The holiday season inspires many to share generously, which makes it a great time to plan fundraising activities. Read below for ideas from the Inspired Adventures fundraising team about how to share in the joy of giving this December.
Holiday Fundraising
So there is no better time to fundraise than Christmas. There is always lots going on at Christmas, and whilst this year might be a little different, there are plenty of opportunities to connect with the community and socialise (even if that is online or in a different capacity).
We want to provide some ideas on how to fundraise at Christmas and how to make the most of this period to fire up your fundraising and earn more money for the charity that you are supporting.
Christmas Raffles
Who doesn’t love a Christmas raffle? Raffles are one of the most exciting ways to fundraise and give you the opportunity to give reach out to friends and gather prizes and then raffle them off.
For a festive twist, try a ‘Twelve Days of Christmas Raffle’ theme where you collect 12 prizes to raffle off, and select a winner each day in the 12 days leading up to Christmas. It adds a fun element and enables you to keep the raffle going for longer too.
Christmas Luncheons
Food is always a great way to connect people and get them excited about donating for your cause. Now that we can once again welcome people into our homes, a classic Christmas luncheon or dinner is a lovely way to get your family, friends and networks together for a great time and to earn some extra funds. Add a Christmas dress up theme to make the day more fun, whether that’s in red and green, ugly Christmas sweaters or as classic Christmas characters.
On top of funds raised from the lunch itself, they also pair fantastically with a game of lawn bowls or trivia. Plus, if you tell the venue that you’re fundraising they will hopefully donate the space for free so that all proceeds can go towards the charity
Ask For Donations As Gifts
If you’re stuck on what gifts to ask for this Christmas, or if you have a winter birthday, you could always ask for donations to your charity in lieu of gifts. This is a super quick and easy way to gain donations at no cost to you.
Bauble Decorating Competition
Baubles make beautiful handmade gifts, and creating something over the Christmas period is always a fun and relaxing activity.
You can set up a stand wherever you like and provide all of the decorating equipment so that each person can decorate their own bauble and donate to your chosen charity to do so.Entrants will pay to receive a plain bauble, and this will be how you raise funds.
To add another fun element to the bauble decorating, you may also like to select a winner for the most beautiful bauble at the end, and they could receive a little prize.
Christmas Stall
Do you have creative flair? Is there something that you could create and sell in order to make money for your chosen charity?
If that sounds like you, it’s time to get making! Why not set up a stall at a local market or shopping centre (COVID-permitting) or create a simple website online e.g. Wix and sell items in order to raise funds.
Here’s some ideas on the kinds of things you could make and sell to raise funds for your charity:
- Create your own handmade Christmas cards
- Bake and sell cookies or cakes
- Design beautiful gingerbread houses
- Make your own stockings
- Knit a christmas hat, tea cosy or scarf
Santa Run
Are you a keen athlete with friends who love to work out? A Santa fun run will be perfect for you and your fundraising pals. Santa fun runs are essentially fun runs where all participants dress up as Santa, or in other Christmas themed costumes. This sounds like a laugh - and it really is.
It is great fun and can work in two ways - each person can pay an entry fee to join in and then their friends and family could also sponsor each person running to fundraise for the cause.
Neighbourhood Santa Visit
Everyone remembers the neighbourhood Santa visit that used to be carried out by one of the local dads in the neighbourhood. Well, it might just be time to bring it back to fundraise for your challenge!
On Christmas eve you could surprise the local kids in your neighbourhood with gifts from Santa and ask for donations for your chosen charity in exchange. Send a flyer around to your neighbourhood to advertise Santa's visit and ask if they’re interested in participating.
Parents can then take a present wrapped and clearly addressed to their child to a collection point where they are also expected to make a donation. On Christmas eve a "Local Santa" accompanied by some merry helpers delivers the presents directly to the kids.
It’s a great way to inspire awe and spread the Christmas love in the neighbourhood.
Tree Disposal Service
Everyone hates disposing of their Christmas tree once the festive season is over. The mess, the hassle and the back strain are all things that we could do without when Christmas is over.
To fundraise off the back of this collective hatred of tree disposal, why not offer a Christmas tree disposal/recycling service? You will need a truck/van and a way to recycle the trees, but once that is sorted you can make some serious money and be of great service to the community too.
Not only is this service very affordable and convenient for those looking to dispose of their trees, but it’s also very environmentally friendly. Instead of picking up the trees, you can also set up collection points where people can drop them and you can collect their donations.
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