Fundraising Ideas

Fundraising amongst family and friends is the simplest way to raise money for your cause, but it may not always yield the most donations.

If you can expand your fundraising efforts to a wider audience, you'll have an even greater chance of fundraising success.

Fundraising in your neighbourhood is one easy alternative, and it's great for several reasons. First, doing something good for charity is a fantastic way to raise community spirits and a sense of goodwill. Also, fundraising brings neighbourhoods closer together.

Whether you are fundraising alone or working with your neighbours on a community fundraising cause, starting the fundraising conversations with your neighbours now will lead to positive community experiences well into the future.

Regardless of the type of neighbourhood fundraising you decide to do, here are some ideas to help you get started:

Hold A Neighbourhood Street Party
In prior generations, street parties were much more common than they are today. Neighbours would get together to hold summer barbecues and celebrate holidays like Fireworks Night. It was a great way to get to know the people around you and have fun too.

You can bring the street parties back to your neighbourhood. You can organise your neighbourhood party alone, or try to get several of your neighbours involved in different tasks such as sending invitations, food preparation and entertainment. Community support is a key element for the success of a neighbourhood party.

At your street party, you can raise funds by soliciting donations, and you can also run secondary fundraising activities:

• Fun fair games - Set up some simple, fun fair-style games for children and adults to play. Ideas for fundraising games include ball in the bucket, apple bobbing, horseshoes and tin can alley.
  
• Quiz or contest - Hold a pub quiz or contest for all your neighbours, with prizes for the winners. Questions can be general or about your local area.
  
• Scavenger hunt - Delight kids and adults alike with a neighbourhood scavenger hunt. Draw up a map and place clues at different locations. Each clue leads to the next clue, until someone finishes the hunt and wins the game.

When planning a street party, it is essential to involve all of your neighbours and local businesses in the process. You will need to ask the council or local authority for permission to close the road on the day of the street party, and you will need neighbourhood support to do this. You may also need a permit if you plan on having formal entertainment, such as a live DJ or band.

Hold A Car Boot Sale Or Garage Sale
Many people have unused household items that they'd like to get rid of. Why not sell these items and donate the proceeds to your fundraising efforts?

You can run a car boot sale or garage sale on your own, but you'll have even greater success if you get your neighbours involved. Make signs advertising the sale date and ask your neighbours to come out and sell some of their stuff too. The more people who attend, the higher the fundraising donations for your cause!

Odd Jobs Fundraising
If you look around your home right now, you could likely make a list of a dozen or more things that you would like to have done. Your neighbours are in a similar position.

From window washing to gardening, go around your neighbourhood and ask if people would allow you to do odd jobs for them in exchange for a fundraising donation. Many people would be glad for the help, and it's a great way to meet your neighbours too!

Getting Started With Neighbourhood Fundraising
Neighbourhood fundraising can be one of the most rewarding fundraising activities you do. Not only will you raise money for your charitable cause, but you'll get the chance to meet and interact with your neighbours.

Getting started with neighbourhood fundraising is easy. If you are already on familiar terms with some of your neighbours, see if they're willing to assist you. By getting several people involved, you can plan on larger events and lots of helping hands! Then, decide what type of fundraising you would like to do. If you live in a smaller neighbourhood, you may want to start with a more modest fundraising activity.

All that's left once you've decided on your neighbourhood fundraising plan is to start talking to your neighbours! Whether you make flyers or meet everyone in person, be sure to introduce yourself and explain what you're doing. Who knows? You might inspire some of your neighbours to take up fundraising too!

Work can be monotonous, and charity fundraising helps to break up the day and provide an infusion of fun and excitement into daily work tasks.

Many of the fundraising ideas you do outside of work can be incorporated into a work environment, but there are also certain tasks that are successful largely because they occur in a work environment. Here are some workplace fundraising ideas to get you started:

Dress Down Day Or Fancy Dress Day
At most jobs, work attire is dictated by your employer, leaving little room for comfort or personal style.

Employees love work days when they can deviate from the corporate dress code. When you schedule a dress down day, workers gladly pay a small donation, usually a pound, and are allowed to wear their own clothes into work.

Fancy dress days are even more exciting in an office environment. For a small fundraising donation, workers are allowed to come to work in a costume. Don't forget to award prizes at lunchtime for the top outfits, giving away small, inexpensive prizes like bottles of wine or boxes of sweets for the funniest, most creative and scariest costumes.

Fundraising Raffle
Raffles are another popular workplace fundraising idea, and they're also one of the easier fundraising ideas to do - print matching tickets, sell each one for a pound and hold a drawing to give away prizes.

You or your co-workers can bring in items to serve as prizes, or you can work with a local business to give away a larger prize or gift voucher. You can even ask a local restaurant to provide a free dinner for the winner. It's great exposure for the businesses involved and you'll also raise a good bit of money for your fundraising cause!

“Bag A Lunch” Fundraising
In most workplaces, employees favour going out for a takeaway or visiting the work cafeteria at lunchtime. If all of this money was put towards your fundraising cause instead, it would make quite a difference!

Start a campaign at work where your co-workers bring in lunch at least one day a week. They can bring lunch on their own, or get a group together and have everyone agree on one item to bring. You can even bring last night's leftovers! The money you save by bringing your lunch instead of buying it is donated to your fundraising efforts.

Having A Successful Fundraising Campaign
At Work Fundraising at work can be an extremely successful endeavour, but it requires some knowledge of your workplace to do it properly. In nearly all cases, you will need the support of your manager to conduct fundraising activities on work premises. You may also need permission from your company's corporate office if your local manager is not authorised to make those decisions for the business.

Once you've received permission, pick an activity suitable for the number of co-workers in your office and get started! By doing something fun and making the work day different for your co-workers, your fundraising efforts will surely be rewarded.

	Choose a date and venue.  Will you hold your activity at home, at school, at the office, in the garden or somewhere a little different? Think about what time of the year is best and find out what else is going on in the local area.
	Plan your theme.  Why not plan a Bike Ride, a Tea  party, a Scavenger hunt or something completely original!
	Set your fundraising target.  Set your donation or entry fee for the event and plan some fundraising activities such as a tombolas, raffles and auctions to raise even more money. Think about any costs you may incur and make sure you stick to your budget!
	Invite your guests.  The more guests you have, the more you can raise for the children! Email, phone and send out the details of your event to all your friends, family and colleagues.
	Promote your event.  Put up posters in your local area or contact local papers for coverage if you want even more people to join you.
	Get some help.  Contact your local shops, pubs and restaurants to donate items, prizes or display posters. Ask friends, family and colleagues to help out, donate and get their ideas.
	Have fun and make it safe.  The key to a great event, and successful fundraising, is to enjoy yourself. The more fun you have, the more your guests are likely to give!
	Thank your guests.  Everyone who comes to your event will be making a difference to the children, so let them know how much they have helped to raise.
	Send in your money.  Send cheques made payable to SOCPLSDO with your name and address so we can say thank you. Please click here for our Donation Form: