VOLUNTEERS’ HANDBOOK
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 CONTENTS
About Send a Cow
Christian Statement/Values
Cornerstones
Volunteer Enrolment Guide
Volunteer Roles
Volunteer Support
Expenses
Training
Contact Information
Health and Safety
Ambassadors Administration: Meeting Booking Form Ambassador Direct Booking Procedure Ambassador Coding Meeting Report Form Expenses Form and directive Policy for dealing with donations paid in by Ambassadors How we thank our donors
Giving Presentations Four Key Points How we talk about the people we work with Send a Cow messages Essence Improving your presentation skills Presentation Structure – general points Key points to get across Audience Reaction Suggested Bible reading Rwanda’s Gift Meditation Verse
18/01/2018 A Time of Hope African Music Education
Being Proactive Creating my own leads Sending out information packs Send a Cow Supper Evenings Fundraising Guidelines Fundraising ideas
Media Producing Press Release and Notices Generic Template How to write a press release
Literature and resources Who’s Who at Send a Cow Organogram and Ambassadors Contact List
Other ways to help
18/01/2018 About Send a Cow
In 1987, a group of Christian dairy farmers came up with what seemed to some like a crazy idea. At the time, EU dairy quotas were forcing them to throw milk away. Rather than slaughter cows, why not give them to malnourished families in Africa?
Over the next year, those founders set about making that idea a reality: visiting Uganda, forging contacts there, persuading UK farmers to donate cows and the public to donate cash. Finally, on 4 July 1988, 25 pregnant cows were flown to Uganda, to be distributed through church groups to poor families. Send a Cow gained charitable status later that year.
Over the coming years, we kept growing. All families pledged to pass on the first female calf to another family, so our gifts multiplied. We formalised our partnership with the non-governmental organisation Heifer International, and employed extension workers. By 1996, we had flown more than 300 cows to Uganda.
Then came a turning point: the BSE crisis in the UK, which led to a ban on livestock exports. That prompted Send a Cow to start buying animals in Africa – a more cost- effective and sustainable system. Over the next two years, our programme matured further. We had always encouraged farmers to spread manure on their land, but now we began teaching manure-based sustainable agricultural techniques that boosted crop yields three- or four-fold. Plus, our Social Development team started work, strengthening community groups so they could work towards self-sufficiency.
So by our 10th anniversary year, we had in place a robust model of development, which we could adapt to target the very poorest people living in the harshest terrains, such as disabled people, children orphaned by AIDS, and people without the water supply to keep a cow. We began providing smaller livestock, such as goats, and teaching farmers how to combat environmental problems such as soil erosion.
That flexibility meant we could use the money raised by the 1999 Daily Telegraph Christmas Appeal to start work in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Lesotho. We also invested in paid staff in the UK, who introduced the ethical gift catalogue in 2001 – leading to another dramatic leap in income. Send a Cow Uganda also grew more professional, and achieved autonomy in 2004. It remains our sister organisation, and receives funding from us – a model, we hope, for our other country offices.
Send a Cow has worked with more than 100,000 people in 13,000 households. Through the gifts that farmers have passed on, including training and the offspring of their animals, we have helped many more. We have offices in Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Lesotho, and also work in Kenya, Zambia and Cameroon. We supply cows, goats, bees, fruit trees, donkeys, bulls, poultry, and oxen, among other gifts.
In the UK, as well as paid staff at our office near Bath, we have a country-wide network of volunteers, who give talks about our work and raise funds. We are reaching a new generation through our education work. We are also forging partnerships with other charities and non-governmental organisations, and making our voice heard on the political stage in matters of agricultural development.
Now, we are planning for the next 20 years, to ensure that even more families are given the means and the skills to work their way out of poverty for good.
18/01/2018 Send a Cow: Christian Statement
Send a Cow is pleased to be recognized as a Christian charity, for the idea of Send a Cow grew out of a conversation between a Ugandan Bishop and a Christian farmer when they met near Bristol back in 1988.
Send a Cow sees its Christian roots as the source of its motivation and commitment - underpinning its mission to relieve malnutrition among the people of East Africa. While the Christian dimension is core, it is projected with a light touch and the support of others being welcomed and encouraged.
As a Non Government Organisation working alongside other charities in the field, and seeking financial support from Government and grant making agencies, Send a Cow’s activities are essentially practical. Nevertheless, Send a Cow does not want to become just another secular charity, however well regarded.
To ensure that Send a Cow retains its Christian character, the Board of Trustees is clear that the majority of its membership should be Christian. The Board’s hope and confident expectation is that all who work with and for Send a Cow should be both sympathetic and comfortable with the Christian ethos of the charity.
The reason for the Christian statement is to help people, who maybe new to Send a Cow, understand how the charity sees itself, so that they can decide if they are comfortable to associate with Send a Cow. Equally, it is important for all supporters to know that the statement is intended to inform and welcome, not create a barrier.
The Statement
Send a Cow began in the Christian farming community and has at its heart a clear commitment to obey the teachings of Jesus Christ through its work to help the people of Africa to overcome poverty and malnutrition.
It fulfils its mission by equipping needy farmers with appropriate resources for a sustainable future, primarily through the provision of livestock. Training in good animal husbandry and organic farming methods plays a key role.
We work with organised groups of needy people, building their capacity to improve their situation. Often these groups have Christian roots, but not in every case. A criterion for selection is based on need, not on race, gender or religion.
Send a Cow depends on the continuing generosity of many people. Our support comes form churches, schools, Rotary clubs, Government and other aid organisations. Our experience is that our Christian background provides an important framework for trust, which people making donations to Send a Cow find reassuring.
Beneficiaries do not just receive. When they ‘pass on the gift’, they help other in the same way they themselves were helped. The principles echo the Good Samaritan, and are the route to self-reliance and more fulfilled lives.
Looking after livestock, crops and the environment is good stewardship, as is the way in which we make careful use of our time and money. All these material things are entrusted to us by God to be used wisely and well.
18/01/2018 We pray for God’s blessing on the work of Send a Cow. We look to him for guidance and inspiration in the many decisions we have to take. We pray that Send a Cow will be regarded as a tangible expression of God’s love for those in tremendous need.
Send a Cow’s verse is Micah 6 vs. 8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ~~~~~~~
All new trustees should by conviction be willing to uphold, maintain and develop these values and the Send a Cow vision.
All members of the UK staff and volunteers should be confident and willing to represent these core values and the Send a Cow vision in all aspects of their work. Christian Values
Send a Cow was set up by a group of Christian farmers in 1988 and its values continue to be determined by a living Christian faith. We believe the Christian Gospel and we seek to follow Jesus’ example and His teachings.
Seeking Guidance We seek the Lord’s direction in all that we do and this is an integral part of the way we work. Prayer times are held daily in all our offices. We are supported by a wide network of prayer through the Prayer Diary.
Serving the Poor We are called to serve the vulnerable and the disadvantaged in Africa and aim to have a servant heart in all that we do. We aim to demonstrate God’s love for the poor. We believe lives can be transformed quickly by having access to sufficient resources and opportunities to work their ways out of poverty and to become self- reliant.
Respecting All People All people are made in the image of God and were made to love and to be loved and to flourish. We believe poverty has denied many people choice in their lives – in work, in family life and in the community. We aim to respect all people and to help them restore their self-esteem and their right to choice. We aim to fight poverty and to give people hope. We treat all people equally regardless of race, gender and creed.
Looking after the Earth We respect the Earth and all the natural resources provided by God. We are stewards of these resources and we are committed to using them in environmentally sound and sustainable ways.
Working in Partnership We aim to help farmers help themselves and not to impose any solutions on them. We seek a mutual exchange of ideas with farmers in Africa.
18/01/2018 We aim to provide the public with opportunities to help impoverished farmers attain sustainable livelihoods, thus contributing to global food security and environmental sustainability for all people.
We will work with like minded partner organisations who aim to help poor farmers restore their lives.
Servant Leadership Our leaders will have a servant leadership style which aims to empower staff and to encourage participation and learning across the organisation.
All members of the UK staff and volunteers should be confident and willing to represent these core values and the Send a Cow vision in all aspects of their work. CORNERSTONES The Cornerstones of Send a Cow, ‘Passing on the Gifts’, is at the heart of Send a Cow’s values-based approach to development. Every poor person we work with has the opportunity to experience the joy and dignity of becoming a donor when they ‘pass on’ the fruits of their labour to others in their community.
Passing on the Passing on the Gifts is at the heart of Send a Cow’s values-based gift approach to development. Every poor person we work with has the opportunity to experience the joy and dignity of becoming a donor when they ‘pass on’ the fruits of their labour to others in their community. Accountability The group defines its own needs, sets goals, and plans appropriate strategies to achieve its goals. SAC provides guidelines for planning the project (including the pass-on process), screening recipients, monitoring farmers’ progress, and conducting self-evaluations. The groups are responsible for submitting semi- annual monitoring reports. Sharing and SAC believes global problems can be solved if all people are Caring committed to sharing what they have and caring about others. Though not easily measurable, this spiritual aspect of our work is one of our most important cornerstones. Sharing and caring also reflects our commitment to humane treatment of the animals in our projects, and our shared vision of justice for all people. Sustainability SAC purposefully sets time limits on project funding to encourage and self-reliance self-reliance and sustainability. Project groups must plan to support themselves eventually by donations from members or by group fundraising. SAC has found that self-reliance is most easily achieved when the group has a variety of activities and generates support from several sources.
Integrated Feed, water, shelter, reproductive efficiency and health care are Animal the essential ingredients in successful livestock management. The Management animals must complement the other activities on the farm without causing an extra burden on family members or the farm resources
18/01/2018 in general. The species and breed chosen must be appropriate for the area. Nutrition and Livestock contribute directly to human nutrition and well-being by Income providing high-quality protein and fibre. They contribute indirectly through draught power (ploughing and transportation), and manure to fertilise the soil. The chosen livestock should have the potential to provide long-term economic security for families. Genuine Need SAC is a partner to people who truly need an opportunity to and Justice improve the quality of their lives and who can benefit from what we have to offer. Using criteria they develop themselves, group members determine who will receive animals and training. The poorest in the community should be included in the group membership and receive priority for assistance. Families are eligible regardless of creed, religion or ethnic heritage. Gender and Women and men are encouraged to share decision-making, Family Focus animal ownership, labour and benefits of the projects. SAC is committed to gender equity to increase mutual respect between men and women, thus strengthening the family. Priority is given to projects in which the whole family participates and is strengthened by this participation. On-farm employment decreases the need for family members to migrate to urban areas for employment. Improving the The introduction of livestock and technology should improve the Environment environment by having a regenerative effect on one or more of the following: soil erosion, soil fertility, sanitation, forestation, biodiversity, pollution, wildlife and watershed conditions. In addition, the project must not cause or worsen any environmental problems. Full participation We work with grassroots groups or intermediary organisations representing grassroots groups. A truly effective group will have strong leadership, be well organised, and committed to involving all members in decision making. Members of the group ‘own’ the project, and the groups have control over all key decisions. Training and Groups decides their own training needs, and local people are Education involved as trainers. Training consists of formal and informal sessions (farm visits, demonstrations from farmers) and is ‘hands- on’ rather than academic. In addition to training in livestock husbandry and care of the environment, groups have requested training in diverse topics such as food processing, marketing, group formation and human nutrition. Spirituality Spirituality is common to all people and groups, regardless of their religion or beliefs. Spirituality is expressed in values, beliefs about the value and meaning of life, a sense of connectedness to the earth and a shared vision of the future. It often creates a strong bond among group members and gives them faith, hope and a sense of responsibility to work together for a better future. Send a Cow is a member of the worldwide Christian community. We seek to restore justice and destroy poverty - with people of all faiths and none - in accordance with Christ’s teaching. We pray that Send a Cow will be regarded as a tangible expression of God’s love for those in need.
