18 Brilliant Charity Fundraising Ideas

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According to recent statistics, the UK raises approximately £9.3 billion in voluntary donations per year. If you are a member of a charitable organisation and are looking for interesting ways in which you can tap into this generosity, then listed below are several brilliant charity fundraising ideas. Your non-profit organisation can utilise these fun and effective ideas in order to generate vital funds and ongoing support for your charity’s worthwhile cause.

1. Launch a ‘Give It Up’ campaign

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Give It Up

 

Current trends such as Macmillan’s Go Sober For October encourage people to give up a certain activity for a worthwhile cause. You can capitalise upon this popular fundraising trend by encouraging friends, family and others to abstain from one of their preferred pastimes and to donate the proceeds to charity.

2. Host an online charity auction

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Auction

By using online auction sites such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree you can raise a substantial amount of money for your non-profit organisation. Members of your organisation could donate items for the auction and you could even contact local businesses who may be willing to donate auction items.

3. Donate as you shop

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Shopping

In recent years there has been a growth in the number of voucher code websites wherein you can receive cash-back for the items which you purchase online. Easy Fundraising is a company which has adopted this system to help non-profit organisations raise funds for their causes. Simply register your non- profit organisation on the Easy Fundraising website and then every time you shop online the retailer will make a donation towards your cause. Every three months your charity will then receive these retailer donations via your preferred payment method. By encouraging your charity’s members to use Easy Fundraising, you can raise money for your cause whilst you shop!

4. Text message donations

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Text

A recent YouGov survey highlighted how 21% of people agree that convenience is a strong factor in driving donations. Therefore, if you can implement a text messaging service for your charity then you enable your sponsors to easily donate to your cause. By assigning a specific amount of £5 or £10 to each text message, as well as a reply message thanking sponsors for their donations, then you can generate a substantial amount of donations for your charity.

5. Costume/ Casual Dress events

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Fancy Dress

Fancy dress events facilitate a fun environment during which you can acquire donations for your cause and meet with new sponsors for your charity. You can create a general costume theme or ‘Casual Fridays’ event each month where people can donate £1 to dress up. By promoting these events to local offices or schools, you can raise money, as well as promoting your charity and its campaigns to a wider audience of prospective sponsors.

6. Create a fundraising website

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Website

In today’s technologically advanced society, the Internet has become a lucrative resource through which charities can promote their ideals and secure long term donations from their members. For example, websites such as Just Giving and Virgin Money Giving enable individual members to create a fundraising page. Online users can donate to these fundraising pages and learn about the causes which their donations are supporting. As a result, your charity should create its own website through which you can advertise your current fundraising campaigns and success stories. By doing so you can connect with your current sponsors all the whilst engaging with a new online audience of potential sponsors. Does your charity need a website? check out our own Charities Web Design

7. Communicate with your sponsors via social media

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Social Media

According to a recent infographic, social media fundraising has doubled in the last 5 years. What’s more, 68% of social media users take time to learn more about a charity if something appealing is posted. There have been several successful social media fundraising campaigns in the last few months; including the hash tag #nomakeupselfie which Cancer Research UK used to raise over £2 million in donations within 48 hours of the campaign’s launch. Therefore, your charity should create profiles on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Using these profiles, your charity can communicate with both pre-existing and new members in order to advertise your ideals, objectives and upcoming fundraisers.

8. Sports events

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Sport

There are approximately 7 million fun runners in the UK; out of which 62% have run a 5k, 10k or half marathon. You can capitalise upon these active sponsors by organising a series of sports events for your charity. By advertising locally and online you can arrange annual events wherein participants carry out sponsored runs for your charity. Similarly to Cancer Research UK’s Race For Life events, you could arrange these events on social media sites, such as Facebook, through which you can invite current sponsors and encourage new participants.

