How to Help

• Make a Donation
• Give in Memory
• Give in Celebration
• Fundraising Events
• Company Support
  • 4 Hour Challenge
    • Registration
    • FAQ
    • 4 Hour Challenge Ideas
    • Resource Centre
    • Hints & Tips
    • Dylan's Story
  • Charity of the year
  • Cause-related marketing
  • Sponsorship
  • Employee fundraising
  • Payroll giving
  • Matched giving
  • Corporate trusts & grants
  • Gifts in kind
  • Corporate supporters
• Trusts
• Schools
• Student Fundraising
• Community Groups
• Other Ways to Help

Frequently Asked Questions about the...

  

Q: We’re too busy to stop working for 4 hours, but still want to help – what can we do?

A: Don’t worry if you haven’t got a full 4 hours to spare, because you can still get involved, perhaps by organising a dress-down day, or allowing employees to ‘buy’ the opportunity to leave work at 4pm in return for a donation? 

 

Q: Are we limited to only doing this on 4th April?

A: Friday 4th April will be the main day, but of course you can arrange your 4 Hour Challenge on another day which suits you better. 

 

Q: How can we make as much money as possible?

A: Sponsorship and cash collections are a great way to make money quickly, and auctions are also a real money spinner when time is tight.  Why not have a look at our ideas page for other money-making hints and tips. 

Q: How much money are you expecting companies to raise?

A: There are no pre-set expectations as your fundraising total will depend on a huge number of factors, such as the size of your company, how many people take part, and where you are based.  Every penny really does count though, so whether you raise £40 or £4000 it will still make a significant contribution towards our search 4 a life-saving vaccine.  To give you a guideline, it costs £270 to run a typical Meningitis UK research project for the day, so you could set your own target based on how many days or weeks you want to fund. 

Q: How will we know how well we’ve done in comparison to other companies?

A: Shortly after everyone has done their 4 Hour Challenge, our website will give you the opportunity to tell the world how much you raised and show off your pictures.  Of course, this also allows you to check out the competition and compare fundraising totals!  Whilst you’re online, you can even click through to our resource centre and pay in your money instantly.  

Q: How much support will we get from Meningitis UK?

A: Meningitis UK’s team of fundraisers will be on call to answer any questions you might have and advise on fundraising, and when you register we will also provide you with a full fundraising pack to help kick-start your plans and provide you with essential resources like sponsorship forms, posters and email templates.  If you think they’ll be useful, we can also send you t-shirts, balloons and banners to help you publicise your challenge.

 

Q: What will our money be spent on?

A: Meningitis UK’s sole focus is to find a vaccine to eradicate meningitis.  Meningitis can kill in under 4 hours, and every week six families have to face the devastation of such a sudden and tragic loss.  Vaccines already exist to protect against some strains of the disease, but we cannot yet protect against the most common form of the disease in the UK – Meningitis B – which currently accounts for almost 90% of all cases.  We believe that this Meningitis B vaccine can be found within the next 7 years, and your money will help us raise the £7million which is needed by our Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign in order to find this life-saving vaccine.

 

If you have any other queries, please feel free to email Laura on laurachapman@meningitisUK.org or call 0117 373 73 73.