A-Z of fundraising ideas

A – Z of Fundraising Ideas

A

Adopt us as your charity of choice

Abseil - get the adrenaline pumping with a sponsored abseil down the lift-tower

Alcohol - choose how long you are going to give up drinking for, and then ask people to sponsor you.

Antiques roadshow - find experts to donate their time. Charge for entrance and valuations. Maybe link with an Antiques Fair and charge stall holders for their pitches.

Artwork Exhibition Sale &/or Auction - of friends work or that of local artists. Any picture, however bad or good looks more attractive in a mount so get them mounted and wrapped in a protective cover.

Afternoon tea - read the information we have put together on how to organise a Tea Party

Auction of promises - people offer goods or services to be auctioned (e.g. cleaning a car, chauffeur for the day, decorating room, haircut etc.) Make sure you advertise well in advance and get an auctioneer with a loud voice.

Angling competition - participants pay to enter. Prizes for the biggest fish caught, most fish caught and a booby prize for the most unusual item caught.

B

Berlin Marathon

Baby competition

Bingo

Baby Photos

Beer Festival

Best Breakfast event

Brunch Gathering

Bridge Afternoon

Bring and Buy Sale

Bucket Collection

Black tie Ball

Babysitting - donate your earnings to us

BBQ - held in your garden. Ask guests to pay an entrance fee, then provide them with food and drink for free.

Barn dance - find a real barn if possible and hire a good band. Recruit a caller who knows all the dances and can instruct those with two left feet. Charge for admission and refreshments. Make sure you sell enough tickets before the night, not just on the door.

Bed pushing marathon - different teams are sponsored. Choose a high profile route, eg through the town centre on a Saturday morning. Please note, you will need permission from your local council.

Benefit Performance - read the information we have put together on organising a concert or benefit performance

Bike rides - you name the distance and the route. Don't forget safety precautions and your helmet.  

Book sales - get all your friends and relatives to clear out their book shelves and donate the books to you to sell.

Bridge evening - The entrance fee could include a light supper or nibbles and a glass of wine.

Burns Night - get your local Scottish residents to help catch the haggis!

C

Cycle challenge; UK or abroad,

Cupcakes & coffee,

Clay pigeon shoot,

Car Boot Sale

Carol Service

Casino Evening

Ceilidh Supper

Celebration Event

Choir Competition

Climbing Stairs

Cinema

Cocktail Party

Coffee Morning

Comedy Evening

Community Lotteries, we are registered with Corby, Daventry and Northampton

Concert

Craft Sale

Cup Final Gathering

Cake bake - invite your neighbours round or do this at work. Bake a few cakes and sell each slice for a £1. Find out more about how to organise a cake or bake sale

Caption competition - you need a group of at least 25 people. Get a photo of your club chairman or work CEO doing something unusual and then get everyone to submit a caption for £1. Winner gets 50% of the proceeds.

Carers Week Events – join in Northamptonshire Carers events or organise your own.

Carol singing - entice people along with the promise of mince pies and sherry.

Car washing

Children's fun day - parents pay for children to take part. Arrange entertainment, face painting, races etc.

Cinema screening - could your local cinema be persuaded to do a preview for Northamptonshire Carers? Increase the price ticket by £1 - £2. Have a display in the foyer.

Coffee mornings

Concerts - ticket selling and publicity are vital. Many bands, orchestras and choirs are often on the lookout for opportunities to perform for good causes and in good venues, on an expenses-only basis. You just need to ask!

Curry night

D

Dress down/up days

Dragon boat racing

Disco party

Diet – be sponsored to lose weight

Darts Match

Dinner Dance

Dog Event

Donate a Car

Doughnut Week

Dances - organise a disco, ceilidh, ballroom, salsa or 70's night. You need a venue, band/ DJ and a drinks license (if you are selling alcohol.)

Darts match - charge an entry fee, have a raffle and refreshments. Make it fun - ladies versus, left handed throws only etc.

Dog walking - get your neighbours to pay you.

