FebFast

Tips, Hints, Facts & Solutions
for all FebFasters

Fundraising Tips for FebFasters

Print Off Our Posters

Getting Your Organisation Involved
1. Register your business and set up a team page
2. Invite people to join your team
3. Keep staff motivated and involved
4. Collect sponsorship

A Few Facts About Alcohol

Got A Question?

Fundraising Tips For FebFasters

There are so many different ways for you to fundraise. Here are some simple starters:

- Tell your mates

Let your friends and family know how to access your fundraising page as soon as possible so that they can contribute to your efforts and watch your progress. This year we’re double daring participants to sign up with a mate. Having a friend on board will provide extra support, and will give you the opportunity.

Pop a message about your FebFast efforts into your email signature and add the link to your fundraising page so others can learn about your FebFast sacrifice. Maybe you have some friends who find it hard to believe you are serious about taking this challenge? Send them a weekly email to keep them up to date with how well you are going.

Put the link to your fundraising page on Facebook and keep everyone involved in your progress through Twitter.

- Wear the FebFast badge

Wear your FebFast badge out to social get togethers and in the workplace. When people ask you what the badge is for, tell them about your FebFast challenge and ask them to donate.

- Got a friend who just can’t commit?

So you have a friend who said they would go on this challenge with you, but piked at the last moment? Challenge them to drop a gold coin into your FebFast fundraising collection every time they have an alcoholic bevvie through Feb.

Before you know it, they will have donated a fortune!

- Get your workplace involved

Encourage your colleagues to sign up to FebFast in a team category.

Ask your workplace to match your fundraising dollar for dollar.

Suggest a workplace mocktail party on a Friday afternoon and get your workmates to chip in to your FebFast fundraising efforts.

Download our FebFast posters and display them around your office.

Ask your organisation’s newsletter editor to write up a story on your progress.

- Tell your supporters where the money is going

Read more about our beneficiaries

- Donations made in Australia over $2 are tax deductible

Your donors can rest assured that FebFast is a registered charity and that donations over $2 made by Australian tax payers are tax deductible.

Getting Your Organisation Involved

Alcohol consumption is closely linked to negative work-related behaviour and absenteeism (Pidd et al. 2006).

By supporting FebFast your organisation will help reduce the impact of alcohol in the workplace and actively contribute to the reduction of costs associated with absenteeism, reduced productivity and work injuries.

Here are some tips and tools for employee engagement.

1. Register your business and set up a team page

Before building your team page, you will need to organise the following:

- appoint a team leader to manage the team page

- a copy of your organisation’s logo to include on the page

- set a financial target for how much money the organisation wants to raise

- a few words on why you are participating in FebFast

Now you are ready to register! Follow the prompts from the FebFast website at www.febfast.com.au sign up your team and customise your page.

2. Invite people to join your team

Send an email to your employees and colleagues inviting them to join your team. Click here and here for sample emails.

3. Keep staff motivated and involved

Try these ideas to keep staff motivated and involved in FebFast:

- Consider subsidising your employees’ registration fee. Contact us at FebFast at to arrange a subsidy for participating employees

- Print off FebFast posters and put them up around the office. Download the posters here.

- Promote the campaign and your team’s involvement on the staff intranet or in any other internal communication

- Run a mocktail event at work:

o Charge a gold coin entry fee
o Run a raffle with proceeds going to FebFast
o Hold a competition to see who can create the tastiest drink

- Send photos of your staff to FebFast at so we can include them in our national newsletter and post them up on the FebFast website

- Join the official Febfast Facebook group and get ideas and support from other participants

- Have a senior member of staff create an online blog on your intranet so others can track their FebFast progress

- Run a ‘before and after FebFast’ story on a few of your participating employees in your staff newsletter

- Add the link to your team’s fundraising page, and or the FebFast website link to your organisation’s email signature for the month of February

- Encourage your peers to learn more about teenagers and alcohol and other drugs by holding a FebFast Teenager Drug and Alcohol lunchtime seminar. Download more information from here.

4. Collect sponsorship

Send emails encouraging your friends and family to visit your team page, leave a message of support and donate. See our sample email to encourage friends and family to donate here.

Donations can be made directly through your page, and the donors will receive an automated tax receipt.

Alternatively you can raise funds outside the online fundraising environment with the offline donation record and receipting form you received when you registered. If you have lost your form, contact us for a new one at

Ask your workplace to consider matching your FebFast fundraising efforts.

