A-Z of Fundraising

Afternoon Tea - Why not host an afternoon tea? Whether you do it at work, home or at a local venue, we are a nation of tea drinkers, so your event is bound to be popular. You could always have a raffle at the same time.

Arts and Crafts Stall – Get creative and fundraise by making greetings cards, pot pourri or jewellery to sell. You could also have live demonstrations or hold a workshop and teach a group of people how to make your craft.

Auction/Auction of Promises - Grab your gavel and start selling. Auctions are a fun way to raise money and you can auction items, services or promises!

Bag Packing – Lots of supermarkets allow fundraisers to pack bags for charity and also allow you to ask customers for donations. This is a great way to raise funds as well as raising awareness of our charity. Collection tub labels are available upon request.

BBQ – Hold a charity BBQ. Either sell tickets or ask for a donation in return for food/drinks.

Bring and Buy Sale - Why not raise some money by organising a Bring and Buy sale? You could even charge other people to set up their own stalls.

Cake Sale – If you enjoy a bit of Great British Bake Off... Get baking and sell your cakes to friends, family and/or work colleagues.

Car Boot Sale – Set up a stall at your local car boot sale event. If you speak to the organiser and explain you are raising funds for charity, you are likely to get a discount on your pitch. Ask friends/colleagues to donate items to sell.

Coffee Morning - Bake some cakes, bring out the coffee and invite all your friends/colleagues/neighbours to attend. Remember to charge them for the privilege!

Cycle-a-thon - Get sponsored for every mile you cycle.

Dinner Party – Ask guests for a donation upfront, or send an envelope around at the end of the meal and ask everyone to donate what they would have paid in a restaurant for the meal.

Dress Down Friday – This is always a popular event at work and school… whether there’s a theme or just casual clothes.

Extreme Challenge – Take your fundraising to the next level by trying an extreme sport like skydiving, abseiling or Tough Mudder.

Ebay Auction – Hold an auction on Ebay and donate the proceeds to Family Help Darlington CIO.

Fancy Dress Day – Get sponsored for wearing fancy dress for the day.  Choose a yellow-theme to be right on brand with Family Help!

Fashion Show – Why not organise a fashion show? You could charge an entrance fee and invite the local community.

Film Night – Host a film night for friends and family. Sell popcorn and drinks and charge to watch the film.

Fun Run – Hold a fun run around the local park and get sponsored per lap/mile run.

Games Night – All you need is a selection of games, a place to play and people to play with. Add a bit of extra fundraising by giving penalty fines for being a sore loser!

Garage Sale – Hold a garage sale and raise money whilst making space at home. Don’t forget to advertise and invite lots of people.

Give Something Up – Why not get sponsored for giving up your bad habit? Either donate the money saved or get sponsored by friends/family/colleagues.

Golf Day – Golf days are great fun and have amazing fundraising potential.

Hiking – Raise money by organising a hike with friends and get sponsored for each mile walked.

Instagram – Share a picture that means something special to you, donate to Family Help and then nominate a friend to do the same.

Ice Cream Sale – Buy and sell ice creams at a profit to work colleagues, perfect for long hot days stuck in the office!

International Evening – Host a dinner party inspired by your favourite holiday destination and theme your menu, dress code and music for something a bit different. Ask for donations on the night or sell tickets in advance.

Jumble Sale – Organise a jumble sale and get rid of all your unwanted items whilst raising money at the same time.

Karaoke Night – Host a karaoke evening at home or ask your local pub. It’s guaranteed to be fun and raises money for us at the same time.

Knitting Competition – Hold a knitting competition and charge an entrance fee. Get people to vote for the winner by donating a £1 for each vote. The winner gets to keep their creation!

Line Dancing – Organise a line dancing event. These are always great fun. Charge for food and drinks and sell tickets for the event.

Litter Picking – Give something back to the community with a sponsored litter pick afternoon.

Luncheon – Whether it’s a ‘ladies who lunch’ formal event or a pot luck lunch party on a Friday lunchtime in the office this is a great way to raise some funds.

Make the Tea – Be everyone’s favourite colleague and make the tea all day in exchange for a donation.

Marathon – If you’re a budding athlete, why not dedicate your event to raising money for Family Help? Getting sponsored will help you stay motivated and power you over the finish line!

Matched Giving – Whether you are raising money in the office or outside work, ask your employer about matched giving.

Mile of Coins – Ask for donations of coins and see if you can get to a mile!

Name the …… - Always a winner and easy to organise! Tap into people’s competitive nature with this simple guessing game.

No Make Up Day – Go without make-up for a whole day whilst raising money.

Open Garden – If you’ve got a gorgeous garden, open it for the weekend and sell tickets. Sell refreshments and entry tickets. A great community event.

Pamper Day – Organise a pamper day with your friends, neighbours, colleagues. Tap into each other’s skills or hire someone, don’t forget to tell them you are raising money for us as they might even offer their services for free!

Parachute Jump – Take a leap of faith with a tandem parachute jump.  This thrill-seeking fundraiser is always guaranteed to raise plenty.

Plant Sale – Why not pot up spare cuttings or pot plants you don’t need and sell them to make a donation?

Quiz Night – Always a very popular event. Pubs are often happy to assist and may even give you a percentage of their takings if they know it’s for charity.

Raffle – Why not hold a raffle and ask for donated prizes from local businesses, friends etc?

Skydive – If you’re feeling brave, challenge yourself to take a skydive and raise money for us at the same time.

Sponsored Silence – Get your family and friends to sponsor you to not talk for a day!

Sweepstake – A quick and easy way to raise money. You ask a simple question like ‘How many sweets in the jar?’ and charge people to make their guess.  The closest guess gets to win the sweets!

Swimathon – Why not get sponsored per length you swim?

Talent Show – Get friends, family and colleagues together for a talent show. Raise money through ticket sales and sell refreshments.

Tombola – Get friends and family to donate gifts and organise a tombola. Only numbers ending in a 0 or 5 will win a prize!

Treasure Hunt – This could be as simple or complex as you like. It could be over several locations or in a park, or something as simple as a grid map where you sell off the squares to give people a chance of choosing the winning coordinates.

University Challenge – Take on your local university for the challenge and invite students, friends and family. Don’t forget to charge for entry and also sell tickets to watch the event.

Variety Show – A novel way of raising money and discovering talents you never knew your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours had.

Vehicle Rally – If you like cars and motorbikes why not host a rally? If you are part of a bike or car club try to get them involved to.

Walk – Organise a walk with friends and raise money at the same time.

Wax It – It’s a classic fundraising event that provides an interesting insight into how much your friends are willing to pay to see you in pain! It’s cheap to do and will always provide entertainment for those sponsoring you!

Wear It – People like to laugh, so give them an incentive to sponsor you by letting them nominate what you wear.

X–Factor Night – Celebrate your talents by putting on a show. Organise your own talent show and invite friends and family to pay to attend.

Xbox/Playstation Night – Invite people over and host a gaming evening. Charge people to play. You could also charge for ‘gaming tips’. Charge for snacks and drinks too as it could be a long night!

Yoga Class – Why not run your own yoga class and ask your students to contribute to take part?

Zip Line – A great way to raise money and you’re sure to feel the adrenaline pumping afterwards!

Zumba – If you’re feeling energetic and want a physical challenge that lots of people can take part in, this is a great way to raise money.