Why Wear Dots Andraise Lots?

Wear dots fundraising guide May 2017

Why wear dots andraise lots?

100 people every day in the UK start losing their sight. It will change their life completely.

Too many people are left alone to cope with this news. Many will quickly feel isolated and depressed. Right now, RNIB can only reach one in three of those who need our help the most. But by wearing dots and raising lots you’ll help us to support them. We’ll be able to be there from the moment of diagnosis so you’ll be helping people face their future with confidence.

This May we’re asking you to Wear dots and raise lots to support RNIB. It’s a really fun and easy way to help the almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss; a figure we believe will double by 2050.

But why dots?

Wear dotsraise lotsthis May to highlight the impact of braille, a unique system of raised dots that can be read by touch.

This fundraising guide tells you more about the need for your help, thebrilliant braille and how it is used, and is full of ideas to help you plan your dotty event for May.

100 people every day in the UKstart losing their sight.

Jessica’s story

Jessica is six and has Cone Dystrophy and Nystagmus. She reads giant print and has her school work enlarged for her. She is learning braille which she enjoys and her Mum is also learning braille so that she can be of support to her.

Jessica’s Mum, Sam says:

“She is strong willed, funny, intelligent and very energetic. She makes me proud every day.”

Isabella’s story

Isabella is 10, has Retinopathy of Prematurity and uses a cane. She lovesreading and her favourite book inbraille is The Secret Garden.

“I use my fingers and I feelthe dots. When I first reada book in braille I wasreally really excited.

Wear dots raise lotsis a fabulous idea.”

Find out more about Jessica andIsabella by watching their film atrnib.org.uk/dots Jessica Isabella

This is what we did last year.

The 2ndPlympton Brownies raised a great 46 pounds wearing dots!

Louise Dieroff, Tawny Owl, said “We painted glow in the dark dots on our faces and followed a dotty trail on a night walk. We all had a fun evening raising money for a great charity!”

An activityyou can do

Use the braille alphabet card in your pack to feel the dots. Can you tell the difference between the letters? Then test your braille skills to work out the message on our decipher the dots card.

The need to read

When you lose your sight, readinganything, from a cash machine

screen, to labels on food and drink, to abook, can become impossible.

Think of the sense of isolation andloneliness that losing your eyesightwould bring to your life. Reading isn’tjust a fun pastime.

Braille is a system of six raised dots,arranged in two columns of three dots,just like a domino. It is designed to beread by fingers.

RNIB is the largest publisher of Braille books in Europe. Last year our readingservices lent 116,529 volumes ofbraille and braille music. Blind andpartially sighted adults and childrencan also borrow from our audio andgiant print libraries.

Why learn braille?

Learning braille from a young agemeans that blind and partially sightedchildren can enjoy reading for life.

Braille also helps literacy, as it’s a muchbetter way to understand punctuation,grammar and spelling than audio.

RNIB campaigns for blind and partiallysighted children to learn braille,whether they are in mainstream orspecial schools.

A few facts about Braille

It was invented in 1824 by a 15-year-old blind boy called

Louis Braille.

All writing can be turned into braille: from bank statements to streetsigns, medicine packets to music.
Braille has been adapted into every language, from Albanian to Zulu.
RNIB published our first braille book in 1871.
RNIB has taken braille from dot to dotcom! New braille technology isrevolutionising the way that blind people read everything fromsmartphones to computer screens.

You should have your sighttested at least everytwo years

An eye examination is an important health check for your eyes and candetect early signs of a sight problem. Many eye conditions can be treated if they are spotted early enough. Some people, especially children, may need their eyes examined more oftenand your optometrist will advise you about this.

For further information visit rnib.org.uk/eyehealth

This is what we did last year

The 42nd Coventry Cub Scout group took part in Wear dots raise los as part of their badge work covering people who help in the community.

The children were sponsored for wearing as many dotty things as they could during a pack night. They only had a small group but raised a fantastic 165 pounds.