18/01/2018 Here the Cornerstones are have been interpreted for the Volunteer Network by the volunteers:
Passing on the Gift Volunteers are part of the Marketing team and pass on the key messages of Send a Cow to the public. Ambassadors pass on this message through giving talks to groups in their community. Some Ambassadors and Local links also pass the message on at shows and exhibitions, through fundraising events, distributing leaflets and through their local media. Ambassadors’ talks explain the pass on principle and how this works in the programmes for all gifts including livestock, bees and apple trees. Staff should support volunteers in their work by providing timely and accurate information where possible.
Accountability All volunteers identify their own strengths and gifts. They set goals and plan appropriate strategies to use these gifts to live out and achieve Send a Cow’s goals at a regional, national and global level. Volunteers are accountable to the people we speak to, beneficiaries in Africa and staff in the UK. Volunteers are entrusted to handle and process money using the guidelines provided. This includes the accurate and timely banking of donations and payments for merchandise. Volunteers should look after and account for resources such as and equipment. Volunteers should provide feedback and information at a regional and national level when appropriate.
Sharing / Caring Volunteers believe global problems can be solved by committing their time, skills and faith. Volunteers share what gifts and resources they have, care about each other and provide support to one another. Any contribution by volunteers however large or small is important and valued. We recognise that there may be times when a volunteer is able to give more or less time to Send a Cow due to family and other commitments, but ask that they keep us informed about their decision to volunteer. Volunteers are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings at regional meetings, annual events such as the Workshop Weekend and through the newsletter. Many Ambassadors may also communicate by phone and email between meetings to offer friendship, advice and support to one another. Volunteers share their passion for Send a Cow’s work with the public at talks, events and through their local media. Staff should help to care from volunteers by listening to their comments and concerns, providing support and opportunities for volunteers to meet one another.
Sustainability and Self Reliance Through training, reading about our work and going on study tours (where possible) volunteers should feel confident when talking about Send a Cow. Volunteers are encouraged to be self-motivated and pro-active, taking every opportunity to spread the word. Volunteers are encouraged to use their personal contacts and their gifts to support the organisation by giving talks, telling people about Send a Cow, distributing literature and using their local media. Volunteers can use the resources and support available from Head Office and other volunteers in the network. Rather than reinventing the wheel, volunteers are encouraged to share experiences, ideas and resources. For example, Ambassadors may share talks and those returning from study tours are encouraged to share photos and stories with others. Send a
18/01/2018 Cow is a learning organisation and will provide regular opportunities fro volunteers to share challenges, successes and receive appropriate training.
Improved Animal Management Volunteers should be aware of Send a Cow’s Animal Well Being Policy and the general principles behind our use and management of livestock, such as zero grazing. Volunteers should ensure that they have a good knowledge of the range of gifts given in our projects and ask for more information if necessary (it’s not just cows!) Head office will support this through the provision of training, workshops and written communication, including case studies. Ambassadors should use beneficiaries stories in talks where possible to illustrate the benefit of livestock and how well the animals are cared for. Ambassadors should also have a basic knowledge of natural gardening techniques and how urine and manure can be used to increase crop yield. All volunteers should be aware of Send a Cow’s integrated, sustainable approach which balances the needs of the family, livestock and environment.
Nutrition and Income Volunteers may use food to raise awareness and funds of Send a Cow’s work. Explaining where food comes from and differences in diet in the UK and Africa may be used as part of a talk in a school or other group. Ambassador talks can also explain how protein from milk/eggs/meat improves beneficiaries diets and urine and manure can be used to increase crop yields. Surplus crops or milk may be given away or sold which can begin to improve the nutrition of whole communities. Volunteers may also use food as a way to bring people together to raise awareness and fundraise, for example Supper Evenings. Food often forms an important part of meetings such as sharing lunch at a regional meeting.
Genuine Need and Justice Volunteers should understand what genuine need really is in the African context by attending training, reading about the work that we do and go on a study tour if they are able to. Ambassadors should be able to convey the need that exists during their talks and use case studies and visual aids where possible. Volunteers should also consider what they genuinely need to carry out their work effectively. For example, many Ambassadors ask Head Office to purchase more display equipment, exhibition tents and data projectors but these are very expensive. Head office should provide adequate resources for volunteers and carefully consider their requests.
Gender and Family Focus Just as we are part of a Christian family, volunteers are part of the Send a Cow family of staff, volunteers and beneficiaries. Volunteers should feel valued members of the family and have regular opportunities to meet together at meetings, workshops study tours. We should strive to ensure that men and women are equally represented amongst volunteers and that they are equally heard in discussions. In talks, Ambassadors need to highlight the gender aspect of Send a Cow’s work where appropriate. Send a Cow projects raise respect and value of women, but not at the exclusion of male strengths. Men and women are equal partners and should share the decision making process and work together. Income gained from selling surplus milk or crops is often used for educating girls as well as boys
18/01/2018 Improving the environment Ambassadors should be able to explain the sustainable nature of our work and how the needs of the livestock, beneficiary and environment can be balanced. Environmental groups and horticultural societies may be one audience that Ambassadors target. Volunteers should “live the brand” by using public transport or car sharing where possible, recycling, supporting local farmers and considering where their own food comes from. Volunteers should distribute print materials wisely and use email and websites where possible to reduce the need for printing.
Full Participation Ambassadors will have strong leadership nationally (and regionally where ever possible). Ambassadors will be encouraged to contribute at regional level and their opinions will be given due consideration. Regional Coordinators will be encouraged to contribute at national level and their opinions will be give due consideration. Ambassadors, through their own activities and regional ‘family’ activities will feel a sense of involvement and ownership. Where there are gaps in support, we should try to recruit more volunteers.
Training & Education Ambassadors can expect training to enable them to speak with confidence about the values, methods and achievements of the charity. Ambassadors want to show members of the public how Send a Cow helps families work their own way out of poverty and so provide hope for Africa. Some Ambassadors give assemblies and workshops in schools and to youth groups which help young people to understand the need in Africa and how they can help. Through the sharing of ideas and resources volunteers can also help to educate and train one another.
Spirituality All volunteers will recognise that Send a Cow is a Christian charity that exists to serve people, regardless of race, gender or religion. Some meetings may begin with a prayer or reading where appropriate.
18/01/2018 VOLUNTEER ENROLMENT GUIDE
INTRODUCTION: This Enrolment Guide is used for all Send a Cow volunteers. The various steps provide the Charity with a durable selection process. In turn, it enables the volunteer to gain a sense of engagement and commitment.
APPLICATION FORM: An application form should be completed by all Ambassadors, Local Links and Church Reps. The form will be stored in the personnel record of the volunteer and act as a main reference document. For Office Volunteers personal details should be recorded and references may be taken up if required. As far as possible this information should be updated as necessary.
REFERENCES: All volunteers completing an application form will be asked to give the names of two referees. Once references have been returned these will be stored. Interviews can take place before references have been received, but voluntary work should not be undertaken until satisfactory references have been obtained.
INTERVIEW: All volunteers will be interviewed and a record of this interview will be kept. The interview will be informal, but structured, to ensure that the volunteer is given all the information they need and has the opportunity to ask any questions they have. The interview will normally be carried out face to face but may be conducted over the telephone.
CRIMINAL RECORD BUREAU CHECKS: All Ambassadors will undergo a Criminal Records Bureau Check. (Other volunteers, such as Local Links may be asked to undergo CRB checks if it is deemed necessary by the Volunteer Manager.) Completion of the appropriate forms and the examination of associated documents should take place as soon possible after the interview. It will be at the discretion of the Volunteer Manager whether voluntary work is undertaken before the result of the check has been received. The result of the check will be recorded. In line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, having a criminal conviction will not necessarily prohibit someone from volunteering. In such cases the Volunteer Manager will decide if the applicant is able to volunteer for Send a Cow, taking into consideration the volunteer role and conviction.
VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT: This should be used for all volunteers and a copy will be signed and retained in the Volunteer’s Handbook.
INDUCTION It is recommended that all volunteers have an induction. In most instances this would be delivered by the Volunteer Manager, a Regional Co-ordinator or team manager. However, in some circumstances the provision of written information may suffice.
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 VOLUNTEER ROLES
Send a Cow Volunteers fill the following roles:
Ambassador – The purpose of the role is to represent Send a Cow in the local community through giving talks to schools, churches and groups, or through Fundraising events, or through contact with the local media. We are always looking for new Ambassadors. We understand that each Ambassador will be more proactive and comfortable working in one aspect of the role than another, so for example you may prefer to be a ‘Speaker Ambassador, or a ‘Fundraising Ambassdaor’. This does not exclude you from being actively involved in the other roles, but helps us to know where your skills and interests lie. Previous experience of public speaking, or fund raising or the media is an advantage but not essential as training will be provided. You do however, need to be committed to the values and aims of Send a Cow.
The role of an Ambassador may include the following tasks:
Being a frontline representative of Send a Cow and being able to talk confidently about the work and needs of the Charity Giving talks to a range of groups, for example, the local church, professional groups and school assemblies. Setting up and managing exhibition stands at events or shows Being proactive in approaching local groups and the media, and writing to or speaking with journalists from local papers and radio. Formally receiving cheques from groups who have fundraised for Send a Cow Attending regional meetings and training weekends to exchange information, receive updates and attend training
Regional Co-ordinator – The purpose of this role is to support and co-ordinate volunteers within regions.
Tasks that Regional Co-ordinators will carry out include:
Following up new Ambassadors applications, interviewing and recommending (or not) new Ambassadors to the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator Carrying out identification process for CRB forms Organising two regional meetings per year and sending a report of these meetings to the volunteers in their region and the Volunteer Network Co- ordinator Attending the Regional Coordinators meetings twice a year and providing the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator with an up to date regional report Encouraging all volunteers within their region to fulfil their roles. This could mean regular contact (approximately once every two months) by phone, email or visit. Contributing towards the decision making process for a regional promotion
Local Link – The purpose of the role is to promote Send a Cow in the local community. We are always recruiting Local Links and no experience is necessary. You do however need to be committed to the values and aims of Send a Cow.
18/01/2018 Each Local Link may decide which of the following tasks they are happy to fulfil. Some will do all of them, whilst others may be happier just to do one:
Delivering the Send a Cow newsletter and catalogues to organisations in the community, and asking if they would like a talk by an Ambassador Receiving cheques from groups who have fundraised Helping set up and run a stand at local events Making links with new organisations by recommending an Ambassador comes to give them a presentation about Send a Cow Running fundraising events such as a Coffee Morning or BBQ
Church Rep – The purpose of this role is to strengthen Send a Cow’s relationship with churches and groups belonging to churches. Most Church Reps work in their own church, but some may choose to cover a small area.
Tasks that a Church Rep will carry out include:
Distributing Send a Cow literature, such as catalogues and supporters’ magazines Encouraging the church to support Send a Cow through prayer Encouraging the church and/or church groups to support Send a Cow financially when it is appropriate, e.g. Harvest Festival, Christmas or Lent Encouraging the church or church groups to book an Ambassador to give a Send a Cow presentation.
Office Assistant – The purpose of the role is to work within Send a Cow’s office to provide administrative support to the charity. This may include answering calls from the public, filing, updating the database or mailing information to supporters.
Tasks may include: Helping out with general office tasks, such as filing or photocopying, or sending out mail to supporters Keeping one of the various databases up to date by entering and weeding data Acting as the office’s first point of contact for telephone callers and visitors Taking responsibility in the office for a specific task such as receiving and processing donations or applications for membership
All volunteers will be provided with a full task description for their role and examples of training that will be available to them. Task descriptions and training may vary according to role requirements and the skills and time offered by the volunteer.
Volunteer Support
Send a Cow’s support of volunteers:
Induction: Volunteers will receive information covering the Charity’s work, aims and structure (Handbook & Manual). You will be given a clear idea of the tasks you are being asked to perform and the responsibilities that goes with them. You will be given the name of a main point of contact in the Charity in case of difficulties. This person will be approachable and willing to discuss and review your needs. Further training may be offered when you will be given the chance to develop your skills.