9. Charity cards

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Cards

By creating and selling your own charity cards you can raise money for your non-profit organisation. You can create your own designs or utilise online card making resources. Once you have created your cards, you can sell them at local fetes or fairs as well as online via your charity’s website or online auction sites. It is advisable to design themed cards for specific events or holidays; such as weddings, birthdays, Christmas or Valentine’s Day. These themed cards offer your sponsors a unique alternative to a conventional store bought card.

10. Bake sales

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Bake Sale

Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics! Bake sales are a traditional fundraising activity due to the fact that they are simple and inexpensive to organise, and they also create an ideal social situation during which your sponsors can unite to bake and sell cakes for your charity. Bake sales are also a great way to introduce children to charitable volunteering and fundraising activities. When organising your bake sales, it is worthwhile investigating local fetes and fairs which will allow you to sell your cakes at their events.

11. Dog walking services

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Dog Walking

Man’s best friend can now become man’s best fundraiser! By advertising your dog walking services via flyers you can raise funds as well as aiding your local community. You can also post your dog walking services online via job listing websites such as Monster in order to promote your charity and its services to a significantly larger audience.

12. Recycling old products

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Recycling

There are several products such as ink cartridges and old phones which can be recycled in return for money. For example, companies such as Cash For Cartridges and Mazuma Mobile will pay you for any old or unused products which you send to them. By utilising these services you can collect funds for your charity all the while benefiting the environment. What’s more, why not arrange a charity recycling drive? These events enable local communities to unite and recycle their unused products all the whilst learning about your charity’s ideals and objectives.

13. Work based fundraisers

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Work Based

Work based fundraisers are a simple yet highly effective way through which you can raise funds for your non-profit organisation. Popular work based fundraisers include loose change jars and swear jars in your office. You could even encourage your workmates to skip their morning cappuccinos and donate the proceeds to charity. These small donations can amount in a big difference to your charity’s objectives.

14. Create a charity blog

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Blog

According to Social Media Today, 77% of Internet users read blogs. As a result, blogging can equip your charity with an extremely beneficial media platform through which you can write about your charity’s worthwhile causes, fundraising activities and previous achievements. Furthermore, if you include a link at the bottom of your blog to your charity’s website or online fundraising page, then you will encourage online users to donate towards your organisation and to encourage others to participate in your fundraising events.

15. Collaborate with local businesses

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Local Business

By working alongside local businesses, you can raise funds for your non-profit organisation and advertise your charitable ideals to your local community. Many businesses are happy to support local charities as it will promote their business as a caring and morally responsible establishment. In order to encourage businesses to support your particular charity, you could offer to promote their company at your charity’s fundraising events by wearing branded t-shirts or badges.

16. Organise themed events

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Themed Events

Holidays such as Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day generate an enormous amount of money for commercial businesses. For instance, Halloween creates approximately £300 million worth of profits for UK retailers. Subsequently, your charity can organise themed events which are based on these holidays in order to generate donations for your cause. Your members could organised themed parties with matching decorations and treats, as well as creating themed cards and presents to sell online or at local fairs and fetes. By advertising that all of the proceeds from your products will be supporting a worthwhile charitable cause, you can encourage people to celebrate the holidays whilst simultaneously helping your charity’s campaigns.

17. Tea & coffee mornings

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Coffee

Charities such as Macmillan have had significant fundraising successes via their ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ events; having raised over £12 million. These events offer a rainy day alternative to an outdoors bake sale and also provide you with the opportunity to meet and greet with your charity’s members in a relaxed and amiable environment.

18. Gift wrapping services

Charity Fundraising Ideas - Gift Wrapping

It is a well known fact that people donate more to charities during the Christmas period; with a recent survey from Classy demonstrating that people give 80% more in charitable donations in December. Consequently, your charity can benefit from this season of goodwill by proving a gift wrapping service. For a nominal fee, sponsors can have their gifts wrapped all the whilst knowing that the proceeds are supporting a worthwhile cause.

If you would like some more charity fundraising ideas keep an eye on our Premier Charity Challenge where we will be taking on a different challenge each month to raise money for local charities.

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