If you love using your smartphone, you’ll be happy to know we’ve made donating through it much easier.

A lot more of you are using your mobile phones to donate – by 2014 we think around 70% of you will be using your smartphones to give to your favourite charity.

With this in mind, we’ve simplified our mobile donation process. Now if you save your donation preferences, the next time you donate you can do it with just one touch of your mobile phone. Here’s what Fundraising UK Ltd had to say about our one-touch mobile giving

And if you’re in the UK, we’ll also remember your Gift Aid preferences, making it much simpler to claim Gift Aid on your donations.

Lee Marshall, one of our product managers, explains:

‘The way that people give is changing – more than ever, people want to give wherever and whenever they want, on any device. We’ve looked hard at our donation process and have developed what we believe is the world’s fastest, easiest and smartest way to give to charity.’

Find out more about why we think your little mobile phone is so important and what we’re doing to make using JustGiving on your mobile even easier

There are lots of great cycling events taking place all over the world in the next few months. With so many of you gearing up for a two-wheel challenge, we asked the regular riders among you to share your top tips.

Our Facebook and Twitter timelines were quickly filled with cycling words of wisdom, so thank you to everyone who shared such great advice.

For all of you taking on a cycling challenge, here are our favourite tips.

Training

Dyll Davies – Train hard but make sure you rest at least two to three days a week. Vary your training using something like British Cycling guides, mixing short sharp sessions (e.g. hill repeats) with longer ‘base mile’ rides. If the route you are cycling has hills – and even if it doesn’t! – makes sure you ride up hills in training. And finally build in two to three week taper period at the end of your training where you wind down the intensity to rest you body before your event

Mike Bundy – Mix your training up with speed work, distance and interval training. But tailor it to the event your doing so you don’t get caught out i.e on a steep climb or fast flat sprint.

Nutrition

Sally McSorley – My best advice is nutrition is as important as the training itself, especially when regularly doing long distances. Up your protein intake.

Team work

Mark Baxter – I’m cycling 400 miles from my front door to Paris in July. I’m part of a team and we take it in turns to lead the group – one mile leading and five miles off (there are six of us). We stay tight together and shout okay, slow down or faster. You’ll easy put 2-3 mph on your average speed.

@shudziak5 – Definitely arrange to go on some long rides in a group, it’s safer.

‏@goose1015 – Try to ride with others – It makes distance rides so much more fun. Also ride in all weathers to get used to it.

Preparation

@TAMorris14 – Learn to fix a puncture, take spare inner tubes, have extra layers, water and snacks.

Finally, one thing was undeniable…

Reg Patterson – Padded shorts are a must have.

Steve Dudfield – Main advice would be to get a good pair of shorts!

‏@IanYorath5 – Padded shorts!!!

Good luck to everyone taking on a charity bike ride!

Monday 10th June marks the beginning of Carers Week, an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK. It recognises the contribution they make to those they care for and to their communities.

Carers Week 2013 is a partnership of seven UK Charities. If you’d like to show your support by making a donation, or by setting up a regular Direct Debit to one of the charities, here’s a list of who’s involved:

Age UK
Carers Trust
Carers UK
Macmillan Cancer Support
Marie Curie Cancer Care
MS Society
Parkinson’s UK

The week is also being supported by:
Independent Age
The Stroke Association
Carewell

We’re all very excited here at JustGiving – and with good reason too! The JustGiving platform is now open to charities in Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates, making the opportunity to give on JustGiving bigger than ever.

Fundraising on JustGiving

As well as the 12,000 UK registered charities, you can now find and support charities in:

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• United Arab Emirates

Once you’ve found the charity you’d like to support, it’s quick and easy to set up a page and start making a difference.

We have all the different tools you need to tell your story and spread the word about your fundraising.

It’s really easy for your supporters too – people can donate from all over the world and there is an option to donate in various currencies including Australian Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Euros, and UAE Dirham.

Watch this video to find out more about your JustGiving page -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzrASq_gKbE

We’re a charity based in one of those countries. Can we join?

Absolutely! Whether your charity is starting out in online fundraising or you’re an experienced digital guru, becoming a member of JustGiving gives you access to the largest giving portal in the world.

Find out more about what’s possible with JustGiving and how to join

Can charities based in other countries join?

At the moment, we’re only able to sign up charities based in a selection of countries. However, we’re always looking to move into new countries, so we’d really appreciate you registering your charity’s details with us. If JustGiving becomes available in your country, you’ll be the first to know!