An activityyou can do

Try painting your nails with different coloured dots and dotty patterns, you could even make them tactile and stick on jewels or gems!

How about getting your friends together and having a nail painting party and asking people to make a donation?

1…2…3 it’s as simple asjoining the dots

1 Get the word out

Tell everyone you know that you’re going to Wear dots and raiselotsforRNIB. Explain that you will be helping to end isolation for blind and partially sighted people through your fundraising. Why not ask your friends, family and colleagues to join you and dress in dots for the day – the more dots, the better! Use the materials included in your pack and remember there are more available to download from our website atnrnib.org.uk/dotsdownloads

2 Line up your dots!

Raid your wardrobe and discover your dots – don’t worry if you can’t find anything, pop down to your local charity shop and pick up a bargain. You can always add to the effect by painting your nails with dots or accessorising with a dotty scarf, hair band, tie or socks. Or you could even make your own!

3 Wear dots and raise lots this May

Whether pretty in polka dot or divine in Dalmatian, ask everyone takingpart to donate a suggested amount. We suggest 2 pounds for adults and 1pound for children.

For more ideas visit rnib.org.uk/weardots

Don’t stop at just wearing dots

There are lots of other things you can do withDots. Here are a few suggestions:

Bake dots and raise lots. Get creative with choc chips and arty with smarties and hold a cakesale at your school, club or work. Think dotty tablecloths, cups andsaucers and some delectable delights for sale.
Play dots and raise lots. Challenge your friends and colleagues to a “dot gamestournament” using dominoes, darts, draughts, hoopla, Connect 4, bingo, Twister, or hula hooping.
Paint dots and raise lots.Paint people’s nails with dots and ask for a donation, or print somet-shirts with dots to sell, maybe with names in braille.

Check out rnib.org.uk/dotsaz for more ideas.

This is what we did last year

Sproatley Endowed CE VC Primary School raised a fabulous 365 pounds on their dotty day.

Anna Uney, said “Our pupils watched the videos and were very keen to raise as much money as possible to allow other children to have the same opportunities as them. They wanted children with visual impairment to be able to have the same books they have. The class were fascinated by braille and thought that people who read it must be very clever!”

On the day, they made braille bookmarks and had a twister tournament, hula hooping competition and a bake sale.

An activityyou can do

Try printing your own t-shirts with fun brightly coloured dots, maybe even write your name in braille! You can use fabric paints or pens, or simply stick on dots to customize plain t-shirts. You could even use tactile dots cut out of felt, fake fur, or bubble wrap!

Free schools’ resources

Why not encourage your class to learn more about sight loss when they Wear dots and raise lots? You could even have a week of dots!

We have produced free curriculum relevant lesson plans for EYFS and Foundation Stage, KS1 to 4, P1 to7 and S1 to 4 which enable teachers to easily include the materials in their daily lessons.

Download our free materials from rnib.org.uk/dotsteachers

EYFSFoundation Stage, KS1 to 4, P1 to 7 and S1to 4 lesson plans
PowerPoint presentation
Information and statistics about sight loss
Videos and quizzes
The story of Louis Braille
Braille alphabet sheets and activities
Information on eye health

We also have activities specifically for uniform groups such as Guidesor Scouts. Take a look at rnib.org.uk/dotsuniform to download them.

Don’t forget you can request more materials such as braille cards,

balloons and our super simspecs that show what it might be like to have a sight problem. You could get people to move around a room carefully or read something and describe what they can see while wearing them.

Poppy, who is five, learnt about braille in class. She says:

“They’re little dots but to some people they’re not,they’re braille.”

And Freddy, who is nine, is blind. He says:

“It’s great when my friends in class are learning a bitmore about what it’s like to be blind. It makes me feel more included.”

Join in at work

Would your company like to be more involved with Wear dots and raise lots? Our Corporate Team would love to work with you to create a unique and innovative partnership that will not only meet your CSR and business objectives, but make your company stand out from the crowd.

