Guidance notes for bid submissions

Overview       

The MTG Youth for Charity scheme offers young people (aged 14 – 15) in Surrey the chance to nominate which charities they think should receive a share of £20,000 which is being donated by Surrey businessman Ian Vincent.  Bids can be submitted by teams or individuals who will research their preferred charities and submit a short online presentation bidding for a cash award for their chosen charity.  Nominated charities must be registered with the UK charity commission but their work may be carried out anywhere in the world.  The presentations should show how the work of the nominated charity will benefit people.

Goals: Aims / Objectives

To provide young people with an opportunity to engage with external organisations, learn more about the work of charities; apply their understanding and life skills to decide which bids to make for which charities and make a presentation bidding for a specific cash amount.  Bids should be submitted by no later than 30 March 2012.

Materials and Aids

  •   Internet Access.
  •   Software and computer facilities.
  •   Video Camera (e.g. mobile phone) if a video presentation is desired.
  •  Third party sources, e.g. CAB or Volunteer Centres may be able to help provide information about suitable charities to be considered.

Suggested Methodology

Prospective bidders may wish to review the website content and suggestions at www.youthforcharity.blogspot.com and familiarise themselves with the nature of this project, if necessary interacting with the scheme manager and donor by posting comments on the blog pages and reviewing the replies.

There may be some benefit in working with a friend or forming a small group to carry out this project.  For example some school friends are working in groups of between 4 – 8 people to help share ideas and provide opportunities for discussion of what will be in the presentation.  Within a group it may be helpful to allocate roles and responsibilities, decide at an early stage the methods for carrying out research and tasks, timelines for bringing material together and the manner in which decisions will be taken within the group.

A number of charities have posted information on the scheme website so that they may be considered to be nominated for an award, but the judges will be pleased to receive bids for awards benefiting other charities as well.

Presentations can be made in any electronic format, e.g. video, word document or PowerPoint format.

The criteria to be used by the judges will include :-

  •  How well have the needs of the charity been understood and clearly portrayed?
  •  Is the bid well structured and is it clear who will potentially benefit from the award?
  • Will the charity need other resources or cash to complete the work for which the award is sought and if so where will those resources or cash come from?
  •  When and how will the money be spent and when will the people who are intended to benefit from the award actually see the benefit? Will the person or group making the bid have an opportunity to follow the work of the charity in using the money? 
  • Are there any unique or special advantages, or added value to the beneficiaries, charities, people making nominations or the Youth for Charity scheme within the bid.

Development Ideas

The scheme manager and donor will be pleased to receive comments or blog entries to suggest enhancements to the operation of the scheme, or consider how PR and marketing might be used to increase awareness of the scheme, or consider how else the work of the charities might be promoted to young people and in the wider community.

Closure

Awards will be made and the cash distributed in April / May 2012.  The scheme manager may invite participants to join in promotional opportunities during the period the scheme is operating, (e.g. local press photo shoots and interviews) at the time the money is given and also during the period that the money is being spent by the charities through to implementation of the projects.

If you have any further questions please contact Derek Austin on 01483 755609 or by email at derek.austin@mtg.uk.net or post a blog entry on the website at www.youthforcharity.blogspot.com

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