Their fundraising roots lie in the 19th century, but today’s branches continue to attract new members and raise millions of pounds. How do they do it?

From the first Lifeboat Saturday street collections in the late 1800s, the RNLI played a key role in creating community fundraising as we know it. Other charities quickly followed suit and community spirit is still alive and well today.

Fundraising is not a one-way street – volunteers of all ages and walks of life get a lot out of it. There’s the feel-good factor of course, knowing that you’re helping to save lives as sea. Volunteers also enjoy putting their experience to good use, developing new skills and having some good, honest fun with likeminded people. If you’re in the job market, it looks good on the CV too.

RNLI fundraising today is thriving in a range of guises – as a donor you play a key role in making an individual contribution to the RNLI. Perhaps you’ve been sponsored to raise funds in an event too. But what about raising funds with others – how do our branches and guilds successfully fundraise year after year in their communities?

A strong tradition
Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, the Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild is a shining example of how a traditional form of local fundraising can still hold strong in the 21st century. Launched from a hired school classroom in February 1949, the lady volunteers are as tenacious today as their founder members were all those years ago. Last year the team raised almost £48,000.

Chairwoman Daphne Bush says: ’We’ve built on strong foundations. The fundraising traditions established by our ladies in the early days have developed and grown over the years. It’s not just about coffee mornings any more – those days are gone. We still do small events because people enjoy them and it’s good publicity but we focus on events that will pull in at least £1,000. Our Fun Run and Walk on Castlemartin Range is in its 23rd year and has raised well over £100K.

‘We’re fortunate enough to have members with professional skills including communication, organisation, IT – even qualified cooks. We always have a full agenda so I encourage members to choose which events they work at. They are all very committed. I can honestly say that our success is down to being a happy team, having good connections with our supporters, local businesses and the press.

‘Debs, our RNLI Community Fundraising Manager, always makes us feel so valued. It is an absolute pleasure and honour to be the face of the RNLI in Pembroke. There’s nothing else quite like it. I can’t quite put it into words but I’ve been doing it forever and just love it! I know we do the enjoyable side though – the lifeboat crews do the real work.’

The branch, born again
The Port of Liverpool Branch is somewhat of a youngster in comparison but typifies today’s brave new world of branch fundraising. Formed on the back of a single fundraising event in 2010, its innovative volunteers have grown the branch’s annual income from £4,850 to over £30,000 in just 3 years – hence the reason they received a coveted RNLI Supporter Award in May. There’s a good mix of new blood and experience here, bringing original ideas and a lively presence on social media. And fresh relationships with big business have helped to convert many maritime events at the city’s famous docks into fundraising opportunities. The volunteers know how these occasions raise vital awareness as well as money and have developed a unique event to bring the work of the RNLI to new audiences. As well as a packed calendar of events, the team also finds time to share ideas and support with other branches.

Chairman Sue Webster says: ‘We plan to carry on building up more businesses and contacts. It’s hard work but we keep on going – onwards and upwards! We started off as being a family run branch but in time we got a lot of new people onboard. They are an amazing group and I’m so proud to be their Chairman. I hope they will be with me forever.

‘When I first met our local lifeboat crew I was so inspired by what they do. They are tremendous people, risking their own lives to save others. We have the easy job!’

It started on a Saturday
For over half a century, the RNLI’s main source of income was from a few select individuals and organisations who were able to buy lifeboats outright or leave substantial legacies. In those early days, a ‘Life-boat Branch’ was chiefly the operational committee of a lifeboat station and appeals were largely reactive and pitched to the wealthy in times of financial crises.

It wasn’t until 1891, 5 years after the Mexico disaster claimed the lives of 27 RNLI crew members, that this all changed. Manchester businessman Sir Charles Macara, who helped to raise funds for the families of the lost lifeboatmen, vowed to make RNLI funding less sporadic and from a much wider base of supporters in the future. His brainchild was the Lifeboat Saturday, where real lifeboats were hauled through towns and city streets by real heroes. Members of the public were inspired by these spectacles and felt proud to be associated. Healthy collections were made by willing volunteers and total RNLI income leapt by £20,000 (over £2M in today’s money) in just a year.

This community fundraising spirit spread rapidly across the UK and Republic of Ireland and it was soon emulated by other charities. Ladies’ Lifeboat Auxiliaries and other individuals joined forces to form fundraising RNLI branches and guilds – the financial hubs for their local stations. And many hundreds more sprang up in land-locked locations to fundraise for the organisation as a whole. The Life-boat Saturday eventually grew into the Lifeboat or Flag Day – the climax to a busy year of local branch fundraising events. Our lifesavers are thankful that this great tradition still holds strong today.