Downloading music -  use http://www.fairsharemusic.com/ to get all your favourite songs and help Northamptonshire Carers at the same time

Duck race – Rubber ones, not actual ducks!

E

Events – sign up to one of ours or organise one yourself.

Easter Activities

Eurovision party

Exhibition - get local arts and crafts groups (wood turners, jewellery or nick nack makers, painters etc) to hold an exhibition of their work. Ask for an admission fee and ask exhibitors to pay a fee for their pitch.

Expeditions – How about a sponsored trekk for Northamptonshire Carers?

Expert talk - use an expert or well-known personality prepared to donate their time. Charge admission, have a break to sell refreshments and auction their latest book, invention or autograph.

eBay - register yourself on eBay.co.uk or another auction site and auction off your old, unwanted items. You're likely to raise more money than you would from a car boot sale and have fun watching the items go up in price at the same time!

F

Form a Fundraising community group

Fashion show

Football Kit day

Fetes & Fairs

Face Painting

Football Tournament

Fancy dress days - pay to wear fancy dress or dress down to work or school and fine those that don't make the effort. Non-uniform days at school are always popular. In the office have crazy tie, bad hat or yellow and blue only days. April Fools Day is ideal for this.

Festivals - of craft, drama or flowers. You'll need a team of volunteers to design and create displays. Sell programmes, refreshments and organise stall sales.

Fetes - celebrities will help draw in crowds. But there's lots of work, planning and costs involved - so be careful!

Fishing tournament - get sponsorship from a local angling shop.

Football match - collections at half time.

Fun Day - hold a family fun day at work. Include an It's a Knock Out style competition.

Fun runs - organise your own; you decide the venue and the distance. Try to get a local personality to compete or start the event off. Or, if you do not have time, simply book a place in an officially organised event such as the London Marathon or Great Northern Rfun and ask friends for sponsorship.

£5 into £50 - Give friends or volunteer fundraisers a sum of money (£5) and a time limit (three months) to increase this by devising a money-generating activity. Ideas include: planting vegetable seeds and selling produce; baking and selling cakes; backing the Derby winner; investing. Award prizes for the most ingenious idea.

50:50 club - get everyone to donate £1 a month (by standing order if possible). Each month holds a draw when someone wins half the total raised. No licence is required - you just need to ensure at least half the money goes back into prize money.

G

Great Wall of China

Great South/North Run

Gap year challenge

Grand Draw

Great South Run

Gym-a-thon

Garden party - or open garden; held in your garden, with stalls, games, refreshments and raffles.

Grow a beard or moustache – Get sponsored to grow a beard or moustache

Gift Aid

Give a car - if you have an old car you might want to donate it so that the proceeds go to Northamptonshire Carers. Find out how to donate your car here: http://giveacar.co.uk/

Go-karting - sponsored laps. Pay entry fee and winner (and maybe loser) get a prize!

Golf open days - get a golf club to sponsor the event for you, invite club members and local businessmen for the tournament. Organise a raffle and auction in the evening as well.

Greek night - lay on Greek food, wine and dancing in your local village hall.

Guy Fawkes party - if you have a large garden organise a firework display, charge for admission and refreshments.

H

Hiking

Harley Ride Out

Half Marathon

Horse Event

Halloween party - hold a fancy dress party at your house or in a local bar. Ask for an entrance fee. Organise a DJ, spooky decorations and nibbles.

Head and tails auction - good to do at a dinner evening. Get everyone to stand up and pass a bucket around collecting people's change (although encourage £5 notes). Everyone decides whether they're heads or tails by putting a hand on their head or their bottom. Flip a coin on stage and announce the results. Those who get it wrong sit down. Continue until only one person is left. Winner gets a prize.

Hat sale - get everyone to donate their old hats and then come and buy a new one.

Head shave - Ever thought about doing something outrageous and a little bit silly all in the name of charity? How about shaving your head, or men, waxing those legs

I

Inca Trail

Iron Man Challenge

Individual gifts - gift day, pledges, an hour's pay, donations, membership, payroll giving. Good for the office.

iTunes - Taking part in a sponsored walk? Ask people to donate their cash to create an iTunes playlist for you which you have to listen to the whole way.