18/01/2018 Records: A system of records will be maintained on all volunteers. These records will be accorded the same confidentiality and compliance with data protection legislation as staff records.
Equal Treatment: In line with the Charity’s equal opportunities policy, you will not be discriminated against on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion or age.
Expenses: You will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses in line with the Charity’s policy.
Health & Safety: All volunteers will be covered by the Charity’s Health and Safety Policy. You will not be asked to work in unsafe or unhealthy condition or exposed to unnecessary risks.
Insurance: You will be covered by the Charity’s insurance policies while on Send a Cow property or engaged in agreed activities. However, this does not negate the obligation of individuals to take due care and attention to avoid injury or damage occurring or the loss of property.
Additional Support: All volunteers will be supported in their volunteering and have the opportunity to review their work on a regular basis. In addition, we aim to identify and solve problems at the earliest stage and ensure that problems are handled quickly and fairly. Any problems will be discussed with you at the earliest opportunity.
Volunteers’ support of Send a Cow:
Role: You should be committed to the aims of Send a Cow and accept its Christian values and Cornerstones. You should agree to meet the commitments required of the role and to undertake relevant training. You should also make a reasonable effort to attend any meetings and conferences. You must agree to comply with all Send a Cow’s policies. In cases of difficulties or any change in circumstances which might affect your ability to volunteer, these should be discussed with the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator or your regional coordinator at the earliest opportunity.
Confidentiality: During the course of fulfilling your role you may become aware of information that is confidential. It is important that confidentiality is maintained and this information is not disclosed to others.
Health and Safety: Please make sure you understand and follow all the rules that apply to your volunteering. If unsure please ask. Your safety is paramount. Volunteers are asked to accept that they have a responsibility to exercise care and not to put themselves or others at risk.
Personal Details: The Charity needs to keep up-to-date records. Please notify the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator or your Regional Coordinator with any changes.
Problem Solving: We support volunteers to reflect on their success and identify any challenges they face. We ask volunteers to actively engage in this process and seek to develop the skills their role requires. In addition, if you are unhappy with an aspect of your volunteering please inform the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator or your Regional Coordinator as soon as possible. We hope most problems can be dealt with informally and quickly. Thank you for becoming a Send a Cow Volunteer
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 VOLUNTEERS AND EXPENSES
Send a Cow volunteers should not be financially disadvantaged by their volunteering. Any out of pocket expenses incurred by volunteers will be reimbursed in line with the Charity’s expense policy. Fixed rate expenses or lump sums will not be paid. Expense forms will be provided to all volunteers.
Send a Cow will reimburse, upon satisfactory completion of an expense form (duly authorised with the VAT receipts attached) any expenditure as detailed below. Please note that Send a Cow does not pay round sum allowances or fixed rate expenses other than mileage allowance.
Travel - In cases of substantial distances travel should whenever possible be by the most cost-effective means and therefore normally by public transport. However, it is recognised that most travel associated with volunteering will involve the use of a motor vehicle. The current rate of reimbursement is 40p per mile.
Subsistence - On occasions volunteers will need to purchase a meal during the course of their volunteering. Where volunteers have been engaged on behalf of the Charity for at least 3 hours claims for the cost of meals will be met on submission of receipts. Claims will be subject to a maximum of £5 for lunch and £12 for an evening meal (alcohol not included).
Other Expenses - There may be other instances where volunteers incur expenses. For example, the unexpected purchase of sellotape for a fundraising stall. In such cases reimbursement will be claimable upon production of the relevant receipts.
Authorisation Expenses incurred by volunteers will be authorised by the Volunteer Network Co- ordinator on submission of the expense form. If the expenses to be incurred by the volunteer are likely to exceed £100 then prior written approval must be given by the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator .
TRAINING
The training available to volunteers varies between roles. However, some initial training may be mandatory and ongoing for some roles. All volunteers will receive an induction and written information about the charity and their role.
All Ambassadors will be required to attend an initial training weekend covering the history of Send a Cow, their role and responsibilities, how to prepare and give a presentation and be given resource material. Wherever possible, they will attend two talks given by an existing ambassador and be accompanied on their first two talks in case they need any help.
Ongoing training and support is given through regional meetings and a workshop weekend, where topics may include how to use educational resources in schools, media training and updates on the work of the charity. Ambassadors are expected
18/01/2018 to make a reasonable attempt to attend these meetings and training so they can develop their skills and be updated on developments within the charity.
The training weekend for new Ambassadors is usually held at the Head Office in Bath once every sixcmonths. Travel expenses will be refunded and food and accommodation is provided.
Church Reps will receive an information pack to help them get started with copies of our main leaflets, fundraising ideas and a template newsletter article. Church Reps will also receive an induction.
The training offered to Local Links will vary depending on the roles fulfilled and training needs of the individual. Examples of training offered could include learning how to set up an exhibition stand from an Ambassador or Regional Co-ordinator and the provision of written guidance about manual handling.
For details of the next training sessions please contact the Volunteer Network Co- ordinator.
Contact Information
Head Office Please contact the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator with general enquiries relating to volunteering at Send a Cow, including the application procedure for Ambassadors and Local Links (including Criminal Records Bureau Checks), training and general support for volunteers. The Volunteer Network Co-ordinator also works with the Regional Co-ordinators and deals with volunteers’ expenses. Email: [email protected] Tel 01225 871912
Send a Cow The Old Estate Yard Newton St Loe Bath BA2 9BR Head Office Tel: 01225874222
Community Fundraising Manager
David Turner works along side Volunteers who help him with Community Fundraising. This may mean attending events, conferences and shows or giving talks at churches and Rotary groups. David also organizes and leads study tours for Ambassadors. Email: [email protected] Tel: 01225 874222
Regional Co-ordinators
Each region has a co-ordinator. The role of the co-ordinator is to meet prospective volunteers for an informal interview so they can find out more about the charity, the role and whether they are suitable. They also check identity documents for Criminal Records Bureau checks. Co-ordinators support volunteers in their region and organize bi-annual meetings for them to get together. They liaise with the Volunteer Manager about success and challenges in their region and manage a budget for
18/01/2018 events. For contact details of you Regional Co-ordinator please contact the Volunteer Manager. Send a Cow Health And Safety Guidance For Volunteers
Send a Cow has a responsibility to all staff and volunteers to ensure your activities for Send a Cow are as safe as possible. This sometimes means introducing special precautions to reduce the risk of injury to an acceptable level. To this end, Send a Cow has issued this guidance. Volunteers have a responsibility to follow this Guidance.
Please read the information provided below. You may need to discuss some of the issues with others, such as the Volunteer Manager, your Regional Co-ordinator, other volunteers that you are working with or someone at the organisation you are visiting.
Send a Cow has conducted a generic risk assessment of your usual activities, from which general guidelines have been prepared. Before you volunteer do a talk or attend an event, consider whether these guidelines cover all significant hazards and consider what additional precautions you can take to minimise those risks.
The generic risk assessment is held at Head Office and is available on request and from the volunteers’ section of the website.
Health issues and accessibility - You must tell the Volunteers Manager about any personal health issues that may affect your volunteering (both long term and short term). This includes discussing any accessibility issues so that Send a Cow can make reasonable adjustments where necessary.
Expectant mothers - Expectant mothers should notify the Volunteer Manager as soon as possible and discuss future working arrangements and working conditions
Workstation - When you are using a Visual Display Unit (e.g. laptop or PC) please take regular breaks. Ensure you are sitting comfortably, think about the layout of equipment and sit comfortably with good posture. We have HSE leaflets in the head office if you would like more advice.
First Aid - Make sure you know where the nearest First Aid kit is when at events or visiting groups and carry one in your car.
Driving licence and vehicle – If you are driving as part of your volunteering you must have a full and valid driving licence and use a road worthy vehicle.
Journey – Plan your journey and consider all potential hazards. Consider where you can park. When driving a long distance, take a break (A break of 15 minutes is recommended after every two hours of driving). If your journey is potentially hazardous (e.g. bad weather), allow extra time, take a break until conditions improve or not continue the journey. If conditions are severe consider staying overnight rather than continuing the journey - you can claim any costs back from Send a Cow
18/01/2018 Lone working – When you are travelling or working alone, take sensible precautions. Try to take a mobile phone. Tell someone where you are going and what time to expect you back. Park in a safe, well lit area close to your destination?
Money Handling – many events and talks will involve you handling money. Take sensible precautions. Cash should be counted with more than one person present where possible. Consider risks to personal safety and minimise opportunities for theft.
Assess existing hazards at your destination – Check where the fire exits and fire extinguishers are and any trip hazards.
Do not create new hazards – be careful not to create new hazards. Secure/tape electrical cabling, gazebos and exhibition stands must be secured if they are being used outside etc
Equipment - Ensure all your equipment is safe to use such as your electrical equipment (has it been PAT tested in the last year). Know how to safely put up and secure your equipment (e.g. gazebo or display material).
Clothing – If you are taking part in an event, such as a sponsored walk or outdoor show, please ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing and footwear.
Food Safety – If you are involved in a fundraising event involving food, take basic hygiene precautions. Specific guidance on this is available on request.
Manual Handling – When moving/lifting equipment, literature and merchandise, this must be done in a safe manner. Consider if you can get someone to help you and if you can carry it in smaller units. Use a trolley if available and a step ladder if necessary. For more specific guidance on manual handling see the official HSE information below
If you have an accident you must report it to the Volunteer Manager who will record it in the Accident book
Manual Handling Guidelines
More than a third of all ‘over-three-day’ injuries reported each year are caused by manual handling. Injuries may be long-term or short-term. The purpose of this guidance is to help reduce the risk of injuries caused by lifting, carrying and moving heavy or awkward items. What weight can you lift? There is no such thing as a ‘completely safe’ manual handling operation. But working within the following HSE guidelines will cut the risk of injury.
7 KG RULE Based on HSE guidance (below), 7 KG is considered by Send a Cow to be a weight that usually can be lifted and carried safely by most individuals. (3 packs of photocopying paper weigh approximately 7 kg) 18/01/2018 HSE Guidance on maximum weights in different positions are shown in the diagram below.
What can I do if something is too heavy for me to lift?
Split the load – can you divide it into smaller units? For example, can you split a box of Lifelines into two and carry them separately.
Ask for help – is there someone else who can help you?
Move it a different way – can you move the load in a different way? For example, is there a trolley you could use?
Don’t lift it - if you consider you cannot do a manual handling task because of physical weakness, disability or a load is just too heavy you must not attempt it. Please inform your Regional Co-ordinator or the Volunteer Manager. Lifting and Lowering techniques When lifting and lowering heavy items observe the following: Adopt a stable position, feet apart and one leg slightly in front of the other At the start of the lift slight bending of the back, hips and knees (see Figure below) is preferable to fully flexing the back (stooping) or fully flexing the hips and knees (squatting). Keep load close to waist Avoid twisting the back or leaning backwards Keep head up when handling
18/01/2018
Pushing and Pulling Take care when pushing and pulling heavy items. This includes pushing a sack truck and loading items into a vehicle or on a shelf. Where possible, push rather than pull the load. Avoid twisting. Reporting Staff and volunteers must report any injuries or adverse symptoms possibly resulting from manual handling at work to their Regional Co-ordinator or Volunteer Manager who will ensure it is entered in the Accident Book and investigated. Consultation Send a Cow invites staff and volunteers to discuss manual handling issues with management with the view of improving working practice and reducing the risk of injuries. How you can find out more We recommend the HSE booklet Getting to grips with MANUAL HANDLING A Short Guide INDG 143(rev 2) which you may obtain from the Health and Safety Officer.