Register your interest in joining JustGiving

A big thanks to all of you who’ve donated over £23,000 through JustGiving to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Syria appeal.

The appeal’s now raised over £14 million in total – please donate to support over three million people fleeing their homes who are in desperate need of food, shelter and medical care.

The money raised is helping people like Hassan, who had to flee Syria to Jordan after a bomb landed next to his neighbour’s house. A fragment of shrapnel four inches long had passed through the wall of his house and hit him.

The infection damage means he’ll never walk again. He needs another operation to re-join his severed leg bones – but the £2,600 operation cost is beyond the Jordanian health service which is stretched to breaking point.

Please donate to the DEC Syria appeal to help Hassan and many others like him.

Update – After 21 grueling days, Claire completed her hand-cycle on Monday 14th May. We went along to London’s South Bank to join the crowds and cheer her across the finish line.

Take a look at our photos from the day

Congratulations Claire!

——–

Last year, despite being paralysed from the chest down, Claire Lomas completed the London marathon in a bionic suit and raised more than £220,000 for Spinal Research, a spinal cord repair charity.

And after winning the JustTextGiving by Vodafone Mobile Fundraiser of the Year Award, you’d understand if Claire wanted to take a well-deserved break from grueling physical challenges.

The ride of a lifetime

But Claire has now set herself an equally daring task – The ride of a lifetime. She’s cycling the equivalent of a marathon a day for three weeks on a specially made hand-bike.

Claire had this to say about her new challenge:

‘As soon as I finished the marathon last year I knew I wanted to keep fundraising. I’m looking forward to meeting as many people as I can on the way to raise money, awareness and offer inspiration for them to go and fundraise themselves. Together we can help find a cure for paralysis’.

 

As well as fundraising, Claire will use the challenge to increase awareness of spinal injuries by cycling to schools, universities and workplaces in over a dozen different counties to give educational and motivational talks.

If you want to show your support for Claire’s amazing 21-day challenge, you can donate by visiting her fundraising page or texting LEGS60 £3 to 70070. All the money raised will go to Spinal Research.

Good luck Claire!

Join actor Tom Lister, Hope for Justice CEO Ben Cooley and a team of cyclists on their epic journey from Riga, Latvia to Southampton, UK.

We are doing this cycle ride because of Zoe. Zoe was trafficked from Latvia into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation, where she was repeatedly raped for profit.  After months of investigations, Hope for Justice found and rescued Zoe, and she is now living in freedom.

Join Tom, Ben and the Team – apply for your place!

Cycle one of the stages here in the UK:

29th May 2013: Hull to Leeds (62 miles)

30th May 2013: Leeds to Leicester (110 miles)

31st May 2013:  Leicester to London (125 miles)

1^st June 2013:     London to Southampton (95 miles)

The deadline for registering for a place is April 30^th.

Don’t miss out, apply for your place today

About Hope for Justice

Hope for Justice exists to rescue victims of human trafficking here in the UK. We believe that freedom is worth the fight and that justice is non-negotiable. We are committed to ending slavery in this nation.

We support victims in the pursuit of legal action against their traffickers and our legal team advocate on their behalf in critical situations. Our Aftercare Coordinator works alongside victims and signposts them to relevant organisations that provide the rehabilitation they so desperately need.

Create your fundraising page for Hope for Justice

All money raised through the Zoe Challenge will be used to help Hope for Justice reach and rescue more hidden victims of human trafficking here in the UK.

Please take a look at our website for further information: www.hopeforjustice.org.uk

This year’s JustGiving Awards gave us the chance to meet some of the best fundraisers in the business – our winners! We asked them to share some wisdom to help other fundraisers gain similar success. Here’s what they had to say.

Plan ahead, like Company of the Year Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP)

NLP recommends starting your fundraising as early as possible, if you have a deadline. And if you’re fundraising as a company, try brainstorming with colleagues to come up with fundraising ideas. “Our most innovative and creative ideas came from our staff,” they say. Forward thinking paid off for NLP – they raised over £60,000 for a variety of charities chosen by their employees.

Use the code you must, like JustTextGiving by Vodafone Mobile Fundraiser of the Year Claire Lomas

“If you’re doing a fundraising challenge, make sure your JustTextGiving by Vodafone code is visible on your clothing,” says Claire. “It is such a quick and easy way to donate, and 100% goes to the charity.” Claire’s about to start a brand new challenge cycling from London to Paris, and she’s added her text code to her bike.

