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"ROTARY
TREE OF LIGHT"
THE IDEA :- To support your Local Charity or your Community
project by
raising money from members of the community who sponsor a light
on the
"Rotary
Tree of Light"
in memory of a loved one or someone dear
It's
as simple as that !
Here's how it works !
1. Your Rotary Club needs to find a suitable tree which can be
used
year after year or erect your own Christmas tree, in a prominent
position in the Parish preferably, in the Church-yard or town
centre
A tree big enough to take at least 1000 lights for which you
receive
public sponsorship. Ensure you have the Local Council's support
Some will give financial support with lighting or erecting the
tree
The Rotary Tree should have at least 1000, 12/24 low-volt lights
to
adorn the tree and remember the transformers ( for
safety )
Obtain permission to plug lights into the Electricity system
2. Persuade your Local Paper to run an advertisement and cover
the
story for four weeks prior to and four weeks after the lighting
up
ceremony, advertising the event, including the sponsorship form
Most newspapers will run the advertisements free of charge
in return for some publicity ( avoid giving
exclusive rights )
Arrange to have forms printed and distributed from the
newspaper offices, your Charity, local shops and banks
These will also act as collection points for donations
Ensure that you are able to accept credit cards
3. The sponsorship forms and donations are collected by you or
your
nominated Charity and may be recorded on a stand alone database
The donations will be paid into a dedicated charity account
The names will be recorded and each person sending a donation
will receive a hand-written Christmas card showing their
name and the person they have chosen to remember
4. The Charity keeps a record of names to be remembered. These
names will be displayed on a board at the event or in the Church,
Library, Community Hall, etc. Upon completion of the event, (if
no
sponsorship was obtained ) the expenses will be
deducted from
the donations i.e. cost of lights in first year. Printing,
postage and
advertising and the balance is transferred from the dedicated
account to your chosen Charity or Community project
5. The "Rotary Tree of Light" is an individual Rotary Club
project
Each Club will be responsible for the purchase of its lights and
overseeing its own project. Some Clubs who share territory may
wish to carry out a joint venture to support their local Charity
6. Although sponsorship is the preferred way to raise the setting-up
costs it is not necessary to the success of the project as the
expenses may be taken from the donations
7. The costs of running the "Rotary Tree of Light" may be
raised by business sponsorship in your area. e.g. To provide 1000
lights you will need to raise a minimum of £ 1,200 to run the
event
( 2000 lights = £ 1,800 ). This means
that you will need to find 24
sponsors at £ 50 per sponsor. ( Copy of suggested
sponsor
material is on the next few pages ). The event
sponsors pay their
donations to YOUR Rotary Club as you
will need to deduct
expenses for lights, cards, boards, postage etc. the surplus is
paid to the Charity after the event
8. Avoid the temptation to have one sponsor, they will want all
the
publicity, whereas it is more important to promote YOUR
Rotary
Club to gain new membership by "Showing
Rotary Cares"
Approximate Income/Costs for a tree with 1000 lights
a. Income from 1000 lights @ £10 = £ 10,000
b. Cost of lights/transformer. first year only. £ 850
c. Cost of stationary, cards, sundries. £ 350
d. Total Costs in the first year. £ 1,200
Nett. Funds raised for the nominated charity :- £ 8,800
Break-even point is only 100 sponsorships
Many donations exceed £ 25
9. This event has proved very successful for many Rotary Clubs to
raise a considerable amount of money for
LOCAL
CHARITY OR PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY
whilst
giving comfort to sponsors with their memories. A project
in the true spirit of Rotary. An event - set up by Rotarians
helping others to help their local Charity in their community
10. Once the event is in place the "Rotary Tree
of Light"
can be run
successfully every year with very little effort and there is a
considerable
amount of publicity each year for Rotary within your community
The amount raised increases as the event becomes established
Remember, Your Rotary Club will get the publicity
Your chosen Charity or Community project will benefit
THE "ROTARY TREE
OF LIGHT"
CAN BECOME AN
ANNUAL EVENT FOR YOUR ROTARY CLUB