RISK ASSESSMENTS
Volunteer's Visits :
DATE : (In this risk assessment, a 'Volunteer' includes Ambassadors and 'Local links') Category Hazard Control Measures Comments Risk including recommendations for review HEALTH General health Aggravation of Volunteers should advise the existing medical Volunteer Manager of any health condition. condition that may be aggravated by their work, or may pose a danger to others. If they cannot undertake a job because of a health condition, they should advise the Volunteer Manager. In all cases the Volunteer Manager must take appropriate measures.
18/01/2018 Pregnancy - Illnesses and injuries Expectant mothers are advised to Mother and to mother and notify the Volunteer Manager will unborn child unborn child discuss future working arrangements and conditions as recommended by the HSE in 'A Guide for Expectant Mothers Who Work'
Manual handling Musculoskeletal All volunteers have been given HSE problems information on safe lifting, loading, unloading and movement of heavy or awkward items.
Typing and use Musculoskeletal Volunteers regularly using VDUs in of VDU problems the course of their work have been equipment supplied with HSE information on hazards of use of VDU equipment. FIRST AID Illnesses and Delayed attention to We recommend that volunteers injuries minor illnesses and should carry First Aid kits when injuries travelling.
TRAVEL Driving Death or personal Volunteers driving in the course of injury their work must have a full and valid driving licence and use a roadworthy vehicle. If a journey is potentially dangerous, for example due to bad weather, a volunteer is required not to make the journey until conditions have become safe. If necessary, they will stay overnight at the Charity's cost if away from home.
AT MEETING VENUE Slips, trips and Personal injuries Volunteers are made aware of low falls level hazards and ensure they do not create any new hazards.
High level Personal injuries Volunteers are required to use working stepladders to access high levels.
Lone working Personal safety Volunteers working or travelling alone are required to notify someone where they are and when they expect to return. They are encouraged to carry mobile phones.
Electric shock Death and injuries; We recommend that all portable and initiation of loss of assets electrical equipment is PAT tested fire annually. Electrical cabling must be secured and trailing leads on floors suitably protected (e.g. cable covers or taped).
Equipment Personal injuries Volunteers are given training in the safe use of new equipment.
18/01/2018 Fire - Heat, Death and injuries; Volunteers must make themselves combustion of loss of assets aware of the location of fire escapes materials and and extinguishers at any hall, smoke school, church, or other premises where they visit.
Illnesses and Delayed attention to We recommend that volunteers injuries minor illnesses and should carry First Aid kits when injuries travelling.
Accidents and Avoidable repetition Volunteers are required to report near misses accidents. any accidents to the Volunteer Manager who will ensure they are recorded in the Accident Book. Where required, accidents are reported in accordance with RODDOR
18/01/2018 Ambassador Administration
Ambassador Administration Summary
An important part of your role is doing some basic, and hopefully quick, bits of administration. Aim of this section is to explain what you need to do, and why you need to do it. SPEAKER BOOKING FORMS – especially talks you organise yourself 1. So if you are unable to complete the engagement (e.g. you are ill) we have the groups details and we can contact them to postpone it/ask another Ambassador to go in your place 2. Head Office know how busy Ambassadors are and can give you the credit you are due! 3. It also helps us plan staff time, resources and budgets 4. If someone goes to talk to the group in a few years time, we will know the group know a bit about Send a Cow already and can target the talk appropriately 5. If you really want it, we can give you feedback on donations that come in from a group you have spoken to*
*We don’t do this with every donation as it is time consuming for staff and we don’t want Ambassadors to judge the success of a talk by the donations that come in on the night, the ripple effect is huge!
COLLECTION AND PAYMENT FORMS 1. Tell us who you have spoken to 2. We know who to say thank you to/if you have already said thank you 3. We know if money is a donation or for merchandise – this has to be account for differently 4. If the money is a donation, we will know if it was from a general talk, Harvest, Miles4Moos etc which helps us evaluate the value of each campaign and whether to repeat it 5. We know if the donation has been gift aided 6. If cash has been banked, we need to know who paid it in and why (for all the reasons above) 7. Groups/donors may want to be added to our database to get ongoing materials (or not!)
MEETING REPORT FORM For you to tell us something goes really well, not so well, or you want someone at Head Office to follow something up (e.g. answer a difficult question or send them some information). You can just phone/email me if you want to instead of using the form.
EXPENSES CLAIM FORM We have a form for you to claim expenses incurred whilst volunteering for us e.g. travel, postage etc. Why?
18/01/2018 You are entitled to out of pocket expenses. Knowing how much it costs us to support an Ambassador helps us plan future budgets – also the charity appreciate the value of volunteers who don’t claim. EVENTS BOOKINGS Please tell Carolyn Aitken if you plan/attend an event. Again, it helps us to know how much you are doing. You can also book resources for events e.g. display material
Ambassador Direct Booking Procedure
Ambassadors frequently accept bookings that come to them directly, i.e. not via the Send a Cow office.
When this happens please complete the usual booking form and send a copy to Head Office. This helps us to record all meetings and events at which Ambassadors have given a presentation. A coding is given to that booking that will enable any future gift to be “credited” to the individual Ambassador.
We would suggest you send a confirmation of your booking to the person who has asked you to speak. This is the procedure adopted by the Send a Cow office. This is a good practice and ensures everyone concerned knows who’s going where, when and at what time they should be there.
Knowing an Ambassador already has prior bookings on certain dates helps to save some time (and money) when speaker requests are being allocated.
18/01/2018 Send A Cow – Speaker Booking Form Please return to: Carolyn Aitken, Volunteers Admin Assistant Send a Cow, The Old Estate Yard, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BR or email [email protected]
*Speaker request from: St Chad’s Church Name of organisation: Women’s Tuesday Group Contact name: Mrs Ruth Chapman Role: Secretary Contact’s Address incl. Postcode: 15 Bluebell Walk Highbury WS2 Telephone: 0121 6762838 E-mail: [email protected]
Meeting details: Date of talk: 20th Dec 2010 Time of talk: 7.30 pm (arrive 7.00) Venue address incl. Postcode: St Chad’s Church Hall Highbury WS2
*It is essential for our records that the above section is completed in full including postcodes.
Additional meeting information Length of talk: 30 – 35 mins Will there be time for questions following the talk? Yes Is this their first talk/presentation from Send a Cow? Yes How did they hear about Send a Cow? Article in Parish Magazine Any additional Information: Will be doing fund raising for us Data Protection:
We value our supporters’ privacy and never sell or pass their details to other organisations. We would like to be able to contact our supporters in the future with information about our work and fundraising activities. Please tick here if the person named (above) would prefer us not to contact them by phone
Please tick here if the person named (above) would prefer not to receive our newsletters and other communications
We like to send our supporters regular updates by email. Please tick here if the person named (above) would like to receive these VOLUNTEER USE: Speaker details Name:- Catherine Ainsworth Code:- SE30 Contact number:- 0121 9873546 Email: [email protected] Date booking agreed:- 16th Sept 2010Please note there are now pre printed Speaker Booking Forms available for your use (see below).
18/01/2018 Send A Cow – Speaker Booking Form
18/01/2018 Please return to: Carolyn Aitken, Volunteers Admin Assistant Send a Cow, The Old Estate Yard, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BR or email [email protected]
*Speaker request from: Name of organisation: Contact name: Role: Contact’s Address incl. Postcode:
Telephone: E-mail:
Meeting details: Date of talk: Venue address incl. Postcode: Time of talk:
*It is essential for our records that the above section is completed in full including postcodes.
Additional meeting information Length of talk: Will there be time for questions following the talk? Is this their first talk/presentation from Send a Cow? How did they hear about Send a Cow? Any additional Information:
Data Protection:
We value our supporters’ privacy and never sell or pass their details to other organisations. We would like to be able to contact our supporters in the future with information about our work and fundraising activities. Please tick here if the person named (above) would prefer us not to contact them by phone
Please tick here if the person named (above) would prefer not to receive our newsletters and other communications
We like to send our supporters regular updates by email. Please tick here if the person named (above) would like to receive these VOLUNTEER USE: Speaker details Name:- Code:- Contact number:- Email: Date booking agreed:-
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Ambassador Coding Once a speaking booking has been confirmed the details of that engagement are entered onto the computer database. When donations are received from the group directly or via an Ambassador, the database links that donation to you.
It could also happen (and frequently does) that we also receive the back slip of the ‘Pass It On’ leaflet with a donation. If you write your Ambassador code on to this form, this donation can still be linked to you – even if it comes in months later. This is how we can confirm to you how successful you have been when sometimes you may ask yourself “was it worth going there?”
Let me give you a perfect example of how this works in practice: -
A talk was given to 9 elderly members of a (very) rural Mother’s Union. They decide at the end of the meeting to take a special collection whilst having their tea. The collection came to £60.50p, which was given to the speaker. One rather outgoing member of the group tells the Ambassador “I would love to be able to send my own cow, I’m going to try and raise £750 before I go away at Christmas”. Two other members of the group decided they are going to lobby their church members to give the carol service collection to Send a Cow.
Two weeks later the Ambassador is asked if he would return to the village the Sunday evening before Christmas and give a short Send a Cow presentation during the carol service – he agrees.
One week before the Carol Service, Send a Cow receives a letter from the “outgoing” lady at the Mother’s Union and with it is a cheque for £750.00.
The carol service went very well and from a congregation of about 60 people the collection amounted to £253.85.
So, within six weeks of speaking to 9 elderly ladies, £1064.35 was collected for Send a Cow. Then 18 months later a £50 gift was received from one of those original 9 ladies. How can we confirm all this? Each of these three payments was attached to the back slip of ‘How Can You Help’ with the Ambassador’s code clearly marked.
So why do we have Ambassador codes?
If you request it, we are able to give you feedback on how much you have helped raise, that we can track. We cannot link online donations to Ambassadors at the moment. Also, you will raise much more awareness and money than we can track – you never know how many people leave a talk and go on to tell others about Send a Cow. The “ripple” effect of your work is huge.
Please note. We do not have codes to monitor Ambassadors
Having an approximate figure for how much all Ambassadors raise gives the staff/Trustees some guidance on budgeting for expenses, resources and support.
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 SEND A COW SPEAKERS MEETING REPORT
You do not have to complete this form for every talk/show you do.
Please use it to tell us if anything went particularly well or badly, if you had a question that you cannot answer, new ideas or the group has requested additional information.
Speakers Name:……………………….. Code Number: …………………
Name of group you spoke to: ………………………………………………
Date: …………………………….. Approx. number present: …………….
Your thoughts on the meeting!
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
Do you require any further support from Send a Cow HQ following the presentation?
Yes No
If yes, what action do you require?
(Please indicate any names and full addresses for mailing)
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
Signed…………………………………… Date ……………………
Please return to : Gill Alexander, The Old Estate Yard, Newton St. Loe, Bath, BA2 9BR
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 AMBASSADOR’S EXPENSES Introduction
Send a Cow volunteers should not be financially disadvantaged by their volunteering. Any out of pocket expenses incurred by Ambassadors will be reimbursed in line with the Charity’s expense policy. Expense forms should be readily available and supplied to Ambassadors. Allowed Expenses
Send a Cow will reimburse, upon satisfactory completion of an expense form (duly authorised with the receipts attached) any expenditure as detailed below.
Please note that Send a Cow does not pay round sum allowances or fixed rate expenses other than mileage allowance.
Travel
In cases of substantial distances travel should whenever possible be by the most cost-effective means and therefore normally by public transport.
However, it is recognised that most travel associated with volunteering will involve the use of a motor vehicle. The current rate of reimbursement is 40p per mile.
Subsistence
On occasions volunteers will need to purchase a meal during the course of their volunteering.
Where Ambassadors have been engaged on behalf of the Charity for at least 3 hours claims for the cost of meals will be met on submission of receipts.
Claims will be subject to a maximum of £5 for lunch and £12 for an evening meal (alcohol not included).
Other Expenses
There may be other instances where Ambassadors incur expenses. For example, the unexpected purchase of sellotape for a fundraising stall.
