Fundraising Ideas
Fundraising doesn't have to be a chore. It can be adventure or something you slot into your everyday life. Here are some fundraising ideas to get you started. If none of these suit you it's ok. We want you to enjoy fundraising, so feel free to use your creativity!
Experienced Samaritan's Purse fundraisers tell us that the more ‘gimmicky' the event the more likely it is to be well attended this is why so many strange things happen in the name of charity fundraising. We are not however, expecting you to sit in a bath of beans or go bog snorkelling, but you may get a very good response if you choose something that has not been done before in your area.
A way to get good attendance at an event is to hold something where parents will attend because their child is taking part, such as a concert by the children's choir or talent show - (now so popular because of the rise of reality TV)
We have heard about Open Days or OCC Launch events held not in a church hall but in the local Guides/Brownies HQ. As this requires catering it also allows the Brownies to get their hospitality badge and the parents will also attend.
Sponsored Events
Whether you're athletic or you'd like to get fit, a sponsored event is a great way of raising awareness for our work and increasing your fitness level. Rather than having the traditional ‘sponsorship' format why not just ask folk to donate some money to take part. Try adding the ‘athon' to any activity doing it for 2, 8 or even 24 hours in a prominent place to attract attention and donations.
- Football or Cricket Matches A five-a-side football match or cricket match is a great way of fundraising and having fun. Ensure all participants are sponsored and the crowd give a donation (at their own discretion) to watch.
- Walks - toddles or dog walks see ideas in Turn on the Tap - Challenge Walk material
- Swims Why not get a group of friends together and set a challenge? How about collectively attempting to swim the length of the English Channel?
- Mannequin for the day - be a model in the window of a local shop
- Parachute or bungee jumping for the brave -teddy Parachute jumps for the not so brave
- Silence - How long do you think you can go without speaking? 24 hours? 48 hours? A week? Not sure? Do a sponsored silence in solidarity with the people we raise money for, who often have no one to speak up for them. A symbolic way of fundraising and raising awareness!
- A sponsored fast - many of the people we help through our work go days without meals. A sponsored 24hr fast is a great way of empathising with them and alerting people to their plight.
Social Events
- Coffee mornings, fork parties & barbecues, Strawberry teas, wine tasting Pudding Evening or even a ‘Poems and Puddings' - successfully combing culture and food - home made cakes are always popular
- Charity Come Dine with Me if you hold dinner parties to entertain friends and family members, here's how you can do it with a twist. Invite your friends around, cook lots of food and "charge" per head. Simply ask your friends to donate what they'd spend in a restaurant.
- Murder Mystery Nights
- Skittle Evening, Fashion shows, Quiz nights, Concerts, Karaoke nights, quizzes & Beetle Drives
- Competitions - e.g. Design a Christmas Card
- Face painting
- Dress down day at the office
Sales
- Produce items to sell at fairs and social events -such as greetings cards
- Craft items - knitted hats scarves etc which are surplus to the requirements at the OCC warehouse (with donor's permission of course)
- Cakes and biscuits
- Bring and buy, books, plants
- Quiz Sheets - e.g. OCC WordSearch
- Covered shoeboxes ready for OCC
- Sales & Auctions - e.g. promises Auction see attached info or a Car Boot
Fun activities
Here are good substitutes for raffles and games of chance
- Guess the name of the doll
- Guess the number of sweets in a jar
- Guess the numbers of balloons in a car
- Guess the weight of a specially baked cake
Personal
- *Collecting small change in a bottle or jar - leave a jar in the corridor of your house or even in your office, encouraging those you know to fill it up with their loose change, explaining what the cause is. It's a great way of raising money for our work and telling people about what we do
- Collecting one type of coin e.g.5ps
- Clearing out your unwanted items and selling them on E-bay or at a Car Boot
- If you shop online (and who does'nt these days?)you can raise funds for Samaritan's Purse every time you shop by registering with Give As You Live
* Turn on the Tap has a special label which you can use to wrap around a mineral water bottle if your fundraising is for this project
Useful websites
http://www.better-fundraising-ideas.com/fundraising-auction.html
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/
http://www.doitforcharity.com/
http://www.100fundraisingideas.co.uk/
http://www.justgiving.com/
Contact List
Samaritan's Purse Head Office - 020 8 559 2044 social.media@samaritans-purse.org.uk
