Being philanthropic may sound easy work but requires a lot of creativity too. Coming up with a ‘wow‘ charity fundraising idea is not that natural for everyone. That ‘s the time to get some help. Below listed are a few ideas for you to have a quick run through.
1. Birthday and Christmas card sales
It is as simple as it sounds. Sourcing cards should not be difficult if you check out a few op-shops in your area and contact a greeting card/ novelty store for a box of donations. This sets you rolling to put up a stall and make the most of the festive season or round the clock celebrations.
2. Fundraising theme parties
A single day affair, theme parties are favourite for people of all age groups. All you do is set a theme, dress up your place and invite friends over for a BYO drink and plate of food. The bigger the gathering the better. Hold a raffle by selling tickets to the guests.
3. One hour challenge
Run your ideas wild and come up with an out of the box thinking. By this you can not only bring cheer but get momentum in your fundraiser initiative. The idea can be as simple as a male colleague dressing up like a girl to work for an hour.
4. Dress down day
Who doesn’t desire wearing casual clothes to work? Organise a dress down day at your workplace by getting prior approvals. Colleagues either purchase this privilege or you could keep it open for everyone and collect donation in a collection box.
5. 24-hour challenge
Under this kind of fundraising, there is always a wide room to play around. The idea here is to take up a 24-hour challenge yourself or as a group. It could be a challenge like keeping mute the whole day for people to notice and drop donations or organising round the clock sporting event like a table tennis match, a game of carrom. Don’t forget walking around with donation tins to cash in on the floating crowd.
6. Dog walking
Blend fitness and your love for pets with fundraising. Print a few pamphlets stating your willingness to walk their dogs in support of a cause. Drop the pamphlets in the letter boxes in your neighbourhood stating the cause behind your fundraising. Soon you will find yourself flooded with enquiries.
7. Animal care and grooming
We love our pets and those who take good care of them when we are not around. You could use this aspect and volunteer to animal sit, wash and groom them when required requesting the owner a donation for a charity you care for.
8. Give up smoking, challenge
Now this is a win-win situation, where you get instantly rewarded for turning to a healthy lifestyle. If you smoke or know a friend who is and is willing to take the challenge, this idea is for you.
9. Say No to alcohol challenge
Saying no to alcohol is not easy but donating the money spent on a drink of beer towards charity, will not be that difficult. People take pride in giving up something they like for a cause. Try this and you will be in for a pleasant surprise.
10. Use Online media
Any fundraising buzz can start from the online platform. The digital platform is quite strong when it comes to spreading the news. By creating an online event you can spread the word and appeal for donations prior to an event.
11. Guess the baby’s weight
Babies have cuteness overload. Use it for charity. If you have a baby who is willing to participate that is all you need. You may even add a funnier twist by having people guess the overall weight of all the babies who have joined in. People will certainly end up donating for their cuteness if not for anything else.
12. Organise a child and parent activity day
Parents love family outings. And they don’t mind if there are fun activities planned too. Put a minimum price at the door and throw in some cut fruit plate and pop corn and you are set. You may also consider having such events once a week to once every term, depending on the enthusiasm.
13. Babysitting
It is hard to find babysitters at your desired time. And if they are known to your family, that is an icing on the cake. Try out this idea and you will be glad on the number of enquiries you get.
14. Guess the baby photo competition
We like looking at ourselves and our photos and this is one of the reasons why selfies are in vogue. Identifying an adult looking at his baby photos is not only fun but is often followed by hours of laughter and discussion. Have a fee for participation.
15. Battle of the bands
It’s a win-win deal. Entertainment from live music and food to go around is a big hit. And when there is a battle involved you could charge an entry fee, raise funds by selling popcorns and icy poles to drinks and food.
16. Jam nights
There are music enthusiasts who love to jam. The only thing they need is a platform to jam and certainly the audience. And with the audience comes spreading the word for the cause and requesting fund donations.
17. Music practice
Implementing this idea can be done by young school going students to grown ups. If you can show your dedication towards the cause you care for, by sacrificing your lunch break or after school play by playing music, you are sure to impress the pockets of many.
18. Mini music festival
The good thing about music is people love it. Organise a mini music festival with your musical friends and may compose a song around your charity. People will love it and shell out money simply out of awe.
19. Busking
Live street entertainment is more than welcome anytime. If you hold a proper licence to hold an outdoor event, this is one of the great ways of getting traction for your hidden talent and fundraising at the same time.
20. Coffee morning with babysitting help
Who doesn’t like a quiet morning coffee with friends. Volunteer your time to babysit the children of the age group you are comfortable around. This will not only get you noticed in good light but you may end up raising more money than you had expected.
21. No school uniform day
Students love breaking rules, secretly. A no uniform day at school is every student’s desire. You can make it happen by organising one at school and requesting a gold coin donation. This one simple idea can raise you a good amount without moving a finger.
22. Bring and sell
A simple idea where everyone contributes and you always find something more interesting to take home. A hit in firms, try this the next time you are planning a fundraiser and you will be surprised how amazing cooks, artists or jewellery makers your colleagues are.
23. Best Goalie In House
People love a little extra walk at lunch time especially on a beautiful afternoon. Add a little fun and thrown in a game of beat the goalie in a nearby park at lunchtime and have participants pay. A team outing where you actually bring back the money.
24. Bingo!
Truely people are ready to pay in exchange for some fun and laughter. Have a few round of Bingo at your next charity event and you will be surprised at the huge crowd puller this game can be and how it cuts across all age groups.
25. Be the Masterchef for a day.
A good way to show off your cooking skills, cook and bake some yummy treats and sell. Holding a stall during mid morning is a good idea for obvious reasons. To make the deal more attractive, offer a free ebook of original recipes to your customers.
26. Guessing games.
A friendly game of guess the price of a product or guess the baby in the photo where participants pay a little fee, turns out not only to be an easy fund-raiser but a great ice-breaker for any gathering.
27. Car wash Day.
You would be surprised how many people appreciate seeing their dirty car which they drove in for work, washed and polished like new on the way back home. Organise a Car Wash Day at your workplace for a small fee.
28. Marble and Spoon race.
Having fun waits for no reason. And if it clubbed with a good cause, it should be done as often as possible. A simple idea is to club the age old marble and spoon race but for adults with a gold coin donation for participation. Seeing the grown up act like kids is entertaining and fun way to engage those who might not participate otherwise.
29. Face Painting and temporary tattoo corner.
A no brainer, we have seen this in almost all the events, be it a new year celebration, a birthday party, Christmas or in Messy Churches. If you are talented and want to contribute to fundraising for a cause, pack your paints, brushes and palette and get painting.
30. Games.
Who would say no to playing games? Keep participation fee for outdoor or indoor games like scrabble, trivia, puzzles and watch kids and adults have long playful hours.
31. Green day.
Celebrate those with a green thumb and motivate others to join in. Organise a Green Day and encourage people to wear green colour. Have a competition over the best idea to save electricity, paper, water or other resources which increase carbon print on Earth. Have an art display with reused materials.