In such cases reimbursement will be claimable upon production of the relevant receipts. Authorisation
Expenses incurred by volunteers will be authorised by Gill Alexander, Volunteer Manager, on submission of the expense form. If the expenses to be incurred by the Ambassador are likely to exceed £100 then prior written approval must be given by Gill Alexander, Volunteer Manager.
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Send a Cow Ambassador EXPENSE CLAIM FORM
Ambassador name: Date:
Date Details of expenditure Amount Incurred Entertainment
Accommodation
Travel
Other
Total £
Ambassador signature:………………………………………
Ambassador’s address:
Office Use Only
Authorised by:…………………………………………….Date:……………………………
Allocation code:
7306 7307 7308 7 310 7311
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 How to complete the Collections and Payments Form
"Cash direct to bank" - if you are given cash you can pay this in at Barclay's bank. The sort code and account number are in your manual. Please write in the amount that you have paid into the bank in this box and the branch name in the next box, and send in the form to Head Office. You must attach the paying in receipt.
"Total amount to Newton St Loe" - If you aren't sending in any cheques leave this box blank. If you are sending in cheques, please add up the total amount and write this in "Total amount to Newton St Loe". In the next box put the number of cheques (If you have a mixture of cash and cheques you can do it on one form, or two separate forms if it is easier.)
“Please acknowledge my requested actions below by” – this section is for you to say if you would like notification that we have received your form by email or a postcard so that you know it got here safely. Please leave these options blank if you do not require acknowledgement. If you mark it with an X it can be confusing.
“Group name” - the next section is for you to tell us about the group you spoke to. Leave it blank if they want to remain anonymous.
“Certificate required” - We will only provide certificates for donations over £50 to groups, unless there has been a special request against a smaller amount (e.g. for a primary school class).
“Over £750 call required” - if they have raised £750 or above it is our policy to phone to say thank you. A mounted photo will also be sent to the group.
“Don’t sign up for newsletters” - We add groups to our database for future mailings e.g. Lifeline. If they don't want mailings, please indicate this to us.
“Gift Aid Declaration attached”: Collections are not eligible for gift aid unless the total amount can be broken down into amounts per person and a valid declaration is held for each. Where possible, please encourage people to gift aid their donation as it helps us raise a lot of money. To make this easier we have gift aid postcards and envelopes that people can complete. Please attach these to the form.
Amounts - The next three headings are "Donation AMOUNT", "SAC Merchandise AMOUNT", "Own Merchandise AMOUNT". This is where you need to tell us what the money was for. In most cases the money is a donation. Send a Cow does have some merchandise that you can sell. This money for merchandise must be kept separate from general donations as it goes into a separate budget. Please record exactly what merchandise has been sold on a separate sheet (including item and quantity). The 'Own Merchandise' has been added as some Ambassadors make cards and other items which they sell to raise funds. This money is treated like a donation from you, but as there is a benefit to the supporter it isn't a pure donation it cannot be gift aided so it needs to be recorded separately. (Please note there is no longer an expenses section on this form. To claim expenses you must complete a separate “Expenses Claim form”. We do not expect Ambassadors to donate their expenses to us. However, some Ambassadors choose to do this and the donate the amount back to Send a Cow with gift aid. If you choose to do this you must first claim the expenses and then send in a donation, with gift aid declaration.)
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Ambassador Collections &
Ambassador Name Ambassador Code Event/Presentation Date Today’s date
Group Name
Donor name/ Group contact Address (including postcode)
Phone Number E-mail
Is a thank you letter required? (please circle) Yes No Is a certificate required? (please circle) Yes No Have you attached gift aid declaration(s)? (please circle) Yes No Please use this box to tell us any further information, follow up required or breakdown of donation. (Please detail)
Please acknowledge receipt of this form by: (please circle) Email Postcard
Total amount of cash paid £ Deposit Date direct to bank (Please attach counterfoil to donation form) Branch
Total number of cheques enclosed Donation AMOUNT £ Send a Cow Merchandise AMOUNT (attach sheet with details) £ AMOUNT raised by selling your own merchandise £ TOTAL AMOUNT £
Number of completed Family Friend leaflets enclosed:
Office Use only
N.B. Please complete each section to help us to record and process donation and supporter information correctly
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 POLICY FOR DEALING WITH DONATIONS COLLECTED BY AMBASSADORS
AIMS OF POLICY
1. To pay in donated money as soon and as efficiently as possible.
2. To ensure donor records are kept up to date and acknowledgements can be sent out as appropriate.
3. To ensure that income is correctly recorded and analysed.
4. To provide an audit trail and have complete transparency in order to protect both donors and Send a Cow Ambassadors.
RISKS
We live in increasingly cynical times and journalists delight in charity scandal and “pillar of community accused of running off with donations” stories. One small whiff of suspicion - however unfounded – can seriously dent the image of Send a Cow and its fundraising work for a considerable period. POLICY FOR PAYING IN DONATIONS
1. All donations should be banked quickly either by sending donations to Send a Cow’s Head Office, The Old Estate Yard, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BR or paying directly in to the bank.
2. Donations can be banked at any Barclays bank into the Send a Cow UK bank account:
Account name: Sendacow Stockaid Ltd Account number: 10804800 Sort code: 20-05-06 Bank details: Barclays Branch details: Milsom Street, Bath
3. Fill out a normal paying in slip obtained at the bank with the account details above and on the reference line, if there is one; write your name and Ambassador code.
4. After any banking or when cheques are sent to Newton St Loe, please complete a “Collections & Payments” form and post it to Head Office. If you paid cash into the bank you must attach the Paying In slip. This will enable the donations to be recorded correctly in our database and letters of thanks be sent if needs be as well as ensuring that income is correctly analysed. If any of the donations have a gift aid declaration these need to be sent in attached to the form above. Please note, money received for merchandise sales must be kept separate from general donations.
5. No bank accounts should be set up in Send a Cow’s name. Therefore any cheques received made out to Send a Cow will only be able to be
18/01/2018 paid into Send a Cow Barclays account directly by you or sent to Newton St Loe to pay in.
6. Only in exceptional circumstances should cash pass through any other account, this will avoid any possibility of accusation of personal gain.
7. However, it is not illegal for Ambassadors to use their own accounts to bank cash. It is a matter of trust. If Ambassadors do use their own accounts in exceptional circumstances, they must keep a simple record of all Send a Cow payments into and out of their account in order to place themselves above suspicion. And they must ensure that they send a cheque to Newton St Loe (or pay it in to the Barclay account) as soon as practical and send a record of donors and amounts as stated above.
8. In practice, Ambassadors are given a great deal of authority and trust by the Trustees of Send a Cow. They acquire a duty of care. There is no complete way of avoiding risks of false accusation particularly with notes and coins but keeping a numbered receipt book with duplicates is prudent.
EXPENSES
Expenses should not be deducted from the donations received. Income and expenditure needs to be reported separately in our accounts, it is therefore simpler and more transparent to deal with them separately.
Donations should be banked as detailed above.
Expenses should be claimed on an expense claim form through the Volunteer Network Co-ordinator. These will then be paid by cheque to you.
This ideally should be done once a month to minimise paper work but if payment is required more regularly then please submit as needed.
You should be aware that we are required to notify the Inland Revenue of expenses paid or deducted.
If you have any questions, please contact Head of Finance Katie Talbot [email protected]
18/01/2018 GIVING PRESENTATIONS Top Tips for Presentations
Giving presentations can be daunting at first, but we hope these top tips will help you as you get started.
Each presentation that is given should include a high degree of:
Conviction – no doubts about the need in Africa or Send a Cow’s ability to help meet those needs.
Confidence - in what you say and how you say it.
Compassion – not patronising.
Accuracy – Send a Cow is able to provide you with a great deal of accurate information from each country where there are Send a Cow programmes.
How we talk about the people we work with:
The people we work with are intelligent, hard-working, capable and courageous adults, who have managed to survive and rear families in circumstances, which would probably crush most of us. The way we talk and write about them must reflect these facts.
1. We always talk and write about them with respect, stressing their achievements, intelligence, competence, skills, generosity and wisdom.
2. We talk and write about them as our equals. We never use demeaning or patronising language about them. We do not describe them in ways which make them sound child-like, or simpler or more comic than us.
3. We describe them always as active people, working out their own solutions to their problems, never as passive people just waiting to be helped from outside.
4. While we have to describe the poverty in which they have had to live for so long, we do so in ways that emphasise our common humanity, rather than making them sound alien to us in their poverty.
5. We remember that we are describing individual people, so we never lump them together into dehumanising phrases such as "the poor' or the disabled".
6. We remember that exuberance is not the same as childishness, and we reflect this in the way we describe the joy that they often manifest to Send a Cow visitors.
Send a Cow believes that we must be very careful in our language and in our selection of information, when talking about the women and men we exist to help. If we are not, we abuse the trust they put in us and help to perpetuate racist myths and stereotypes.
18/01/2018 We must portray them always as human beings like ourselves - not superior to us (though sometimes their words and deeds may leave us feeling humble), but certainly our equals and most certainly not our inferiors.
The golden rule is: talk about them only in ways you would be happy for them to talk about you. Think before you speak or write: how would you feel if someone else was talking about you in these terms?
Presentation Structure
Depending on the group you are talking to, the amount of time you have and your own style, the structure of presentations by Ambassadors give will vary. We have suggested a presentation structure below which you may find helpful to use as a guide:
Thank you – for the interest and invitation
Recognition - say something positive about your host/s and “their work”
Acknowledge – any past support for Send a Cow
How Send a Cow works – give a brief introduction to how Send a Cow works. For example, you may want to highlight that we work with groups, not individuals as this builds community and support. We balance the needs of people, livestock and the environment. We only work in Africa. We are a Christian charity.
Use a Case Study – a good way of telling people about what we do and helping them to identify with what we do is to use case studies. (You can use the provided PowerPoints and stories from our literature. You may also find it helpful to talk to other volunteers, especially those that have been on study tours. We have a bank of photos stored at www.sendacowimages.org.uk and www.cowfiles.com)
Present a challenge – “What can your group do to help the likes of people you have just heard about?” Use fundraising materials appropriate to the group, E.g. Miles4Moos, Read to Feed, Supper Evening packs.
It doesn’t cost much to make a huge difference – give examples as you best think will suit the group
“Thank you for being interested in Send a Cow and for your support”
Encourage people to ask any questions and take a leaflet
Key points that are important to get across to an audience
1. All new project areas are well researched before any offers of help are given E.g. climate, rainfall, political stability, veterinary support & infrastructure, people skills & abilities,availability of livestock, ease of communications within the country and with the outside world
2. The people we help: Have suffered and are suffering from problems they had/have no control over Only receive livestock or saplings after completing a training programme Agree to the policy of passing on the gift Always give back (voluntarily) more than they were given
18/01/2018 3. Send a Cow only start projects they believe to be sustainable
4. All projects are evaluated independently
5. Send a Cow believes in accountability throughout the organisation
Audience reaction
You will never be able to tell exactly what each member of the audience is thinking or how they will react to what you say. However, there is a list of emotions your talk should touch in each person…
anger at injustice
sadness at the level of suffering
concern about the future for the people we are trying to help
hope that Send a Cow can make a difference
How to make an ask
Several Ambassadors have asked for guidance regarding what should we ask for when we are closing our talks and how should that ask be made. Listed below are a number of suggestions which we hope you find helpful but please do not take this guidance as the absolute way it must be done. You will sense from your audience which or any are appropriate; common sense will also help! Use this as guidance and seek more help if needed at your next regional meeting. As always you can also contact Gill and David.
Take a catalogue. “Take a few and pass them on to others. Buying presents from our catalogue will help many families in Africa change their lives for ever. All the gifts will have a positive effect including amongst your family and friends”.
