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Fundraising ideas

Looking for ideas to raise money for charity? Our fundraising ideas are a great place to start. Hold fundraising events, sell your old stuff or get sponsored to do something silly - the money you raise will transform children’s lives.

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES

Fundraising ideas for kids

There are so many easy fundraisers you could organise, and fun ways to get children involved in raising money for Save the Children. Whether baking, biking or boogying, kids love taking part and fundraising is a great way to teach them about the lives of children around the world.

We've got a full list of ways to raise money below, but some of our favourite fundraising ideas for kids are:
 
  • Dress up Day
  • New Year's Resolutions
  • Read-a-thon
  • Sponsored Walk

Fundraising ideas

If you're planning a fundraiser and need inspiration, or want to raise money but you're not sure how to go about it, check out our list of fundraising ideas for some great ways to raise money.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

  • Auction – Do you have any collectables you've been meaning to clear out, or perhaps you have some rare skills you have that are ripe for auctioning off? Either way, an auction is a fantastic way of raising money, bringing people together and having fun. 

Perfect for: Friends, family and work colleagues

B

  • Bingo – Get creative and create a bingo sheet tailored for your audience. You could theme it by music, celebrity faces or food or keep it old school with numbers.

    Perfect for: Friends and family and work colleagues.
  • Bike ride – Take part in a cycling event or organise your own. Get sponsored on an online fundraising page for your efforts.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group, friends and family
  • Birthday fundraising – Set up an online fundraising page and ask for donation instead of presents this year. It might also save you from getting unwanted gifts!

Perfect for: Personal challenge, kids

C

  • Concert – Know some musically talented people or have you got the talent yourself? Hold your own music concert and ask for a donation to join

Perfect for: School, university, friends and family

D

  • Dress up day – Bring in a pound or two, by dressing up in your fanciest outfit or silliest outfits. 


Perfect for: Office

E

  • Easter egg hunt – Hold a hunt for chocolate and ask family and friends to donate to take part.

Perfect for: Office, kids

F

  • Fancy dress day – Set a theme and encourage your school or work colleagues to throw on a costume.

    Perfect for: Schools, office
  • Film night – Close the curtains and snuggle up with family or your flat mates for a marathon of themed movies. Ask everyone to donate £5 and your evening will make difference to children around the world.

Perfect for: Friends and family.

G

  • Give something up – Want to break a habit? Get sponsored for giving something up or donate the money you’re saving – it might be alcohol, your morning coffee or sweet treats.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge
  • Games night – If your dream night in involves playing your favourite board games, then hosting a games night might be the perfect fundraiser for you. From Scrabble to Monopoly and Mouse Trap, there are plenty of games to keep you and your guests entertained.  

    Perfect for: Friends and family, in a group, kids
  • Golf Clubs - On course for a bright future? Sign your golf club up to a fundraising event this year and have a day you will never FORE get.

H

  • Hike – Grab your walking boots and organise a hike to raise money. Get sponsored to cover the miles.

Perfect for: Personal challenge and friends and family.

  • Head shave – Could you challenge yourself to lose your locks to raise money? Set up a fundraising page to get sponsored and be sure to have a before and after snap!

    Perfect for: Personal challenge

I

  • International Children’s Day – Hold a fundraiser on International Children’s Day on 20 November. Simply choose your favourite idea from our A-Z and get planning!

    Perfect for: Schools, Universities

J

  • Jazz night – Love jazz? See if you can hold a night of jazz music. Ask for a donation for those who join. Alternatively, if you play an instrument yourself, you could give free lessons for a donation.

    Perfect for: Friends and family, and virtual groups

K

  • Karaoke night  Everyone has a secret party piece they're itching to share! So why not grab a microphone and organise a donate-to-enter karaoke contest? 

    Perfect for: Friends and family, in a group

L

  • Learn something new – Get sponsored to try something new. It could be taking up a new physical challenge or something creative, like learning an instrument or starting dancing lessons.

M

  • Marathon run – Want to really push yourself? Sign up to one of our marathons or find your own. Get sponsored for your training efforts and achieve something amazing.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge
  • Matched Giving – Matched giving is a great way to boost what you raise. Ask your employer if they have a Matched Giving scheme and you could double what you raise from your fundraising activity.

