Great Fundraising Ideas

There are lots of ways to seek sponsorship for challenges large and small. Whether you choose to travel miles for your challenge or you pick an event that is run locally, you can ask friends, family and work colleagues to donate and support your chosen cause.

• Running Events – Whether you opt for a 5k or an ultra marathon, running events are a great opportunity to ask for sponsorship, whatever your level of fitness. There are lots of companies and event organisers hosting races throughout the year. Entry fees vary but many do not cost a huge amount and sponsored participation is a great way to raise money for your favourite cause or charity.
• Walk for Charity – If you don’t want to run, opt for a sponsored walk instead. Walking events are becoming more and more popular, with many including an overnight element, so you complete the distance over two days. Walking is also a great way of fundraising without taking part in an organised event. You can set the route yourself and record it using one of the many apps available for your phone. Just look to Major Tom for inspiration!
• Cycling Events – There are cycle races taking place nationwide https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/ all year round, catering for all entry levels, from novice to seasoned cyclist. You don’t have to have fancy equipment to take part and the routes are often in very scenic places, so you can enjoy the views whilst raising money.
• Shave Your Head – If you’re brave enough, why not shave your head for charity? Make sure you get someone to film it for you and share the footage on social media, along with the link to your fundraising page. Using social media to ask for sponsorship helps to spread the word even further.
  Hint - Tag the charity you are raising money for in all your social posts and make the posts public, so that people who do not know you but support the same cause have the opportunity to sponsor you simply by scanning the QR code of your charity.
• Sponsored Skydive – There are lots of skydives to choose from around the country and many charities organise their own. If you raise enough money the cost of the sky dive is usually covered, so make sure you ask as many people as possible to sponsor you before you take the leap.
• Bungee Jump For Charity – For adrenaline junkies, a bungee jump can be an exhilarating way to raise money and showcase a daredevil nature.
• Abseiling – Whether you have ambitions to abseil down a building, landmark or rock face, there are plenty of resources online to help in your quest to abseil for charity.
  Hint - It will reduce your costs if you are able join an existing abseiling event organised by your chosen charity or if you are able to find a group of people who would like to take on the challenge with you.
• Quit Smoking – Even non-smokers are aware of how challenging it can be to kick a smoking habit, so this challenge will often inspire generous donations. Ask your friends and family to sponsor you in order to motivate you to quit for a month (which does not have to be Stoptober, it can be any month). You’ll find that it’s hard to cheat when people start giving you money to stop and you could even donate the money you don’t spend on cigarettes. By kicking the habit for a month, you may even find it easier to stop for good.
• Dry January (or any month!) - The perfect way to get healthy and all for a good cause. As well as getting sponsorship for going dry, you can save up the money you would have spent down the pub and donate this at the end of the month too.
  Hint - Get your friends and family involved in the challenge too. This will help to raise even more money and reduce the likelihood of you cheating!
• Set up a Fundraising Page – There are lots of online fundraising platforms that make organising your sponsorship really easy but using Evershare.io is 75% cheaper than using fundraising sites because we enable bank to bank payments thus cutting our Vias and Debit card fees. Hint - Make sure you add your story and pictures to your page to make it extra special.
• Charity Dinner Party – Host your own Come Dine With Me event, charging your guests to taste your culinary delights. You could even inject a little competition and get friends and family to host their own as well, so you can score the evening and the cooking.
• Shave Your Beard – Whether your beard is a recent addition or you’ve been sporting one for years, people will pay good money to see it come off! Make sure you turn the shaving of the beard into an event itself so you can collect more donations on the day.
• Movember – Growing a moustache for charity can be a great team activity. Make sure you give plenty of notice so that those who want to be involved have plenty of time to start growing and grooming a fine moustache.
• Sponsored Swim – Whether it’s outdoor wild swimming or using your local pool, swimming is a great way of raising money for charity. You can organise your own attempt or join a pre-existing event in your local area or further afield.
• Santa Run – Get up on Boxing Day and join thousands of people dressed as Santa and running off their festive excesses. A great way to kick start your New Year health kick and raise much-needed charitable funds. Get your family involved and create a fundraising page to maximise the donations you can achieve.
• Boxing Day Swim – If you’re feeling very brave, then why not take the plunge and take part in a Boxing Day swim? Lots of people wouldn’t dare so it’s a good opportunity to raise sponsorship money for your favourite cause or charity.

Whatever your chosen sport, ensure that donations to your club keep coming in with fundraising idea from our sports club section. Need money for your football club, rugby club, hockey club, or swimming club? We know that clubs of all kinds need to foot the bill for everything from general running costs to new kit and that many could not survive without on-going fundraising activities.