Regular Giving/Family Friend “Like any business or family having a known regular income helps the charity with its financial planning. It also helps give a certain amount of financial stability. For the regular giver it helps you with your financial planning and takes away the emotional pressure when appeals arrive that you feel unable to respond to”.
OR
“ Family Friend is an initiative which allows you to follow a family’s journey out of poverty. If you are able to commit to giving £10 a month Send a Cow will send you regular updates about a family from a country you choose your money to go towards.”
Donations “We hope you have been moved and challenged as you have heard about the work of Send a Cow. We are appealing to you on behalf of the many groups we are
18/01/2018 already helping in Africa and even more importantly those who are waiting to be helped. “
“ Please give what you can today and gift aid your donation if possible so we can make it grow even more.”
Fundraising I am sure you have been inspired by the people I have talked about today. I would like to ask for your help to change more families futures. Perhaps as a group you could work together to raise enough money equivalent to a cow/farmyard/exotic goat. I would be happy to talk to you about fundraising ideas and what resources we can support you with.
Volunteering “If you have been touched by what you have heard you may now be feeling you wish there was more that you could do to help change the lives of many families in Africa.
There is and Send a Cow values the time and commitment given by its volunteers. But we need many more people who will give what time they can spare to fulfil one of our volunteering roles. So please stay and ask me for more details or if you are in a hurry to leave please take some of our literature which will explain the different roles or, when you have time look on our website for more details and application form.”
Prayer “Your prayers are valued every bit as much as any other gift you can give. Send a Cow was started through prayer; it has grown through prayer and is dependant on the prayers of Gods people as we seek Gods will for the future. Please ask if you would like to receive Prayer Lifeline which will be helping you throughout the year with specific prayer requests.”
General – all encompassing “You may now be asking yourself I wonder how can I help Send a Cow further? There are a number of ways including” Distributing a few lifelines and catalogues to family and friends Become a Regular Giver – we will send you information Become a volunteer – we have information for each of the volunteering roles Pray on a regular basis – ask about Prayer Lifeline Organise a fundraising event – we can help with ideas and resources Promote a send a Cow speaker to other groups and organisations you have contact with. “How ever you choose to help you are helping to “change a family’s future”
Always remember; never judge the success of your talk by any gift you are given on the day. Usually a lot more follows!
18/01/2018 Advice on giving talks to Primary age children Make it interactive. Ask questions, get children up to the front, use their names, get them raising hands, if you’re confident get them standing up and sitting down. In an assembly, split the children into two groups to make comparisons, eg. ‘This side are from the UK, this side are from Uganda’. Use music to start an assembly and get the children involved in the music if you’re confident. Make it memorable. Do or bring something out of the ordinary: Get them to dress up in African fabrics, bring some manure in a box, use a puppet, bring 30 plastic cups or many milk bottles, pick on a teacher if you’re brave! Keep it simple and talk slowly. What’s appropriate for the age group? Don’t over complicate things and explain any new words eg. malnourished. It’s better to leave a few details out and for the group to understand, than to cram everything in and for them to get confused. Teachers are taught to talk slowly so that pupils take more in, it feels odd, but it works. Keep it focussed. Have about three key points that you want to get across and go back to them with the children near the beginning and at the end. Use a way for them to remember your points somehow eg. ‘remember the three ‘ms’ – milk, manure and money’.
Recap at the end. As well as going over your points, ask some questions at the end to see how well they have been listening/understanding you, ‘what new things have you learnt?’ Bring a child out if you have time and praise them for their contribution. Walk into ‘their’ space. There may be clusters of pupils who may switch off, walk down the sides and the aisle to ask questions while you talk, this will keep everyone on their toes. Use visual aids. Children learn in different ways, but most of them respond well to looking at an object. Bring some items in with you, some that they may not recognise. Refer to your visual aids and try and incorporate humour, eg. some Ambassadors use brown fabric to depict manure – you could even have some compost that you handle and pretend is manure!
Get the children to hold things and get them to act things out. Use the children to make your visual aids come alive; they may want to pretend to be an African child, or even a cow!
Help them to relate. Tell them ‘stories’ of children’s lives, it’s best to tell first hand stories if possible. Children can relate to stories of other children, especially if you make reference to similarities and differences. Use examples that they can understand from their lives
18/01/2018 e.g. ‘having to walk 3 miles to get to school is like walking from. . . to get here’. Use ways of explaining things that they can imagine, such as, ‘the new cow gave enough milk a day to fill 40 bowls of breakfast cereal’. If you do a lot of talks, change what you do every now and then to keep it fresh. Give them a challenge. Introduce with, ‘see who the best listener is and we’ll have a quiz at the end to win some stickers’. Challenge them to make or grow something or to anything to do with your talk eg. ‘try not using any electricity for a day, only use a bucket of water to wash in or only eat fruit and vegetables for a day.’
Give them a way to find out more. Tell them to look at cowforce.com in their break-time or at home if they want to learn more. Encourage them to ask more questions of their teacher, to see what they can find out about a specific country or to find out how to grow some plants. Suggest to them that the School Council might want to organise something exciting.
18/01/2018 Send a Cow Imagebank www.sendacowimages.org.uk
If you are using PowerPoint when giving presentations or making a display of photos we would recommend that you use our image bank to find some photos to help bring your talk to life.
Using the Imagebank You will need to register and when you receive a password: LOG IN
Searching Using a simple one word search: Donkey; Will yield only 2 or 3 images Bag; A few more NB Make sure only one word is used; Bag garden will result in everything under 'bag' plus everything under 'garden' Cow; Rather a lot, you need to narrow the search.
There are more precise ways of searching using the advanced search
1. Use more than one word. Link two words with AND Helen AND Kongai (NB without the link AND it will find all Helen images and all Kongai images)
2. Use the categories Ethiopia, Gift, cows, breeding bull; yields a manageable level of images Ethiopia, techniques implemented, keyhole; results in a precise search
Categories can also be useful for finding projects, Uganda, East, Bunyole (NB.Bunyole would also work as a keyword).
NB when using keywords try several; different people use different terms. It will become more rational as we standardise key phrases such as bag garden (not sack garden) keyhole (not key hole) etc. Linked Images Some images are linked so that all the images are accessed and sometimes include a WORD document. To see these you need to; Select the image and scroll to the bottom of the page. Helen Kongai (Remember to use the Advanced search) Downloading Your lightbox is on the home page. Images can be selected as you view the thumbnails or browse through a category. These can be seen by selecting ‘view contents’ in the lightbox and any not required can be removed.
There are 2 options:
18/01/2018 Download all or, select one image to download (this can be downloaded from the screen where you are viewing the image or it can be added to your lightbox and downloaded from there.)
There are two ways to download: Quick Download There is a drop down list to enable the use to be entered An option to select the size And a box to say you accept the terms and conditions. When you download you can opt for it to be a zipped file, open it immediately or save it in a chosen location. The Advanced option enables the file to be downloaded; In the original size In a different format In a specific size Or to be cropped NB for use in PowerPoint it is better to choose the web option Usage
By entering details of how images will be used a report can be generated, this will have the advantage of analysing how the image bank is being used and the groups that are using it. This may be helpful to determine which images are most popular with schools / Ambassadors etc. Each image will also be able to be tracked based on where they have been used. Some images will not be able to be downloaded; this is because they have been reserved for the Marketing Department for use in publications such as Lifeline.
NB: If you have any queries about any images please note the photos ID number and contact the Communications Manager Lorraine Finnigan at the office.
Sending Us Images
Please notate the images as far as possible with the following details;
Events and Fundraising photos Name of Event Date Names of individuals (Make sure there is permission from parents for any images of children) Name of photographer or person supplying the images Any additional information that may be useful
African images ( Ambassadors on SAC Ambassador tours) Project name Project code (where possible) Group name Position in group e.g. chairperson Beneficiaries name / name of people
18/01/2018 Status: widow, orphan, HIV, child headed family, etc. Name of crop Type of animal e.g. Dairy cow and breed Techniques shown e.g. Double digging, water harvesting Type of Landscape/scene if appropriate e.g. Lowland, Semi-arid, cash crop, city.
Some images will come from the same project or be of the same beneficiary, you may find it easier to simply extend an arrow below these images to indicate they are all the same. The more information you can supply the more accurate the image bank will become.
Sending images to Send a Cow Please send them to Carolyn Aitken at Head Office. If possible send them on a disc as jpegs. This is the most helpful format. We will need photos at as high a resolution as possible (up to 2mgs), sending them by email often reduces the size but if it is only one or two photos please copy and paste them into a message as an attachment so that the original size is maintained.
Not all images you send in will be put on the image bank but those that may be useful at a later date will be filed on disc. If you want the originals to be returned please put a note with the images If you are unsure about images or their usefulness please contact me at the Head office We do want you to send in images.
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Possible Groups for Talks and Presentations
Guides Brownies Rangers Cubs Scouts Venture Scouts Woodcraft Folk Schools Youth Clubs Sunday Schools Colleges Universities Home Educator Groups Special Needs Groups
Towns Women’s Guild W.I. (Women’s Institute) Mothers Union Inner Wheel Corona (Diplomats’ Wives)
Rotary Probus Association of Wren’s
Churches U3A Lions Clubs Soroptomists TTF (Twenties, Thirties Forties) English Speaking Union
Gardening Groups & Horticultural Societies Wine & Beer Making Societies
Retirement Fellowships e.g Civil Service, NHS, LEA Residential Care Homes / Day Centres Support Groups e.g Stroke Support Group Pensioners Association
Friends of the Earth Local Environmental Groups
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Bible Reading, Verses and Prayers
We are often asked if our speaker has a Bible reading they would like to be used in a service or school assembly.
Please find below a reading, which has been very special to Send a Cow for a number of years and is used frequently by our Ambassadors.
ISAIAH 58 v 9-12
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
Proverbs 14:21 Blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
Isaiah 58:6...... Loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke.
Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of those who are destitute.
Romans 12:8 He that gives, let him give with simplicity.
2 Samuel 22 v 31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
Just as Jesus gave thanks for the loaves and fishes (John 6 v 11) let us also thank God for our food
Heavenly Father, as we share our meal together now, may we be truly thankful because we know many in our world are hungry. Please help more families get the food they need, and so be pleased to bless the work of Send a Cow, the training of farmers, the health of their animals and vegetable gardens. We pray that all may flourish and have cause with us to thank and bless you for your loving kindness. Amen.
Jesus said, Let the little children to come to me and do not hinder them… Luke 18 v 16
Dear Lord, as we go to bed for a peaceful night’s sleep, we think of the children in Africa who will have to get up really early tomorrow morning to go and fetch water before they go to school. We pray for them now because we have so much and they have so little. Help us to find good ways to share what we have with them. Amen
Where two or three are gathered in my name…Matthew 18 v 20
18/01/2018 God our Father, as we gather here to study your word and pray together, so we bring before you the many groups with which Send a Cow is working in Africa. We pray for them as they learn new techniques to produce more from their land and so provide themselves and their families with enough to eat. Inspire and empower them as they learn, that they may be restored in hope and so have cause to thank and bless you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us, o’er the world’s tempestuous sea. Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us, for we have no help but thee.
As a church family and part of your family, O Lord, we thank you for being with us and for blessing us in so many, many ways: for our health, for our wealth, for our freedom to come here to worship you.
We pray for church families in Africa, who lack what we take for granted, but whose warmth and confidence in you is an example to us. Open our hearts and minds to share more of the abundance we have, so that your holy name may be glorified and your justice carried out in our world today. For Jesus’ sake, Amen
A Franciscan Prayer
May God bless you with discomfort At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships So that you may live deep within your heart
May God bless you with anger At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace
May God bless you with tears To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection hunger and war, So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness To believe that you can make a difference in the world, So that you can do what others claim cannot be done To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
18/01/2018 BEING PROACTIVE
Finding New Leads: Ideas For The Pro Active Ambassador
Where best to find people that might want a talk or do some fundraising for us?
