How to host your Coffee Morning at school

Once you sign up to host a Coffee Morning, we'll send you your free fundraising kit. It is full of ideas to help make your event a success like fundraising games and a Gift Aid sheet.

We will also send you a link to your own online Coffee Morning fundraising page. We suggest that you personalise it, and share it when inviting people to your Coffee Morning.

We will give you QR code stickers that link to your fundraising page in your fundraising pack. You can add these to any posters or invites you send out.

Other ways to fundraise at your Coffee Morning at school:

• Do a Wear It Green day as part of your Coffee Morning. Students make a small donation and wear their favourite green outfit instead of their school uniform.
• Hold a raffle, sweepstake or silent auction. Collect items for the raffle by asking students, parents and carers, or local businesses to donate. For the silent auction, you could have people volunteer themselves and auction off their skills, time or expertise. For example, a student could be auctioned to help teachers clean their classroom.
• Get a sponsor and ask them to match your donations. You can use our Matched Giving form.

You can host a Coffee Morning any time of the day.

If you want everyone at the school to be involved, you could hold your Coffee Morning at the end of the school day at pick up time.

If it's just for staff, you could have a Coffee Morning table set up throughout the day in the staff room.

There are many ways to invite your guests, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Ask the school to share your Coffee Morning in the school newsletter and on the school's social media.
• Tell the school's parent teacher association.
• Put up posters around the school with details of the event - don't forget to include the QR code to your fundraising page. Visit our fundraising resources page to view our Coffee Morning themed ones. You'll also find these in your fundraising kit.
• Tell everyone about the school's Coffee Morning in the parents and carers group chat.

Don't forget to share your fundraising page in any invites so people can still donate if they can't attend.

If your Coffee Morning is a public event, fill in our form and we'll share the details of the event on our Coffee Morning map so members of the public can attend.

Yes! Students can help with a school Coffee Morning. However, you may want to decide how they can help based off their age.

Primary school students can help by making decorations with our colour-in bunting resource.

Older students may want to get involved by bringing in items they baked themselves. We have plenty of Coffee Morning recipes to inspire them.

You could also ask students to be part of Coffee Morning through their interests or hobbies. For example, a sports club could host a sports event or match during the Coffee Morning. Or a crafts club make want to help make decorations and posters for your event.

If you want to host the Coffee Morning at school, you may need permission. It can also be helpful to involve the school during planning and hosting the event.

They may be able to help with:

• finding a time that works for parents, carers, students and staff
• booking a space at the school to hold your Coffee Morning
• spreading the word about your Coffee Morning through the school newsletter and social media channels
• finding a sponsor to match your donations
• advising the kitchen staff to help with the event
• sourcing food or drinks for the event from a local business.

How much you should charge is up to you.

You could individually price items. Or you could ask people to make a donation to your collection box or fundraising page without a specific pricing or donation amount.

We will send you a thank you letter and certificate in the mail after your Coffee Morning. You will receive a further thank you letter and certificate with an updated total if your donations are paid in over several weeks and payment methods.

Donations given through Facebook and Text2Donate unfortunately are not included in your totals. Please contact us if you would like a bespoke thank you with these amounts. Contact the Supporter Care Team on 0300 1000 200 or email coffee@macmillan.org.uk.

It can be helpful to share information from our How It Helps webpage and Annual Report with your students. This way they can learn more about how fundraising can make a big impact.

Yes! Our Coffee Morning happens every year in September so it is easy to host it as an annual fundraising event at your school.

You can pay in your Coffee Morning money:

• Online
• Over the phone at 0330 102 7890
• At a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, or Ulster Bank, using your unique paying-in slip included in your fundraising kit
• At any Post Office branch by taking in your money along with your unique paying-in slip from your Coffee Morning kit.

Please use the freepost envelope in your fundraising kit to send us your cheques and Gift Aid form, once it’s filled in with all the details.

Cheques should be made payable to Macmillan Cancer Support (please do not send cash) and don’t forget to include your name and address so we can make sure the money goes to your Coffee Morning total.

If you do not have your freepost envelope, please send your cheques and Gift Aid forms to:

Freepost RTLS-JTZR-RYAZ
Macmillan Coffee Morning
PO BOX 4240
Bracknell
RG42 9QL