A few ideas to get you started

Get involved in employee fundraising throughout the month of May. You could host anything dotty from a tea party, a nail salon or wear a dotty tie for the day! Do your employees dare to dot?
How about a limited edition bespoke dotty cause related marketing (CRM) opportunity? This could include donations on certain product ranges in the month of May or even throughout the year.
You could become an official dotty sponsor with an exclusive package tailored to your company.

Benefits could include brand presence and promotion across campaign marketing materials, a dedication our award winning Sony RNIB Connect radio as well as presence on the RNIB website.

Partnering with RNIB will help you:

Achieve CSR and business goals
Help drive footfall
Increase market share and income
Attract and retain staff
Enhance your reputation

With your support, we can be there for more people with sight loss.

This is what we did last year

For every pair of Dotty fish’s lovely White Spotty dotty and Navy Spotty Dotty Shoes sold on their website until September 2017, the company will make a generous 1 pound donation to RNIB’s Wear dots raise lots campaign.

Find out about their beautiful soft leather boots and shoes for young children atrnib.org.uk/ dotty hyphen fish

Maximise your money

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a great way for us to raise even more from donations. For more about Gift aid, please visit rnib.org.uk/giftaid

Online fundraising

The easiest and most cost effective way to fundraise is via the donation site Just Giving. Remember to choose RNIB from the list of event options at justgiving.com/rnib.

We’ve also included a sponsorship form if you prefer.

Matched funding

Many companies offer matched funding as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy. This means that they’ll match what you fundraise pound for pound (often up to a restricted amount). Be sure to speak to your company to see if this is an option when you wear dots and raise lots.

Promoting your event

The more promotion you get, thebigger your profile and the more

money you will raise.Be sure to contact your localnewspapers and radio stations –hitting the headlines can help you raisemore vitally needed funds. You candownload media information,templates and our hashtag page fromrnib.org.uk/dotsdownloads.

We’d love to see any photos or updateson how you’re getting on wearingyour dots

Social media is a great place topromote your events. Don’t forget tolike us and post your pictures using #weardots on Facebook.com/rnibuk, and follow us @RNIB.

Extra Materials

Don’t forget that you can ask for extramaterials such as balloons, braillecards, moneyboxes and simspecs tomake sure you have enough foreveryone. You can also customize andprint posters with details of your ownevent.

How your money helps

5 pounds could help more callers to the RNIB Helpline access the advice and supportthey need to live their lives independently.

12 pounds could help our Activity Co-ordinators to support blind and partially sighted children in discovering their adventurousside with Actionaires club activities such as climbing,skiing and kayaking.

20 pounds could help provide information and support to someone with sight problems seeking employment.

75 pounds could offer advice, a listening ear, understanding and friendship with one of our weekly Talk and Support

telephone groups.

100 poundscould pay for the recording of a talking newspaper keepingsomeone in touch with local and world events.

500 pounds could pay for someone at a desperate time in their life to havesix sessions of one to one professional counselling

1,295 pounds could help produce a book in braille meaning that no one isclosed off to a world of reading and enjoyment

This is what we did last year

Children at Woodside Primary School in Aberdeen raised a marvellous 675 pounds for Wear dots and raise lots.

“When our teacher told us about the Wear dots campaign, we thought how much we all love reading and felt that children with sight loss shouldn’t have to miss out on fantastic stores and books. We learned some braille, we recorded our own audio books and we got the whole school involved in wearing dots, with some children making their own dotty designs!”

We’re here to help you

We want you to have fun with your event and to have huge success as you Wear dots to raise lots!

We hope this guide gives you all the information you need but don’t forget to visit rnib.org.uk/weardots for more ideas and resources.

If we can help at all, please call 0345 345 0054 or email . You can also order more materials such as balloons, simspecs, stickers and braille cards.

Twitter.com/rnib#weardots

Youtube.com/user/rnibuk

Registered charity numbers 226227 and SCO 39316.