My local newspaper
Read the notice boards
Ask your friends
List the organisations in your own area
Advertise/promote yourself
Mailing target groups
1. Using My Local Paper
What am I looking for?
Potential fundraisers, these may be…
Schools and/or colleges
Youth organisations/clubs
Churches and church groups
Local companies
Professional groups
Individuals
2. Notice Boards
Two types of notice boards… a) Belonging to the building
What can they tell me?
Name of organisation
What goes on there
When they have their activities
Contact names and numbers b) Public notice boards
18/01/2018 Look for potential contacts i.e. groups or individuals
Events that may be worth attending with Send a Cow table, display unit and leaflets
Anyone promoting fundraising event, they may do one for Send a Cow i.e. contacts
3. Ask Your Friends
Gentle persuasion to…
Promote Send a Cow and you to their organisation, church, school etc.
Arrange a talk or fundraising event
Given them an information pack which will include standing order form and / or money box
Give them some of your visiting cards
4. List the local Organisations
You need to know: -
Who to contact
Where and when they meet
Are they a fundraising organisation?
Their Head Quarters address
Have they already supported Send a Cow. (Information available from Send a Cow)
5. Advertise and Promote Yourself
How do I do that?
Hand out visiting cards and information packs
Details on local library notice board
“Advertise” in local church and community magazines
Book a display table at local events
Contact local press and media
6. Mailing Targeted Groups
Each mailing should be…
Researched - Send most appropriate information, no more than three paragraphs, enclose a maximum of three leaflets.
Personalised – Name / title of person and organisation, followed up with a phone call.
18/01/2018 Send a Cow Fundraising Guidelines for Volunteers
Fundraising must be done safely and legally. If you are fundraising for Send a Cow it is your responsibility to ensure that your fundraising complies with legal and safety standards.
The following guidelines are designed to help you ensure that you comply with these standards. If you need further information please contact Gill Alexander, Volunteer Manager.
Branding All publicity materials for events or labels on homemade merchandise need to include the following:
. A Send a Cow logo (in compliance with Send a Cow’s branding guidelines) . “All proceeds/profits will go to Send a Cow” . “Send a Cow is a registered charity (no 299717)”
Standard labels for handmade merchandise will be available on request from the Volunteer Manager.
You may not allow commercial organisations to use Send a Cow’s name or logo without written permission. If you wish to involve companies in an event and they want to use Send a Cow’s name for their commercial benefit, please contact the Fundraising Manager. Merchandise Some volunteers and members of the public make and sell their own merchandise in order to raise money for Send a Cow, for example some make handmade cards or necklaces. Merchandise must:
. clearly display the Send a Cow logo, in compliance with Send a Cow’s branding guidelines . clearly display the registered charity number 299717 . have appropriate warnings, e.g. on a necklace made of beads it would be good wise to include “contains small parts and may be unsuitable for children under 5 years” on the label.
The money raised from merchandise sold by supporters and volunteers for Send a Cow will be treated as a donation. However, as there is a benefit to the person buying the merchandise the money raised is not eligible for gift aid.
Please see further notes on Merchandise available from Send a Cow, later in this section of the handbook
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Send a Cow Supper Evenings
Why hold a Supper Evening?
Raise awareness of Send a Cow
Invite people to pleasant social event
Present Send a Cow in ‘after supper’ slot
Give everyone a gift catalogue and literature
Where can you hold a Supper Evening?
Your own home/someone else’s home
Church or school hall, with convenient kitchen and loos
Village hall, pub or local function room
Aim to cover your costs
Bring & Share or Pay for tickets
People happy to pay for charity meal
Any surplus can be a donation
If you charge too much, you may not get everyone you want
What’s the best time?
A definite date or time of the year helps with publicity
Practical Issues: Organisation
If possible, form a small committee or group to share the organisation / workload
Work out what you need / what’s right for you and what you want to do
Good to share the tasks on the night, because you need to have the capacity to host / make people welcome / answer questions
Publicity Suggestion
Publicise well in advance in parish / village magazines and Church notice sheets
18/01/2018 Send out personal invitations with relevant details and reply slip
Sell tickets in advance… some who can’t come, may kindly give a donation
Always a cliff-hanger, until last couple of weeks
Other useful suggestions
Fish & Chip supper
Strawberries and cream event
Cream teas
Bring & Share
Ideas you could include in your event
African background music for atmosphere
African dancing and/or drumming
Send a Cow DVD
Talk by Send a Cow Ambassador
African quiz night
And finally…
If 200 events attract 20 people each, then 4,000 people hear about Send a
Cow first hand
Plus the publicity
Plus the distribution of the gift catalogue
Plus the continuing interest in Send a Cow
It’s all part of building Send a Cow as a grassroots charity across the UK
Why not give it a go?
18/01/2018 Some Fundraising Ideas
There is a saying that goes ‘there is nothing new in fund raising’ so it will be very unlikely that all of the following will be new to you. However, it will hopefully stimulate some ideas and enthusiasm to go for that next fund raising challenge. This list can be updated so if you have any new/better ideas that you think other Ambassadors could benefit from please let us know. A
African music evening/dance - a very trendy type of music these days there is nothing like the beat of African music! You could link it with an African supper.
Arts and Crafts Fair
Auction
Auction of Promises - These are very popular evenings where people bid for promises to cut someone’s lawn, do a basket of ironing, baby-sit, provide a meal for two in a local restaurant etc. All the items are donated so all the income goes to Send a Cow. It is particularly good combined with a buffet supper. B
Barbecue
Bring and Buy
C
Cabaret / Concert
Coffee morning D
Darts match
Dieting (sponsored) ‘Lose it for Livestock’
Dinner Dance
Dog Show E/F
Family fun day - how about Send a Cow races, egg and Spoon, hoopla, treasure hunt etc.
Fancy dress party
Fashion show
18/01/2018 Fete
Football match
Fun run – Miles for Moos materials available to help you
G
Garden Party / Open garden H
Harvest supper
Hunger lunch I/J
Jam making and selling
Jam jar raffle - a clever change to the usual raffle. The prizes are set out on a table with empty jam jars in front of them. People buy raffle tickets in the usual way except they then put them in the jam jar of the prizes they like the most. If they are particularly keen on one particular prize they can put a lot or all of their tickets in that jam jar to increase their odds of winning. Then when all the tickets have been put in jars, the adjudicator picks the winning ticket from each jam jar.
Jumble sale K
Knitting competition - this can be sponsored - a great way for the 'older generation' to retaliate with their grand children who have been badgering them for years for sponsorship.... L
Ladies Driving Day - give local ladies the opportunity to get sponsored to drive a wide range of exciting vehicles...
Lunch party M
Market Stall N
Nearly New Sale
Non-Stop xxxxxx Competition
0/P
18/01/2018 Panel Games
Pet Show
Pile of pennies (or you could do a trail of pennies in the high Street or cover a map of Africa or a Cow ... )
Plant Sale - a great earner, most people have more plants than they need especially when they have grown them from seed.
Q
Quit Smoking
Quiz Night R
Race Night
Raffle
Rallies S
Sponsored Walk/Cycle/swim
Swimming gala/marathon T
Talent competition
Tombola
Themed party i.e. Independence day, Valentines, masked, Black and White, pancake
Party etc.
Treasure Hunt V
Vegetable Sale
Volleyball Competition W
Washing Cars/ Windows
Welly throwing
18/01/2018 That’s all for now. If you like any of the ideas above and are not sure where to start, give Vickie Wood, our Fundraising Manager, a ring at the Send a Cow office, and she will give you a few pointers to get you started. Before you start, please read the Health and Safety and Risk Assessment sheets.
18/01/2018 GETTING YOURSELF AND SEND A COW INTO YOUR LOCAL MEDIA A guide for Send a Cow Volunteers We need your help
Send a Cow gets very good local media coverage. It raises awareness of the problems of the people we exist to help, and increases our chances of raising money to provide that help. And it’s a circular process: coverage encourages new people to raise money for us, which in its turn creates further publicity, and so on
How do we get such good coverage? The answer is simple – because of our network of local volunteers creating and publicising local stories. If we plot our coverage, we find that it is always particularly good where we have Ambassadors. We are dependent on our Ambassadors for getting featured in the local media. You have the local knowledge and local contacts. You are the local interest.
Please read on, and find out more about getting Send a Cow into your local media. Getting to know your local media
Always think of the full range of local media: TV, radio, paid newspapers and free ones.
Think regionally: there may be a paper covering your county as well the one covering your town.
And think very locally as well: you may live in a city which has papers, particularly free ones, covering quite small areas of the city.
Find out about your local media – who writes about what, who covers which geographic area, what sort of programmes are produced by your local radio and television. Find out by reading, listening to and watching your local media – or ring up and ask.
Try to get known to local journalists, as a source of interesting stories and possibly of information about Africa and the “Third World”.
Keep up to date with who’s who in your local media, as there tends to be a high turnover among journalists. What makes a good local story?
It must be topical and local. For TV and newspapers it will provide photo opportunities. And it should be interesting!
Be bang up to date
18/01/2018 Local media are, if anything, more geared to topicality than national ones. They want what’s about to happen, or has just done so. Contact them about something that happened two weeks ago and you’re probably wasting your time.
Bring out the local interest
Local media have very clear ideas of what constitutes “their” patch, and won’t usually touch anything from outside it. BUT they’re always on the look-out for interesting stories, and if you can persuade them of the local angle of any story, they’re likely to consider it. This local angle could sometimes simply be you and your interest in SEND A COW, particularly if you have a particular reason for this interest. More often it will be a talk you give, or a fundraising event you inspire.
But be creative. Think laterally. How can you convince a journalist of the link between a poor farmer in Uganda or Kenya and your town and village?
Lay on photo opportunities
From the paper’s point of view, pictures sell papers to the public, so from your point of view, they also sell stories to the papers. And obviously TV are only interested in something likely to be of real visual interest. Radio may be interested in something with particular sound recording potential.
Always think of likely film/photo/ recording opportunities when publicising a story and spell these out clearly when you contact the media.
Make it interesting!
A subjective matter, obviously, and one where your judgement may be different from that of the journalist you’re trying to convince. But one man’s poison is another man’s meat, and most journalists have to appeal to a fairly wide audience – if your story is about local people doing half-way interesting things, they’re unlikely to reject it out of hand.
In any case, how you package a story is almost as important as what’s in the package. Think of the off-beat, whacky elements of straightforward stories. Bring out the individual human interest of a relatively run of the mill event.
And two further rules: Keep it short Be concise, and to the point, when you publicise an event. Don’t pad anything out – it’ll only get cut – and keep background information to a minimum. Be accurate Be sure of your facts. Make sure you spell people’s names and place names correctly. Be sure about the names of organisations.
Give a journalist inaccurate information, and you’ll get a cooler welcome next time you contact them.
18/01/2018 Approaching the media
Making contact
As you build up your media contacts, approaching the media becomes steadily simpler and easier.
But even before that it’s not a difficult process. You can either send a press release (most journalists nowadays will want it sent by e-mail), or ring cold (in which case you may be asked to send in your press release – get the name of the person who asks you to do so, and mark it for his/her attention).
If you think you know who is most likely to be interested in your story, ask to speak to them, or mark your press release for their attention. Otherwise, just contact the Newsroom (radio/television) or the News Editor (newspaper). If you’re sending something out well in advance to TV or radio, it may be useful to contact their Forward Planning department. If you think you have the right sort of information, and enough of it, to make a full feature article, rather than a news item, then you might contact the Features Editor.
Grabbing their attention
The important thing to remember is that journalists are very busy people, constantly bombarded by people trying to attract their attention. They receive hundreds of approaches every week.
So how do you make sure that what you want to say attracts their attention, and makes it into their paper or onto their programme?
There are some basic rules for writing news releases in this pack, but meanwhile, here are some general rules for dealing with the media:
Be very clear what your story is – make sure you can give the gist of it in 3-4 sentences.