Make it a team effort, like Endurance Fundraiser of the Year Stuart Block

Stuart says it’s a good idea to do something which involves other people to get them fundraising with you. He used a tandem bike to ensure friends and family could join him for parts of his epic cycle from Johannesburg to London.

Reward your supporters, like Creative Fundraiser of the year Juliana Matthews

Juliana believes in creating something tangible to encourage people to give. She says, “Many people who buy my Happy Bags aren’t interested in where the money is going. What they want is the actual happy bag itself and at £2, everyone can afford them. So they appeal to teenage girls.”

Juliana’s supporters are sent a Happy Bag that contains a marble (for when you lose all of yours), a piece of string (for when you can no longer hold it together), an eraser (so you can rub out your mistakes and start your day again), a teddy bear (so you can always have a hug), a coin (so you will never be broke), a heart (so you always know someone loves you) and a butterfly (because life is beautiful yet fragile). If you decide to give something away in exchange for a donation, do remind your donors that they can’t tick the GiftAid box!

Get the media involved, like Outstanding Commitment to Fundraising award winner Alice Halstead

Alice says it pays to tell the press what you’re doing. “Make sure your fundraising story is out in the public and people who are touched by your story or the charity you have chosen are more likely to donate.” Alice’s story is truly inspirational – after being diagnosed with a unique form of diabetes, her wish to see the Lion King was granted by Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity. This was the catalyst for her to start fundraising for the organisation, which grants wishes for seriously ill children. So far, her efforts have raised £50,000 for the cause.

Put the ‘fun’ in fundraising, like Cancer Research UK’s Dryathlon, Best Use of Technology award winner

This year’s Best Use of Technology award went to Dryathlon™, a successful fundraising campaign that challenged social drinkers to give up alcohol for January, to raise money for Cancer Research UK. “We used virtual rewards in the form of badges and trophies to encourage fundraisers,” says Ed Cervantes-Watson, from Cancer Research UK. If you’re not quite this tech savvy, try organising a sweepstake around your event or ask your supporters to guess the number of sweets in a jar in exchange for a donation.

Be passionate, like Charity of the Year Nowzad

Nowzad is the brainchild of ex-marine Pen Farthing, who was horrified by the condition and treatment of the local animals upon his arrival in Afghanistan in 2006.  Today, Pen and his team operate the first and only officially recognized animal shelter in Afghanistan. Pen says it’s key to share your passion for your cause with your supporters. He says, “Make sure your target donors know WHY you are willing to run, walk, bake, climb, eat, talk or trek for the charity of your choice – your donors will be more willing to support your noble efforts if they can connect with your reason for making a difference. Supporters NEED to know why they should feel inclined to donate!’ Nowzad certainly know how to do that – they inspired thousands of you to vote for them to be this year’s winner.

Always keep it personal, like Special Recognition Award winner Barbara Walmsley

Barbara has been fundraising for Oxfam GB for 27 years, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process. She says, “Without a doubt my top tip would be to make sure you contact people personally. There is no substitute for topping and tailing your appeal letter or e-mail, visiting your sponsors if you possibly can, sending a thank you acknowledgement and keeping a careful record of donors details for next year if it is an ongoing thing.”

Everyone at JustGiving was horrified to hear of the tragic events that took place at the Boston Marathon yesterday

Around 350 British runners were thought to be competing in the marathon, among them several raising money for charity using JustGiving.

There is as yet no official fund for victims of the bombings. We will share more information as we have it.

Our condolences go out to all of the victims and their families, and our thoughts are with marathon runners everywhere.

We were extremely sad to hear of the death of fundraiser Sam Harper Brighouse while running the Brighton Marathon for charity yesterday. Our condolences go out to Sam’s family and friends.

Sam was raising money for Arms Around The Child, a charity who provide loving homes, HIV treatment, protection and respect for children orphaned and affected by HIV/Aids in India and Africa.

Following the news, the charity said:

“All at Arms Around the Child are deeply distressed by the news that Sam Harper Brighouse from London, running in support of our charity, died after collapsing at the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 14th April 2013. We are liaising with his parents to use the money raised through his JustGiving page for a specific project in his memory. We know that Sam was delighted that he had reached his fundraising target and was helping to make a difference to the lives of the children looked after by Arms Around The Child in India and South Africa.”

Out of respect for Sam’s memory, JustGiving will be donating our fees back to Arms Around the Child.

To donate, you can visit Sam’s page or text AACT91 5 to 70070.