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Fundraising at your university

Student fundraisers with collection buckets

Amnesty International UK student groups are some of the most creative and inspiring fundraisers we have. Every year they organise a huge variety of events that bring in vital funds and help raise awareness of human rights in campuses all over the UK. Our Community and Events Fundraising Team is on hand to help all groups and individual students who are want to try their hand at fundraising. Read on for some ideas of what you can do and contact details for fundraising

Fundraising is vital to our success. The vast majority of our funding comes from small gifts from individuals so anything you can contribute helps – without the support of our members, we wouldn’t be able to carry out human rights work across the world. Unlike many other charities, we don't get significant support from businesses and we only take government money for our human rights education work. By raising funds for Amnesty International UK you are helping to ensure we maintain our independence and answer to no one other than our members.

Planning and promoting your event

Fundraising guides

How to fundraise online
How to making the most of your email and social media contacts and using the free digital platforms out there to help you.

How to plan your event (PDF)
Our guide to have to plan your fundraising events.

How to publicise your event (PDF)
Tried and tested publicity tips for before, during and after your event.

Types of fundraising events

How to plan a Secret Policeman's Ball (PDF)
Everything you need to know put on your own Secret Policeman's Ball.

How to plan a bake sale (PDF)
From a small one-off cake stall to a fancy tea party, bake sales are bound to be a success because everyone loves cake.

How to plan a pub quiz (PDF)
Pub quizzes are a great way to spend an evening with friends having a few drinks and raising money for a good cause.

Human Rights pub quiz
Pub quiz questions, answers and score sheet.

How to plan a fashion show (PDF)
Everything you need to know to organise a fabulous fashion show fundraiser.

How to plan your Jamnesty event
A live music Jamnesty event is a great way to raise money and make a noise about our work.

How to plan a clothes swap event (PDF)
Clothes swaps are not only environmentally friendly, they’re also fantastic fundraisers.

 


University of Leeds Jamnesty

Live Music events are great for raising money and awareness on campus. The University of Leeds Amnesty Group hold a regular Jamnesty event. Their 2022 Jamnesty raised over £1000 for Amnesty International UK and Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network (LASSN.) Anna Frigerio, the group treasurer told us how they went about it:

“It was organised by 5 of us on committee – we got in touch with a bar/venue we’ve held Jamnestys at before and they kindly let us use the gig room for free! To find the acts we simply messaged local bands on Instagram and everyone who was available was happy to perform. We set up a group chat with them all to sort out equipment/who was bringing what, hired a sound engineer through the venue and got everyone to send in their specs which most of the bands were happy to sort out themselves so it didn’t require much organisation/gig know-how from us – we simply set up the set list times and the times for sound checks on the day. As for promotion, we actually commissioned an artist to create a logo for our campaign, made tote bags and posters with this and put them up around the union and on social media which gained a lot of traction!”


 

What to do with the money you raise

How to send us the money you raise

Search all our resources for student groups

Tips for fundraising success

  • Student Group/University fundraising guidelines
  • Start planning as far in advance as possible and give everyone involved a job and a deadline
  • Order fundraising resources - we've got stickers, collecting tins and more
  • Keep costs low - make the most of everyone's contacts (you might be amazed at what you can get for free!)
  • Publicity - get as much as you can

After the event

Raising Funds with your RAG Society

As well as working with Amnesty student groups we also work closely with RAG (raising and giving societies) to raise funds for Amnesty International UK. These partnerships can raise tens of thousands of pounds and help reach new audiences. We partner with RAG societies to run challenge events (where students raise a set amount to go on the trip of a lifetime) and act as their ‘charity of the year’ where we work together to organise a series of on-campus fundraisers over the course of the year.

Read more and find out how we can work with the RAG society at your university

How to send us the money you raise

To pay by cheque, write a note with your group name and address and how you raised the money. Send this with cheque payable to Amnesty International UK to:

The Supporter Comms Team

Amnesty International UK

The Human Rights Action Centre

17-25 New Inn Yard

London EC2A 3EA

Alternatively, you can donate via BACS. For more info. on how to do this and what bank details to use, please see our student group fundraising guidelines.

We love to see our fabulous fundraisers in action so please include a photo of your event or email it to us at fundraise@amnesty.org.uk (make sure you have permission from everyone in the photo for Amnesty to publish it in print and online).

Get in touch

If you need any help or advice along the way contact us:
Email fundraise@amnesty.org.uk or call 0207 033 1650/ 07827 694313