A-Z of fundraising events and ideas

A

Abseiling: There is probably a significant building in your area which you could be sponsored to abseil down. Before you do, make sure you check the site is safe and licensed for abseiling, and read your insurance policy carefully!

Auction of promises: Ask people to pledge gifts in kind for you to auction off to the highest bidder. Examples include a course of aromatherapy, gardening, a makeover, wine tasting, having a dinner party cooked for you.

B

Ball: Masquerade, costume, sit-down, black tie – the possibilities are endless and the money is also quite good!
Barbecue: Does what it says on the tin! Encourage people to bring a friend, provide drinks and entertainment, and hope the weather holds!
Barn dance: Good clean fun, ideal for families – if you can get some straw in from your local friendly farmer, all the better.

C

Car-boot sale: Arrange to take part in a car-boot sale. It would be economical, green and easy if you took just one car to the sale, and offered to pick up items for sale from people in the neighbourhood a few days before.
Cheese-and-wine evening: Remember to ask for gifts in kind for this type of event – local shops may be willing to donate a cheese or two in return for some publicity. See if you can find someone with a good knowledge of wine who would be able to lead a small tasting.
Cookery book: If you are raising funds to visit a country, research some recipes from the country you are going to and make them up into a nicely produced book for people. Please be aware of copyright regulations before you start passing off Delia’s finest as your own!

D

Dice for a car: Offer guests at a fundraising event the chance to win a dream prize at the roll of dice. Contestants roll seven dice and if they all land six up, the prize is theirs! You need insurance to cover the event which will pay up if someone wins; try Hole in One
Dinner party: Offer to cook dinner for groups of people for a fixed amount, so they can have the pleasure of a dinner party without the stress of catering for it.
Duck river race: Get people to buy a plastic duck each and float them down a stretch of river. The first past the post wins a prize.

E

eBay: Ask friends and family to donate unwanted presents and bric-à-brac to sell online. Easier than a jumble sale, you don’t even have to move from your home!
Exhibition: Do you know any budding artists, jewellery makers or potters who would like to put their wares on show/sale and donate some of the profits for you?

F

Face painting: Pick up a paintbrush and get creative. Have a stall at your local fair or event and charge for each face you paint. You could do children’s parties as well.
Film/cinema hire: Talk to your local cinema and see how much it would cost to hire it for a showing of a new film or an old classic. Calculate your ticket price, invite people to come and you could make a profit quite easily.
Five-a-side football competition: Do you know some football fans willing to show off their prowess? Organise a tournament with prizes and turn it into a fun-filled day for all the participants and their families.

G

Garden opening: Do you or any of your friends have a beautiful garden you would like to show off? Charge people entry and set up tea stalls to make some extra money.
Golf tournament: One for the enthusiasts in your area – a good one to ask someone else to help you organise as their section of your fundraising plan.

H

Hat party: Pirate, party and Peter Pan are all valid hats for this party with a fun theme.
Head shave: Maybe not one for ladies with Rapunzel tresses but always worth a lot of money in sponsorship, especially if the hair is long-established.

I

Ice cream tasting evening: Like wine tasting, but with something more calorific!
International night: If you are fundraising to visit a country, organise an evening with food, drinks and entertainment from the area you are visiting. Get local restaurants to donate the food, have a raffle and a dress code if you like!

J

Jumble sale: A great way to get money for old rope (literally). Offer a collection service for larger items, tap into your local community with flyers and adverts in the paper, and do teas and coffees to bump up your takings.

K

Karaoke evening: Do you know any budding pop idols who would love to showcase their talents in front of an audience? You could set up a competition with some mean judges to add an extra element to the night.

L

Lawn mowing: A good way to tone up those leg muscles and earn a few pounds at the same time.
Lunch money: Ask everyone in your office to bring in their lunch for a week and donate the money they would otherwise have spent on their lunches to you.

M

Marathon/half-marathon: One of the ultimate running challenges. Apply early for your place if you are serious and don’t forget to design a training schedule to help you get into shape for the challenge.
Mile of coins: A good fundraiser to do at large events, it gives a very visual impression of your fundraising. Coins in Smartie tubes or camera film canisters also work well as a small-scale fundraiser.

N

Night in: Organise a ‘night in’ with all your friends and donate the money they would normally spend on their night out to your cause. Indulge yourselves with some pampering treatments to make the night special.
Non-uniform day: Very common in schools, the concept could also be stretched to the office! Perhaps introduce a theme or dress code to make it a little more interesting.

O

Outgrown clothes exchange: Ask friends and colleagues to bring clothes that they no longer want. These should be in good condition – they may be the ones you buy and never wear. Arrange the clothes by size or type and then charge people a flat admission fee to try on and take away a certain amount of clothing.

P

Parachute jump: If you are an adventurous type you would find it easy to do this and earn you some valuable sponsorship money. Go on, take the plunge!
Games console tournament: One for the gamer in us all. Charge people to enter and spectate, and have a good prize for the winner.
Pub sports day: See if your local would be happy to sponsor a day of sporting activities – get teams to compete at darts, pool or table football, and have a quiz to round it all off. You may be able to negotiate some of the bar takings as well.

Q

Quiz nights: See if your local pub or community centre will allow you to put on a quiz every week for a few months. Charge entry, provide food (for a price) and have a pot of prize money for each week.

R

Race night: Have a flutter for a good cause. Buy a race-night kit, find people to sponsor races and horses, and everyone else can place their bets on the races.
Raft race: If you have access to a river or stream, find adventurous people to build rafts and then race them.
Rent-a-leader: How about offering themed nights for leaders in your area, for a set fee? They can just sit back and relax while you run their evenings for them.
River boat trips: Hire a boat, fill it with people who have paid a fee and enjoy the ride.

S

Snack attack: Biscuit or cake sale at work for the mid-morning energy slump.

T

Themed night: The sky is the limit. Countries, myths, legends, TV, decades – explore them all.
Treasure hunts: By car, bike, foot or public transport – all combinations imaginable.

U

Underground pub crawl: Organised around various pubs near underground stations in major cities. Maybe use a particular line or go to one pub on each line. This activity could also be adapted into a treasure hunt for the less alcoholically minded group.

V

Virgin Vie party: Contact Virgin Vie for your nearest party organiser. Virgin will donate 10 per cent of the profits on the night and a present for a raffle prize. Charge people a small amount and buy in wine and nibbles to make it more of an evening. Other companies that offer the same opportunities include the Body Shop and Avon – details are readily available on the internet.

W

Waxing: An easy way for a willing man to raise money! Colleagues and friends (especially women) are always willing to give money to see this spectacle.
Wine-tasting evening: See if a local expert will come and help guide you through the minefield of reds, whites and rosés.

X

Xmas gift wrap: Arrange to sell gift-wrapping products from Northbrook Fundraising in September and October, and get 25 per cent of the sale proceeds for your cause. Visit Northbrook Fundraising to find out more.

Y

Yard of ale competition: See if your local pub will help you run this, perhaps along with another fundraiser such as a barbecue or pub quiz.
Youth disco: The original Friday night fundraiser. Nothing beats a good combination of teenagers, non-alcoholic punch and a cheesy disco!

Z

Zany dress day: Be sponsored to wear something ‘that little bit different’ to work or school one day.