J

John O’ Groats to Lands End – cycle or walk

Jail break

Jazz festival

Jelly eating competition - great fun for the kids.

Jewellery collection - ask the public and your friends and relatives to donate unwanted jewellery. Auction off the best items and sell the remainder at a car boot sale or use as raffle prizes. Package and display attractively to boost prices and sales. Any left over items can be sent to Northamptonshire Carers for our old Jewellery Appeal. We turn old gold into money.

Jumble sales

K

Kilimanjaro Challenge

Kick-off – 5 a side football

Kite Flying Competition

Karaoke night

Knit - put your needles together and knit garments to be sold at fetes and Christmas bazaars.

Knockout darts or snooker tournament - at your local pub.

L

London Marathon

Lorry Pull

Line-dancing

Leaving ‘do’

London to Paris Cycle

Lent - Give something up for Lent and ask people to sponsor you to take on the challenge

Local races and marathons - take advantage of any local races that are established in your area. Book a place and ask friends for sponsorship.

Lotteries - could work particularly well in large offices. Make it a monthly event perhaps on pay day. It's important that you adhere to the government's regulations.

Loud tie day - get your company to sponsor it.

M

Marathons

Mountain Challenge – Nepal, Africa, Sahara

Murder Mystery - A true favourite! Charge people to enter and give a prize to the winner.

Mad Hair Day

Money Box

Multi Terrain Races

Market stall - book a pitch at your local market. Sell fruit and vegetable from your garden or unwanted items from your home.

Masterclasses - are you good at something? Why not organise a small class to show other people how to do it? Charge people a fee.

Matched Giving - lots of employers will match some or all of the sponsorship you raise. It's a great way to increase your fundraising so check with your manager or HR to see if your company takes part in a matched giving scheme.

Memory meal - transport yourself back to the 60s, 50s or the 40s. Dress in the style of the day and try to cook some dishes of the day.

Mile of coins competition - how many coins will it take? Person with the closest guess gets a prize.

Music and mulled wine evening - organise a recital at your local stately home or in someone's summer garden.

N

New York Marathon

New Year’s Day Dip

Nearly New Clothes Sale

Night Time Walk

No smoking week - for all those who need a real incentive.

Non uniform day - for kids at school! Hold a non-uniform day at your school and charge each person £1 for the privilege.

O

Online – Set up your fundraising page on Northamptonshire Carers individual fundraising pages.

Opera night

Open Garden - ask visitors to donate an entry fee and pay for refreshments or hold a raffle as well.

Outgrown exchange - a sale of children's clothes, books or toys.

Old gold - send us your old and broken jewelry.

P

Payroll Giving

Pyramid lunches

Paper bank (recycling)

Play

Plant Sale

Picnic

Poker Night

Pool Competition

Plant sale - next time you're planting seedlings or taking cuttings why not double the quantity and have a plant sale later in the year?

Plant a tree - in collaboration with your local authority's tree planting programme. Invite people to make a donation to have a tree planted in memory of someone. Organise to coincide with National Tree Week which is usually in November. Visit http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/ for details.

Poetry recital - get people to read their own verses over some mulled wine.

Pub games evening - teams pay to enter for dominoes, skittles, darts, pool, quizzes etc. Have plenty of fun prizes and charge for refreshments.

Q

Question of Sport

Quiet - What about holding a sponsored silence with your friends? How long can you last?

Quiz night

Quintessentially British Day - get the tea and scones out and celebrate Britishness for the day. Ask for an entry fee. Give prizes for the best fancy dress.

R

Reading Half Marathon

Race day

Rowing

Race night - organise an event at your local dog or horse racing stadium or arrange a ‘fake’ racing night.

Radio campaign - your local radio station may help by broadcasting appeals or adopting you/ your fundraising campaign for a Christmas appeal.

Raffles - Read more about organising a raffle.

