No Matter the Time of Year, You Can Fundraise for Swanswell in Many Different Ways. We

Fundraising ideas
For every season

Fundraise during the holidays when people are most generous, and then into the New Year.

Christmas shopping with Give as you Live – do you do your Christmas shopping online? By shopping via Give as you Live, every time you purchase an item a donation will be made to Swanswell without it costing you extra
Carol singing – get a group of you to bring the festive cheer by singing to your colleagues, neighbours, friends or family for donations
Gift wrapping– offer to wrap Christmas presents for donations
Swishing party – want an inexpensive alternative to January sales? Hold a clothes swap partywith a group of friends. Ask people to pay for entry to the event, or for each item they swap. You can hold extra fundraising activities during the event, like a tombola
Gym challenge – is your New Year’s resolution to start going to the gym? Start the New Year with a gym challenge. Get people to sponsor you or a group of you to run, cycle, row and/or swim for 15, 20 or 25 miles
Valentine’s Day speed dating event – hold a speed-dating event, and ask people to pay a fee to take part. You can also sell food and refreshments with all profits going to Swanswell

Pancake tossing competition – organise a pancake race at work or with friends. Ask people to raise sponsorship money to take part in the race

Spring (March, April and May)

Here are some great fundraising ideas when the flowers begin to blossom.

St Patrick’s Day bake off – hold your own Great British Bake Off and see who can bake the tastiest muffins, cakes or biscuits for St Patrick’s Day. You can then sell the baked goods in return for donations
Car boot sale – have a spring clean and sell your unwanted goods at a local car boot sale, and donate the money you make to Swanswell. Make everyone aware that all money will go to charity
Eurovision party – invite your friends to your home and ask them to come dressed up as a country competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. Hold a sweepstake and ask people to pay a donation to choose a country. The person with the winning country wins a prize
Jailbreak Challenge – organise groups of your friends or colleagues to work together to see who can travel the furthest in 48 hours for free. Ask people to sponsor you for the distance you travel or to wear fancy dress the whole distance
Dog walk – offer to walk your neighbours’ dogs in return for a donation

Summer (June, July and August)

Get outdoors and fundraise in the sun.

Tea party – ask those attending to bring cakes to sell for 50p or £1, hold a tea quiz and ask people to make a small donation to attend

Cycle ride – organise a long distance group cycle ride. Ask friends, families and colleagues to sponsor you for each mile you cover

Office Olympics –hold an Office Olympics at work. Ask people to make a small donation to compete in each event.Hold competitions, like who can type the fastest in two minutes, rubbish bin basketball or paper aeroplane javelin
Challenge yourself–compete in a triathlon or marathon or do a skydiveand ask people to sponsor you
Three PeaksChallenge – ask people to sponsor a group of you to take on this famous challengewalking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours

Autumn (September, October and November)

As the days shorten and get colder in the lead up to winter, why not fundraise indoors instead?

‘Come Dine with Me’ – create your own version of the TV show. Host a dinner at each person’s house. At the end of each evening, each guest gives what they think the dinner was worth as a donation

Record breaking – organise a mass record breaking event, like most people dancing to the ‘Macarena’ or playing touch rugby. Ask people to make a donation to take part

Murder mystery– hold a murder mystery in your home, community hall or a local restaurant and ask people to make a donation to take part
‘Guess the weight of the pumpkin’ competition – this is an easy way to raise money in the office. Ask your colleagues to donate 50p or a £1 for each guess

International food party – arrange a party at work or at home. Ask people to cook and bring along their favourite international dish, such as African, Indian, Italian, Lebanese, Spanish or Chinese. Ask people to make a £2 donation for every dish they try
Bonfire night party –sell glowsticks, sparklers and hot food as a way to raise money

All year round

These fundraising activitiesare great at any time of year.

Auction of promises – ask your colleagues to offer a skill or service (e.g. music lesson for two hours, washing the car, gardening for a day, babysitting for an evening) to be auctioned for the highest price possible. Or go to local businesses and ask them to donate their services you can auction off
Bag packing – get a group of your colleagues or friends together to pack people’s shopping at your local supermarket for donations
Give up something for a month – ask people to sponsor you to give up a bad habit,junk food or TV

Recipe book– get a group of friends or colleagues to create a recipe book of favourite recipes. You can ask a local printing company to make copies at a discounted rate or for free. Then sell the book with all of the proceeds going to Swanswell

Swear box–make your colleagues pay 20p, 50p or even £1 into the swear box
Turn £5 into £50, £10 into £100 etc – run a competition with groups of colleagues or friends to see who can be the most creative and reach (or smash) their target in a week or a month
Obstacle challenges– take part a unique challenge, such as Mudderella UK, Mud Run, Wolf Run, Total Warrior, Spartan Race or Colour Runand ask people to sponsor you
TrekFest 2015 challenge – challenge yourself to do a 13, 29 or 54-mile walk to raise vital funds for Swanswell by taking part in TrekFest 2015

Fundraising ideas – For every season1