Hold a promotional event

Promote organ donation with your own event

Promotional events are a great way to attract publicity about organ donation at a local level. An event can range from distributing leaflets in your local high street or hosting a coffee morning, to organising a stand at a country show or doing a sponsored run.

The sky really is the limit and your imagination is the key. Please note that NHS Blood and Transplant cannot provide any financial assistance towards events, but we can provide promotional materials to use free of charge.

The idea of staging a large event is exciting but it’s easy to underestimate the amount of work involved. Everyone wants to run an enjoyable, successful event so here are some useful ideas and guidelines to help get you started.

Getting started

Before you plan your event, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to prepare. Successful events take a good amount of time and people to help carry out so you might want to think about pulling together a team of volunteers to help.

Do your research

Research is key in planning any event. You will want to consider the area you are promoting donation in, the amount of budget you have available, the demographics of the people that live in or visit the area.

It is a good idea to research places with a high footfall or exposure, any events taking place at the same time as you may wish to join in with some, or avoid others.

Booking a stand

Venue

You need to consider the best type of venue to suit your event.

This list will help you decide what is best for you:

  • Is the event best suited to an outdoor or indoor venue?
  • How many people are you expecting to attend, therefore what size venue will you need?
  • Is there adequate transport to the venue?
  • Is there adequate parking at the venue?
  • Are there adequate facilities? Eg toilets, changing rooms, power, water,
    staging, disabled access.
  • Does the venue organise litter clearance or is it your responsibility?
  • How will people move between the entertainment and facilities, and from the entrance and exit routes?

For indoor venues check your local area for youth centres or church halls available free of charge. For outdoor venues look into the availability of local park spaces, school grounds and sports centres.

You will need to ensure you have permission to use the space which may require a licence, and comply with the relevant laws and regulations such as health and safety, fire safety, public liability and environmental health. Your local council may be able to provide more information on using public spaces.

If your event is taking place in Wales, please contact organdonation@wales.gsi.gov.uk. The Organ Donation Wales Team can then talk you through the support available.

Materials

Materials are available to order free of charge, however we ask you to be mindful of the fact we are a publicly funded organisation and only order what you need, especially for higher cost items such as t-shirts and banners.

For this reason, we have set limits on the quantities of each item that can be ordered. However if you are running an event and have specific needs for a higher quantity please contact us to discuss further and we will endeavour to accommodate your request where possible.

Please also consider the environment when running your event and keep waste to a minimum.

Any materials with images, logos and straplines associated with organ donation have a high national profile of great integrity. It is important that this integrity is maintained across any material that promotes organ donation and we protect them against misuse.

The organ donation logo and associated straplines belong to, or are licensed to, NHS Blood and Transplant.

If you want to use any organ donation branding in your own materials, for example in a leaflet or on a website, you must obtain permission from us first.

Please email brand.communications@nhsbt.nhs.uk explaining what you are doing and when and where you would like to use the logos/branding. Please send through the materials you want to include the logos on.

Speaking to members of the public

Events are a great place to raise awareness of organ donation. Research shows that one of the biggest reasons that people haven’t joined the NHS Organ Donor Register is that they simply haven’t got around to it! So by being present at local events you are giving them an opportunity to sign up easily there and then.

Before carrying out your event, ensure you are clued up on the latest organ donation facts, stats, common myths and barriers, so that you are prepared to discuss these and can answer simple questions.

Our handy fact sheets will provide some useful discussion points when speaking to members of the public and answering any questions they may have.

If you are unsure of the answer to a question, never guess! Always ask the person to call our helpline on 0300 123 2323 and we will be happy to help.

When encouraging people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register, you could use a tablet device or laptop to register people, if there is a suitable internet connection available.

Often when people take a leaflet away, this can easily be lost or forgotten about, so by signing up on an electronic device, this again provides a quick and easy way to do so.

You can also track the number of people who register through this method. For more information visit our guide on measuring your campaign activity.

It is important to note that organ donation is a highly personal decision, and we would never push anybody to join the NHS Organ Donor Register if this is not something they are comfortable with. Please be sensitive at all times to personal views on organ donation.

Lastly, please ensure you comply at all times with the Data Protection Act (2018). Do not record or keep any personal details and ensure any completed registration leaflets are sealed and forwarded immediately to:

NHS Blood and Transplant
Organ Donor Register
Fox Den Road
Stoke Gifford
BRISTOL
BS34 8RR

Good luck!

We wish you every success for your event! If you have any queries about running your event or other promotional activity for organ donation please contact us at: marketing.comms@nhsbt.nhs.uk