Don’t go into unnecessary background – they probably don’t need to know the full story of how you came to be asked to address your local church.
Be sure you can give clear directions to any event you’re inviting them to.
After sending out a news release, ring a day or so later, “to check that they’ve received it”, and see if they need any further information.
Introduce yourself to any journalist who turns up at an event you’ve told the media about – if appropriate, and if it doesn’t distract you too much from what you’re there to do, appoint yourself “master/mistress of ceremonies”, introducing them to anyone else you’d like them to meet.
Help them to set up any photo opportunities.
If no one comes to your event from the media, take your own photos, and send them, with an after-the-event news release, to local papers.
18/01/2018 Producing a news release
There are a few basic conventions for writing news releases (NB NOT “press releases” unless you really are sending them only to newspapers). They all exist for a reason, so following them makes you look as if you know what you’re doing, and ensures that your releases do the job you want them to do.
Basic conventions:
TYPE IT (it will get binned if you hand-write it)
Keep it to one side of A4 if possible, certainly no more than two
Use double or 1.5 spacing
Make sure you give your address at the top or bottom
State that this is a news release
Give any embargo details (“not to be used before …” or “for immediate use”)
Date it
Give it a good, informative, simple, catchy headline
Let the journalist know if there’s more text to come at the end of the first side (write “/more”), and when the release ends (write “/end”)
Give contact details, usually more than one person.
The more work you can save a busy journalist, the more likely you are to have your story covered, especially in the print media. Ideally, your final release should read like a news item from the paper or programme you’re targeting. In fact, if it works, you’re likely to see it used more or less word for word.
So rule number 1 is:
The first sentence, or at least the first paragraph, should set out the basic story, particularly: who, what, where, when, why.
You break this rule at your peril …
Rule number 2 is:
Make sure your release is targeted at the newspaper or programme you’re sending it to. Which audience do they communicate with? What tone do they use to do so? Adapt your release, if necessary, for different outlets – the extra work will be well worthwhile.
Provide quotes. Say who said them, and what that person’s position in their organisation, or their relevance to the story, is.
Remember that if a story is too long, the main way the sub-editor will shorten it is by cutting from the bottom, a paragraph at a time. So make sure that if only your first paragraph is used, the basic story still gets across.
18/01/2018 You may feel that a paragraph outlining SEND A COW’s work would be useful, but that it would interrupt the flow of your actual story. It might be useful to put something brief – “Notes to the editor” - at the end of the release, possibly in italics, to show it is slightly separate from the rest.
Make sure that at any time at least one of the contacts you give at the end of the release is indeed on the end of the telephone number you have given for them. Give more than one number per person if necessary. Give mobile numbers as well as home or office numbers, if possible.
Producing A Press ReleaseAnd Notice
ABC organisation is holding a charity event to provide hope to some of the poorest people in Africa through the gift of livestock and training.
On XX Month, 2005, ABC organisation will be holding a charity event with the goal of raising enough money to provide an African family / village with a cow / farmyard.
ABC expects that the event will see over ## people from church/school/town getting involved in details of associated activities.
The money raised by the event will be given to the charity Send a Cow to provide livestock, training and support to some of Africa’s poorest people - ultimately enabling them to work their own way out of poverty.
The gift of livestock combats malnutrition by providing valuable food sources, such as milk and eggs, as well as increasing the amount of fresh vegetables available through the use of manure on the land. Surplus supplies can be sold to help generate an income that can be invested to secure a better future, such as sending children to school.
If you would like to get involved in the event and help achieve the goal of providing a family / village with a gift that can really help them transform their lives, please come along to venue at time on day, XX month or contact:
Contact Name; Telephone Number; Email Address
For further information on Send a Cow, please visit www.sendacow.org.uk
About Send a Cow
Send a Cow is a Christian charity that enables poor farmers in Africa to become self- reliant by providing them with livestock, training and advice. It works with some of the most vulnerable groups in Africa, including children orphaned by war, families affected by AIDS, and disabled people. It buys all its livestock within Africa.
About ABC Organisation
Add details
18/01/2018 Letters
Letters can also be a useful way of getting yourself into your local paper – and their advantage is that you retain more control over what finally appears.
Keep them short – the shorter they are, the less likely the editor is to cut them.
Think carefully about subject matter – a news item disguised as a letter won’t fool anyone on your local paper. But, for example, “thanks to all who attended … and so generously donated …” is an appropriate subject for a letter, and an excellent way of raising SEND A COW’s profile locally. Radio and television interviews
Don’t panic!
Remember, first of all, that you are unlikely to find yourself facing a hostile interviewer – you are not the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition. On the contrary, your interviewer will almost certainly be wanting you to make a good impression and get your story across well, because that’s what will be best for their programme.
And no one will expect you to be an expert on all matters African.
So, if you are invited to be interviewed on radio or television, just stay relaxed about it.
Be prepared
Make sure you find out what programme you’re being invited to appear on, what station it’s on, what time you’re expected (at the studio or to be ready beside your telephone), and how long your slot will be. Find out if it’s going out live. And don’t wear white for television.
If you have time, listen beforehand to the programme you’re being asked to contribute to. Get a feel for the presenter’s style and approach. Work out what sort of audience the programme is aimed at.
Above all, decide beforehand what are the main points you want to get across – maximum 3.
Don’t expect the interviewer to have had time to do much (or any) research. If you have the opportunity to talk to them beforehand (and you’re quite likely to have a few minutes with them) make sure they know what they need to know. Don’t be afraid to suggest questions they might ask you.
It’s worth trying to take a degree of control at this stage, or you may find yourself trying to field completely off the wall questions.
During the interview
18/01/2018 SMILE! You need to look and sound interested and enthusiastic about Send a Cow, and radio listeners will be just as aware as television viewers of your facial expression – you can hear a smile!
GET THOSE MAIN POINTS IN SOMEHOW!
Tell stories of individual human beings, give examples of the points you are making. Stay well clear of jargon – no mention of “sustainable farming systems” or “gender balance”!
Speak about the people we help with the respect due to them, as intelligent, capable, hard-working adults, even if the interviewer tries to use more patronising, demeaning or sensationalist language.
Remember that Send a Cow helps poor people, not some abstract concept called “the poor”.
A few statistics can be useful, but don’t go overboard with them. Memorise a few, and stick with them.
Remember that an interview is a conversation between two people. Keep your tone conversational and friendly.
But don’t be afraid to hog the conversation! You don’t have to observe the normal “rules” of conversation – you’re the one who’s supposed to do most of the talking, so keep talking!
And keep your wits about you for a ridiculous or uninformed question (“So where’s the next lot of cows flying from?” “So what’s Africa like?” – these are both genuine questions that have been put to SEND A COW staff!). Take it, correct it, or use it as a springboard to say what you really want to say. Easier said than done, but perfectly possible.
Should the Media contact you:
There are two main guidelines to help you cope with a phone call out of the blue:
NEVER feel under any obligation to answer a question straightaway. You can always tell a journalist that you will ring back within ten minutes or half an hour. This is a perfectly acceptable response. But make sure you do what you’ve promised – unless, of course, you actually want to get rid of them!
It’s best not to be seduced into giving the official Send a Cow line on anything. Refer them to Eleanor or Kirstine in the Send a Cow office – it’s what we’re paid to do! How we can help you
Our Communications Officer is always happy to help you, with suggestions and information.
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 RESOURCES: LITERATURE, MERCHANDISE AND DISPLAY EQUIPMENT Merchandise
Send a Cow has a limited range of merchandise, such as Jute Bags and T-shirts. This doesn’t raise huge amounts of money for Send a Cow but can be a good way to attract people to a stand and get them talking about Send a Cow.
Merchandise is available to Ambassadors on a ‘Sale and Return’ system. However, for this system to work you MUST comply with the following procedure:
Where possible, please order stock to be collected at Regional Meetings nd the Workshop Weekend in May. This will help us reduce postage/courier costs. In addition, we will courier stock where necessary e.g. you have an unexpected large event to attend, or you live in an area that does not currently have regional meetings.
You MUST keep accurate records of what merchandise is sold. This money MUST be kept separate from general donations. This information MUST be recorded and sent to Head Office on a ‘Collections and Payments form’ stating exactly what has been sold. If you have banked cash you MUST enclose the paying in slip.
You must complete an Annual Stock Take when requested.
Alternatively, some Ambassadors choose to purchase merchandise from Send a Cow, and then reimburse themselves when they sell it so that they do not have to complete as much paperwork. The choice is yours.
ITEM PRICE Moo Macs (Large and Small) £2.00 Branded Jute Bags £3.00 Branded White Polo Shirts (3 sizes) £5.00 Lapel Badges £1.00
Display equipment available for use
In each region there are some sidewinders (6ft Vertical Banner) and table top displays for volunteers to share.
At HQ we keep some Miles 4 Moos Banners & Quiz Board for sponsored walks
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Literature for Ambassadors - Order Form General Headed Paper Compliments slips Ambassador Business Cards Current Lifeline Past issues of Lifeline (please specify) Prayer Lifeline Africa can feed itself Family Friend Leaflet Gift Aid envelopes/Gift aid forms Annual review Book a speaker form Natural Gardening leaflet Foundation Series 1 Preparing to Climate Proof Foundations Series 2 Going Organic Fuel Efficient Stove Leaflet Education Education – blue poster Education – pink poster Education –map New green poster Read to Feed leaflets Read to feed packs African Garden Poster Schools Web info Bookmarks – out of stock at present African Garden flyers Bag Garden Starter Kits Bag Garden Mini Starter Kits Bag Garden Sponsor a Sunflower Kit DVD Cabbages and Cowpats £6 each Promotions Harvest leaflet A4/A5 A4 Case study poster from Harvest pack Miles4Moos leaflets Tool Shed leaflet - please print from web Gift Catalogue Wedding leaflet Old material Supper Evenings packs Photos from past fulfilment packs DVDs Uganda or Lesotho DVDs Twentieth Anniversary DVD Collecting boxes - cardboard Collecting boxes - plastic
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 Evaluating Shows and Events
Name of Ambassador(s) attending
Name of Show/Event
Date of Show/Event
Have SAC attended this event previously?
Time(s) Show/Event open
Approx. Number of public who attended
Target Audience
Reason for attending, (e.g. to promote Bag Gardens/Speak to teachers
Literature/Resources Promoted
Approx number of public spoken to (total)
Approx number of speaker bookings made?
Number of potential new Volunteers recruited
Did you feel this event was worthwhile?
Please give details of positive outcomes
Please give details of any negatives from the event (e.g. wrong target audience, poor location of stand, torrential rain, poorly attended)
Lessons learned from attending this event that might be useful to others in the future (e.g. take own chairs)
In your opinion, was this a worthwhile event? (Please give details)
In your opinion, should Send a Cow attend/hold this event in future years?
Signed ______Date ______
18/01/2018 18/01/2018 If I don’t feel able to remain as volunteer are there other ways I can help?
Fundraising Why not do a one off fundraising event, like a sponsored sporting challenge, a themed party, coffee morning or a charity quiz? There are loads more ideas on our website or ring the office and request a fundraising pack.
Raise Awareness Why not distribute our latest catalogue and leaflets to organisations you know. This could be anywhere from your local church or community centre, to a GPs waiting room or the local hair dressers. Please ensure you ask permission.
Education We have lots of educational resources for teachers to use, competitions, and special fundraising ideas for children, like our sponsored ‘Read to Feed’ packs. Have a look at our awarding winning children’s’ website www.cowforce.com
Recycle You can also help by making a donation, giving a gift to a friend or even by recycling your old mobile phone and ink cartridges!
WHO’S WHO AT SEND A COW?
Organogram and Excel Contacts list should be inserted here
For more information visit www.sendacow.org.uk and or contact the main office in Newton St Loe on 01225 874 222
Thank you for supporting the work of Send a Cow
18/01/2018