Support for Parents

Tree of Hope does not receive any funds from the Government or the NHS, but managing the funds for many hundreds of children does incur operational costs. Our core operating costs are funded partly from fundraising we conduct for the charity as a whole and from donations by corporate organisations and trusts. However, this is not enough to meet the full cost which is why we allocate 7.5% of the funds you raise to our core running costs.

To work with Tree of Hope and get the full benefits of our unique and tailored services, we would require you to close down your current crowdfunding page. The team can help ensure the transition is a smooth transition and provide marketing support to help let your supporters know about your new campaign. Speak to us if this is you and we will be happy to help.

Here is an example:

If you collect £100 with Tree of Hope and it is eligible for Gift Aid, the taxman will add £25 in Gift Aid. If you collect the funds through your Tree of Hope fundraising page online, powered by JustGiving they will deduct a minimum of 1% for their platform fee and if the donations are made by debit or credit card there is a handling charge (typically averaging 27p) made by the bank. Tree of Hope will allocate (7.5%) £9.38 for its core running costs, and credit the remaining £109.10 to the account that will benefit your child.

If you collect £100 elsewhere which isn’t eligible for Gift Aid and send it directly to us, we will deduct £7.50 for Tree of Hope’s core costs and credit £92.50 to the account for your child.

When you have raised sufficient funds, the time will come when you wish to start making bookings
or ordering products you have been fundraising for. Simply ask your supplier to contact our accounts department where they can submit invoices directly to us. All payments are made by the Tree of Hope accounts team upon receipt of an invoice from the relevant supplier.

We will ask them to complete a Supplier Registration Application which are used to satisfy our accounts team that the companies and organisations we are paying, are the institutions they say they are, to ensure your funds are safe and to avoid us being the victims of any fraud.

They are also used to confirm a consultant/hospital carrying out an *invasive treatment, a therapist, have the correct qualifications and that they have been DBS checked, to ensure the safety of your child is protected, especially when a therapist is working on a one-to-one basis with a child.

For equipment purchases that are one off items and at the decision of the accounts and family support team, we will not require any supporting documentation.

*Invasive treatments include anything that involves breaking the skin.

Partnering with Tree of Hope gives families access to the following benefits, making fundraising more efficient and effective:

• Claim Gift Aid on donations made by UK taxpayers (adding 25% to the value of the donation)
• Eligibility for corporate donations
• Have donations increased with match funding
• Reassure donors their money is safe and will be used to benefit your child
• Access potential grants from trusts and foundations
• Set up a fundraising site via a registered charity to send out virally to your supporters

Tree of Hope also supports families by:

• Making fundraising tools and advice available to them via weekly fundraising tips and advice on email and via our Family Support Facebook group
• Managing funds and paying invoices for operations, therapists and equipment to ensure donors know for sure that the money is going where it is supposed to go and taking away administrative duties so you can focus on your family
• As a nationally-known charity, we are able to give greater marketing exposure to campaigns via website, social media, PR opportunities

Crowdfunding can be successful but is unregulated and has it's limitations, including but not limited to: 

• No gift aid - this could potentially take care of a quarter of your fundraising target so it is significant. If you want to raise £80,000 you could be having to raise an additional £11,200. And that’s a lot more effort and campaigning.
• No donor transparency - With Tree of Hope, we ensure that donors are completely assured that their donations will be put to use for the purposes they were originally donated for. Our work is audited and regulated by the Charity Commission. Looking at Just Giving, the onus is on the donor to check with the page owner- and how can you tell if that child is really sick or even exists? At Tree of Hope, we have contact with families and medical professionals verify the identity of the child and their illness so you can be sure that the cause is legitimate.
• There is no transparency and reassurance for families if people question what the money is being spent on - we take that onus off families and safely hold the funds, giving families piece of mind and protection. 
• Many corporates and businesses require a charity number to donate and make the possibility of a donation more attractive. 
• We live in a world of fraud, be aware of crowdfunding not being legitimate.  

So do think twice when you're considering fundraising for your child, Tree of Hope will help you raise the valuable funds you need, of which you could be missing out on if you crowdfund alone. Speak to the team if you have any questions, we'll be happy to assist. 

We require families to truly partner with us and make the most of our charity and what we have to offer for you to get the very best out of your fundraising with us. Having our charity number attached to you cause does open you  up to lots of funding opportunities and there are ways to help lighten the load. Try not to think about the target in its entirety. This can be off-putting and demotivating. Set yourself bitesize targets and involve those around you and create a mini fundraising committee and assign tasks. Remember we can help too so if you need a hand or advice, we are here to speak to as well. 

We have seen hundreds of successful campaigns over the years and the campaigns that tend to be the most successful are the ones that:

• Have help from family and friends 
• Use social media and PR to market their campaign to wider audiences
• Have support from their local communities 
• Actively partner with Tree of Hope and make use of the charity benefits and work with us so we know what you need to support your campaigning. We love keeping in touch with families to see how they are getting on.