Donations over $2 made in Australia are tax deductible.

A Few Facts About Alcohol

Brush up on your alcohol knowledge and amaze your friends and family with all the stats and details you need to know to be the centre of attention at your next mocktail party!

- The social cost of alcohol in Australia, including costs from factors such as ill health, premature death, reduced productivity, crime and accidents is $15.3 billion. (Collins and Lapsley 2008)

- It is estimated that 459,400 Australians consume alcohol at levels considered to be high risk to health in the longterm (AIHW 2005)

- Alcohol is involved in 62% of all police attendances, 73% of assaults, 77% of street offences, 40% of domestic violence incidents, and 90% of late night calls.

- The impact of alcohol problems upon workplaces in Australia is significant, costing business $3.5 billion per year. (Collins and Lapsley 2008).

Take Odyssey House’s Alcohol Insights Test

If you’d like to gain some insights into your alcohol consumption (or that of a friend or family member), take a few minutes to answer the questions in the attached form – it’s quick, simple and anonymous. Odyssey House Alcohol Insights features a simple self-rating questionnaire about alcohol use, answers to frequently asked questions and links to useful information – click here to take the test.

Got A Question?

- I’m having trouble registering. Can you help?

If you are trying to register during business hours, you can give our service provider Everyday Hero a call on 1300 798 768 and they will help resolve your problem.

Alternatively you can email us at info@everydayhero.com.au and they will help you when they receive your message. Remember to include your day time phone number so that they can give you a ring if necessary.

- How can I find a friend’s fundraising page?

and then key in your friend’s name. Their fundraising page will appear.

- I built a fundraising page and forgot my password. Can you help?

Contact our service provider Everyday Hero on 1300 798 768 for assistance.

- Can you donate directly with cash or a cheque made out to FebFast Participants

When you register for FebFast you will receive a form to receipt and record cash or cheque donations you might receive outside your online fundraising page. Send an email request to us at info@febfast.com.au if you would like a new form.

Once you have completed the form you can take cash and cheque donations to any NAB branch for deposit into the FebFast account.

- Why do I need to pay a registration fee?

We see your registration fee is a demonstration of your commitment to participate in FebFast (much like a joining fee at the gym).

We treat your registration fee as a donation. Once you have registered, we will send you a confirmation receipt, which can be used for taxation purposes if you are a tax paying Australian resident.

Donations made in Australia over $2 are tax deductible.

Registered FebFast participants will be offered a variety of benefits throughout the month of February from a number of organisations that are supporting our cause.

To receive these benefits, you will need to identify yourself as a registered 2010 FebFast participant.

- Where are the funds going?

This year’s proceeds from registration payments and fundraising go towards the Australian Drug Foundation, Youth Substance Abuse Service (Vic), Mater Health Services – Adolescent Drug and Acohol Withdrawal Service (Qld) and FebFast’s grants program for smaller grass-roots organisations. Visit our beneficiaries page to find out more about our 2010 beneficiaries and those who received funding over the last two years. Click here

- I have a drug/alcohol problem. Where can I get help?

The Australian Drug Foundation’s website has links to information, treatment and phone counselling services

Click here for their site.

- I have a drug/alcohol problem. Should I sign up to FebFast as a first step towards withdrawal?

FebFast does not recommend this program as a suitable form of withdrawal for people who may be dependent on alcohol and or other drugs.

FebFast’s annual campaign is intended to drive public awareness and raise funds in support of Australia’s youth alcohol and other drug service sector.

If you have a problem with alcohol and or other drug consumption, we recommend you see your doctor for advice.

- Can I buy a Time Out certificate for a friend?

Yes. Here’s the link to purchase a Time Out certificate. Click Here.

- Is there a limit to the number of Time Out Certificates I can buy?

No.

- Can I buy a Time Out Certificate retrospectively?

Yes.

- My friends won’t sponsor me until I have completed FebFast. Is that ok?

Yes. That’s fine.

- How long will my fundraising page be online?

Your page will be up until April.

- My organisation would like to apply for a grant

Proceeds raised through registration and fundraising go towards the Australian Drug Foundation, Youth Substance Abuse Service (Vic), Mater Health Services – Adolescent Drug and Acohol Withdrawal Service (Qld) and FebFast’s grants program for smaller grassroots organisations.

The grants program will be open for funding applications around the middle of the year.

FebFast will communicate with the sector when the grants program opens for applications.

- Have you got another question for us?

Email your question here