    Perfect for: Office
  • Music night – Are you big into music? Why not organise a music night with your local community and fill your local community hall with pop, rock, jazz or something else!

    Perfect for: Friends and family, in a group

N

  • Name the… – The options for this fundraising idea are endless. Ask your friends or colleagues to donate to guess the name of the teddy, or get everyone’s baby photos together and get guessing who it is!

    Perfect for: Office, schools, universities
  • New Year dip – The New Year is the perfect time for a challenge! Find an organised New Year dip near you and get sponsored for making the chilly splash.

    Perfect for: Friends and family, in a group, personal challenge
  • New Year’s resolutions – Get sponsored to give something up or take on a new challenge.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge

O

  • Obstacle race – Find your local muddy challenge, like Tough Mudder, and get sponsored to take part. You could even set up your own ultimate obstacle course for others to take part in.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group

P

  • Pancake day – Host a pancake party on Shrove Tuesday or on a day that suits you, and ask for a suggested donation for your sweet and savoury creations. You could hold a pancake-flipping contest, or challenge people to a pancake race!

    Perfect for: Schools, office, friends and family, in a group, universities

Q

  • Quiz night – Get your community involved or just your friends and family. You can raise money by taking donations for entries to the quiz, and hold a raffle* on the same night to raise even more for Save the Children UK.

    Perfect for: Friends and family, office

R

  • Raffle* – Holding a raffle is a great way to raise more money for charity at a fundraising event. You can even ask local businesses if they will donate a prize..

    Perfect for: Friends and family, office, in a group
  • Read-a-thon – Challenge yourself or a class to a certain number of reading sessions and get sponsored for charity!

    Perfect for: Personal challenge, universities, kids
  • Run, walk or cycle - Whether you're keen to try a 10k or go for a full marathon, the money you raise could help save children's lives. 

S

  • Sponsored silence – Ask friends, colleagues or another group to sponsor you for an hour (or more!) of silence. This is a great idea for chatterboxes!

Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group, kids

  • Swim – Get sponsored to cover a set distance.

Perfect for: Personal challenge

  • Sweepstake at work– You can hold a sweepstake on lots of things, from ‘guess my finishing time’, if you’re taking part in a race, to ‘guess how many sweets are in the jar’.

    Perfect for: Office

T

  • Triathlon – Challenge yourself to take part in a triathlon and ask for sponsorship to conquer the swim, cycle and run challenge in one go!

Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group

  • Talent contest – This is a great opportunity to showcase people’s talents while raising money. Ask people to donate to take part in the contest and see if you can get a prize donated for the competition winners. 

    Perfect for: Schools, in a group, friends and family, universities

U

  • University challenge – Challenge your rival university through an event like TV’s ‘University Challenge’ quiz. Raise money through entry and see who comes out on top!

    Perfect for: Universities
  • Uniform-free day – Ask the school to hold a non-uniform day to raise money for Save the Children. Ask pupils to bring in £1 to take part.

    Perfect for: Schools

V

  • Valentine’s day – Do you know lots of single people? You could hold a speed-dating event.

    Perfect for: In a group, friends and family

W

  • Walk – Grab your walking boots and organise a long walk to raise money. Get sponsored to cover the miles. 

    Perfect for: Schools, personal challenge

X

  • X-factor competition – Ask three of your friends (or two, if you'd like to be a judge yourself!) to act as judges for the very best talent competition on the planet. You can take part, or even play host! Encourage people to take part by having a worthwhile prize for the winner. 

    Perfect for: Friends and family, universities

Y

  • Yoga Class – Are you a yoga teacher, or do you know one? If so, you could hold a not-for-profit class to raise money. Alternatively, you can challenge yourself or your yoga class to get sponsored to perform a certain number of Sun Salutations.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group

Z

  • Zumba – Hold a sponsored Zumba event and raise money through your endless rhythm.

    Perfect for: Friends and family, in a group, universities
  • Zipwiring – Get sponsored to do a zipwire challenge – find your nearest location and feel the adrenaline pumping.

    Perfect for: Personal challenge, in a group, friends and family
     

*If you are organising a raffle, please ensure you read the rules and regulations on the Gambling commission website: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

 

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