Promoting Your Event

Promoting your ‘Wear dots… raise lots’event

We need you to help us spread the word about RNIB and, by making sure lots of people know about your ‘Wear dots… raise lots’event, you can help raise more vital funds for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.

Think about the best ways you could promote your event and reach local people, either to encourage them to attend your event, if appropriate, or to shout about how much you’ve raised afterwards. Options could include using social media or contacting your local paper or radio station. Try to create a buzz around what you are doing!

We can provide materials such as posters and balloons to make sure that everyone knows you are raising money for RNIB. Contact us on 0345 345 0054 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email .

Get your message out

Tell all your friends!
Carry your sponsorship form or online giving address with you everywhere. You never know who might sponsor you.
Send out a tweet using #weardots, it will then appear on our website feed.
Put posters up wherever you can - at work, school, in your local shops, community centre or library.
Post pictures of your event on our Facebook page Facebook.com/weardots
Share the link to rnib.org.uk/weardots on your Facebook and Twitter, and share photos and updates on Instagram. Make sure you include#weardots in any tweet, Facebook or Instagram post.
Send us your ‘Wear dots…raise lots’ stories and photos - we'd love to inspire others with your story. You can post them on the Wear dots Facebook page - Facebook.com/weardots, email us at or ring 0845 345 0054 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

How to write a press release

Why?

There are lots of reasons why you should contact local media and tell them about your ‘Wear dots…raise lots’ fundraising event:

To raise awareness of the good work your organisation is doing to help make reading more accessiblefor blind and partially sighted people.
To encourage other people in your region to organise their own fundraising events.
To let people know about your event and invite them to attend, if appropriate, with a strong call to action, for example "Help us raise £500!"

Who?

Think about all the different media outlets that cover your local area such as newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and websites. Usually you'll be able to find the contact details for theNewsdesk on their websites or by calling their main switchboard number.

How?

Write a short and concise press release which explains all of the important information; who, what, why, where, when and how much you have raised. You can download a template press release once you register for ‘Wear dots…raise lots’.
Keep your sentences short and punchy. Avoid overly long or complicated words or phrases.
Write a headline that is clear and to the point. You can use this in the subject of your email too. For example:

- Northamptonshire printing firm hosts book sale for RNIB.

- Local brownies wear dots to fund braille books.

Don't use lots of exclamation marks – it might look like spam.
Don't send large attachments with your email. If you are sending a photo, make sure it is around 1MB which is big enough to be printed in a newspaper but not so big that it will clog up your recipient's inbox.
Send your press release via email. Include your contact details in your email and in the ‘Notes to editors’ section of the press release so the media can get in touch with you if they have any questions.
You could even use our template to invite the media to send photographers to a photocall to help raise awareness of your event and the money you’ve raised.

Be sure to let us know if you get press coverage for your Wear dots…raise lots event and send us a copy. We love to see our fundraisers getting the attention they deserve.

If you have any questions, email us at or call 0345 345 0054 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Good luck!

rnib.org.uk/weardots