S

Salsa night

Swear box

Sponsored events

School Disco

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Event

Singles Evening

Skipping

Superhero

Sweets in a Jar

Swimathon - A great excuse to get fit and raise money at the same time. kids and adults can do sponsored distances. Ask for donations for every length you do.

Scrabble competition

Shave off your beard or flowing locks!

Sherry evening - sell tickets for an evening in your own home. Included in the price is one glass of sherry. Further glasses are by donation only.

Skydiving - http://www.skydive.co.uk/

Slim - why not raise money as you lose the pounds? Get friends to sponsor you.

Sponsored events - always popular. Bed push, half a beard shave, wheelchair marathon.

Sports events - do you belong to a sports club? Why not persuade them to hold a charity day? People could pay to enter a competition.

Sporting club dinner collection or raffle

Stand up bingo - sell bingo cards around the room, each with one number on it. Ask all the participants to stand up. Spin the balls and when a number is called that person has to sit down. The last one standing scoops the prize. Good for dinner dances.

Supermarket trolley dash - arrange date with manager and sell tickets beforehand. Winning ticket 'dashes' through the store grabbing as much food as possible. Money to pay for goods has to come from proceeds.

Sweepstakes - set up an online sweepstake with http://www.guess2give.com/ to give your fundraising a boost

T

Trekking

Three Peaks Challenge

Talent competition - Everyone has a talent, hidden or not. Ask your friends to give up some of their time and show off their talent.

Talent Show/ competition

Tribute Bands

Teddy bears picnic - charge for entry and organise a clown, face painters etc.

Theatre preview - could your local theatre or amateur dramatics society be persuaded to do a preview in aid of Northamptonshire Carers?

Treasure hunt - get some prizes donated and organise a set of clues leading people from one location to the next. All participants pay a fee to enter. Finish with a barbecue?

Triathlon - organise a place in your local triathlon or book a place in the London Triathlon at http://www.thelondontriathlon.com/ ask friends to sponsor you.

U

Underwear out - wear your underwear on the outside for a day, ask your friends for sponsorship.

Underground pub crawl - follow one of the Tube lines, visit pubs en-route and do a collection.

Down Under day - celebrate all things Australian, hold a BBQ and ask everyone to dress up like surfers or Crocodile Dundee. Ask friends to pay an entry fee.

V

Variety show

Vehicle rally

Visits

Viral - Really want to make an impact with your fundraising? What about uploading a video to YouTube and hope that it goes viral. The more people to hear of your fundraising, the more likely to donate.

Valet service for cars

Valentines Day Event

W

Walking challenge – South Downs, Test Way

Work-out- athon

Wine & Cheese party

Whist Drive

Whiskey Tasting

Walk - take part in a sponsored walk.

Wine tasting evening - spend an evening tasting fine wines. Ask attendees to pay an entry fee, provide wine, cheese and French bread free of charge. Try and get the wine donated or buy it from France!

World meal - have an Indian, Caribbean or Australian meal at your home for your friends and family. Get everyone to dress up and charge an entrance fee.

X

Xtreme challenges – See these websites for details http://www.jellyfish.co.uk/atlanticrow2013/the-top-10-extreme-challenges/ and, https://www.timeoutdoors.com/challenges/extreme-charity-challenges and, http://www.26extreme.com/categoriesList/252/charity-challenges.aspx

Xercise-athon

Xmas bazaar

Xmas card donation - instead of sending cards this year, just wish your friends, family and colleagues a good Christmas verbally and ask them to do the same. Donate the money you would have spent on cards to Northamptonshire Carers.

Y

Yachting challenge

Yoga marathon - only for the very supple!

Yes day - say yes to everyone's demands (within reason!) and ask people to sponsor you to do so.

Year after year – do something different every year to challenge yourself and build up you fundraising for Northamptonshire Carers.

Z

Zodiac Evening – horoscopes, Taro cards

Zany events - the list is endless ... throw a custard pie at your manager, eat jelly with chopsticks, greatest number of marshmallows in a mouth, stocks. People can get sponsored or pay to enter.

Zany clothing - Hold a fancy dress day and wear something a little out of the ordinary!

Zumba