Fundraising at your school or workplace

There are lots of ways to get your whole school, workplace, or other community space involved in fundraising for the BPA. Browse the resources on this page for guidance, and don’t forget to register your fundraising activities on our registration page!

One way to fundraise in your community is hold a Purple for Porphyria Day, where you ask everyone to wear an item of purple clothing and bring in a £1 or £2 donation for the BPA.

You can hold a Purple for Porphyria Day any time of year, but if you hold it during Porphyria Awareness Week (held during May each year), you will be joining a national effort to spotlight rare genetic conditions like porphyria and make a real difference to the lives of people affected.

LETTER TO SCHOOLS/WORKPLACES

Download a template letter you can send to your local school/workplace to ask for their help in organising a Purple for Porphyria Day.

LETTER TO PARENTS/EMPLOYEES

Download a template letter your local school/workplace can send out to parents/employees to encourage them to take part in a Purple for Porphyria Day.

POSTERS

Download promotional posters you can use to promote Purple for Porphyria Day at your school, workplace, and online.

You can also download our social media toolkit for more ideas on how to promote your event online.

On a purple background, text reads "Wear Purple for Porphyria. Help us raise vital funds for families affected by rare disease. £1 donation." There are illustrations of purple jumpers, trousers and clothes dotted around the text. The BPA logo is in the bottom right corner.

HOW TO COLLECT DONATIONS

There are several ways to collect donations and send them to the BPA:

  1. Take cash donations at your event and send them directly to the BPA bank account via bank transfer or text. If you like, you can also use our sponsorship form to keep track of cash donations made – this is also a good way to make your donations go further, as we can collect Gift Aid on any donations made by UK taxpayers.
  2. If you’d prefer to go cashless, you can create your own JustGiving page and encourage parents, pupils and staff to donate online. Any donations made via this page will go automatically to the BPA, while still allowing you to keep track of how many donations have come from your individual school.
  3. Encourage parents, pupils and staff to donate directly to the official BPA JustGiving page. Any donations made via this page will go automatically to the BPA, however as they all go into the main BPA fund, it will be less easy to keep track of how many donations have come from your individual school.

AWARENESS VIDEOS

Visit our awareness videos page for resources you can use to promote awareness of porphyria and the work the BPA does to support patients and their families – such as the outdoor activity day for children with EPP shown here! Why not screen one of them during a school assembly on Purple for Porphyria day?

PORPHYRIA FACTSHEET

Download and print our Porphyria Factsheet to share at your fundraising event to give attendees more information about how porphyria affects people’s lives and and what their donations will be going towards.

 

Get inspired by Lana’s experience

Student and BPA supporter Lana McGuire held a Purple For Porphyria Day at her school on Rare Disease Day in 2024. Read our interview with Lana to find out how she made it happen.

An illustrated yellow lightbulb is in the centre of a green background. In the bottom left and top right corners are illustrated pink brains, and in the top left and bottom right corners are illustrated multicoloured confetti.

OTHER FUNDRAISING IDEAS

The resources on this page are designed to help you organise a Purple for Porphyria Day at your school, but can be adapted if you choose to hold a different activity. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out our page on Other fundraising ideas, including a handy A-Z of fundraising ideas.

And don’t forget to register your event with us to ensure you’re getting all the support you need to hold a fantastic event!