we may be able to send a speech you can read out at your event or send a video for you to play on the day. We hope this does not discourage you from celebrating the success of your event - your support and dedication makes a huge difference to everyone at Changing Lives, and the thousands of people who use our life changing services.

How can I boost my fundraising?

Make sure when collecting sponsorship people tick the gift aid box and provide their full address including postcode so we can claim an extra 25% from the government from each donation. If you are employed, your workplace may also offer match funding which can double the amount you raise! Please speak to your manager to discuss.

What happens if I don’t reach the minimum sponsorship for a fundraising event organised by Changing Lives or another provider (e.g. Great North Run)?

If you haven't reached the minimum sponsorship, you could organise a small, local fundraising event to boost your total. For example, you could arrange a supermarket collection, bake sale, raffle or a quiz night. You can also top up your fundraising personally.

How can I make sure my event is safe and legal?

You can find out how to run a safe, legal and successful fundraising event at: Organising a voluntary event: a 'can do' guide - GOV.UK. You may not need to read the whole guide, as some of it is specifically for mass participation events.

Changing Lives cannot accept responsibility for accidents, injury, loss or damages as a result of your event. You will need to provide your own event insurance if required.

You may decide to take out public liability insurance for your fundraising event. This will protect you if a member of the public is injured during your event. You should request to see the public liability insurance certificate of any suppliers you hire. This will ensure that they're covered in the event of an accident or incident with their equipment or service.

Do I need a license for a collection or raffle?

You only require a license if you are collecting donations or selling raffle tickets before your event, door to door or by holding a street collection or in a public place. You can obtain a license from your local council. You do not need a license if you hold a collection or raffle on the day of your event, unless it is in a public place. If you intend to collect money on private properties, you must get permission from the land owner. You may also need a license from your local authority if your event includes public entertainment or music and you must check before putting up event banners in public spaces.

Volunteering

Who do I contact if I want to volunteer as an individual?

We are always grateful to volunteers, who can get involved in supporting Changing Lives in a number of ways. You can contact our Volunteer Manager Sead to find out more about the opportunities, or check out our volunteering page.

Who do I contact if my organisation wants to do volunteering day?

You can contact our Corporate Fundraising Manager Alice Fisher, to discuss how your company can support us through Corporate Volunteering.