• Signed Giveaways – Whether your local team is in the premiership or in a lower division, signed shirts, balls and pictures always do well in raffles and auctions. Hint – Ask for sealed bids for high value items to ramp up your fundraising potential.
• Collection Tins – Boost your fundraising and collect change that people do not want to carry around with them by putting out collection tins in hard-to-miss locations in the clubhouse or bar. Hint – Put your QR code on the collection tin to accept bank to bank mobile payments from your dornors who just need to scan the QR code to make a donation straight to your bank account.
• Pay Per View – Team up with your local pub or clubhouse and charge a small fee to watch the game. You could even ask the pub to donate a small proportion of their takings if you help to pack the place out.
• Sell Your Old Kit - Sell unwanted kit online with Ebay or simply let people know what’s available on a WhatsApp group or your team Facebook page. Make safety a priority by setting clear protocol for delivering/collecting items, such as ensuring people have someone with them if they have people coming to collect items in person or arranging to meet a seller/buyer in a public place.
• Quiz Nights - These work well either in a physical venue or on an online platform via an app such as Zoom. You can build the quiz using a questions from here. Charge an entry fee per team or per person (so that larger teams pay more) by sending a QR code by email so you get paid in advance Hint - Encourage people to get creative by offering a prize for the best team name and generate additional funds by holding a raffle on the night.
• Raffles – Easy to organise and perennially popular, a raffle is a great way to generate extra funds for your club, especially if you can get some really good prizes. Ask around the club for prize donations and speak to local businesses too - you’d be surprised many people would want to win a free MOT from the local garage, a beauty treatment from the local salon or a voucher for a local shop. Hint - Take advantage of half time and sell tickets to spectators waiting for the second half to start.
• Beat the Keeper – Appeal to people’s competitive natures by pitting their skills against your best club keeper. Offer prizes for the most successful challenger and for the most dramatic goal celebration. Hint - If your club caters for a range of ages, increase the number of people who take part by running separate competitions for each age group.
• 5-a-Side Tournament – Not everyone can handle a 90-minute game, so include more people by holding a 5-a-side at your local ground. You can charge per team entry using our scannable QR codes to receive cashless payments and supplement your income by selling refreshments to those cheering from the sidelines.
• Take Part in a Local Event – Encourage club members to sign up for a 10k run or half marathon, as organised events are a great way to get sponsorship for taking on a challenge. Hint - Do this as a group challenge and generate some healthy competition, offering small prizes for the club member who gets the fastest time and the one who can raises the most sponsorship money.
• Tip Donation – Ask your local pub or restaurant to donate a proportion of the tips they receive over a given weekend. Provide an incentive for them to do this by publicising their generosity on your website and social media pages and encouraging people to book a table or pay a visit for a drink that weekend. Hint – Ask your local restaurant or pub to put your QR code on their menu so all diners have to do is scan the code to donate!
• Register as a Community Amateur Sports Club with HMRC– bolster all your donations by 25% with Gift Aid by using our system which automatically reclaims the Gift Aid from HMRC with no effort from you. Think of all that paperwork you don’t have to do!
• Silent Disco – No noise complaints from the neighbours and everyone gets to be their own DJ. If your music selection is large enough, your event will appeal to a broad cross section of people and you can boost your income on the night by serving refreshments to weary dancers. Hint - Equipment for the event can be hired, so make sure you charge enough to cover the costs of the hire when selling tickets.
• Hold a Games Night – Bring people together to eat, drink and play their favourite games. You can run it like a pool tournament, where the winner stays at the table each time and you offer a prize for the overall champion of each game at the end of the night. Alternatively, it can just be a fun evening of friendly competition. Hint - If you are offering prizes, ask local businesses to donate these to your cause. If you host the evening in a pub, restaurant or café, ask for a proportion of the takings in exchange for advertising the event and bringing in the crowds.
• Girls or Lads Night In – Staying in is the new going out! Host drinks, a casual dinner or a film marathon at your home and donate the money you would have spent on a night out to your club. Guests can bring their own food and drink and - if you’re feeling brave and the neighbours won’t mind - you could even throw a bit of karaoke into the mix.
• Battle of the Bands – If your local community is bursting with musical talent you could pit the groups against each other in a battle of the bands evening. Advertise your event online and in the local press and raise additional funds by charging an entry fee with your unique QR code at the door and remember by using an Evershare.io QR code you will capture the donor data too.
• Zumbathon – Get everyone wearing dance gear in your club colours and bring everyone together for a fundraising zumba class. Novices and enthusiasts alike will love the chance to let their hair down, get their hips moving and raise money at the same time. Hint - Team up with a local zumba teacher who can lead the event and ask them if they are willing to donate a prize of free classes to the most enthusiastic participant.
• Any of the above ideas can be enhanced with our data capturing QR codes which allow

 After school groups like the Scouts, Girl Guides, Brownies and Sea Cadets offer children across the UK a great opportunity to develop new skills. Help to with raising money for these children’s groups with these fundraising ideas:

• Selling Old Uniforms - Sell outgrown and unwanted uniforms via eBay or simply let people know what’s available via WhatsApp or your group Facebook page. Make safety a priority by setting clear protocol for delivering/collecting items, such as ensuring people have someone with them if they have people coming to collect items in person or arranging to meet a seller/buyer in a public place.
• Sponsored Walks – A simple event to organise with a little bit of planning, all you need is a clearly marked route and volunteer marshals placed a regular intervals along the way to make sure everyone goes the right way and to help anybody who gets into difficulties. Hint – Hold a barbecue at the finish area to make the event even more profitable.
• Car Washing – An old favourite of the cubs and scouts, this fundraising classic is often in great demand in the community and people are happy to swap their regular commercial car wash to support a local group. Hint - Charge different amounts for different services such as wash only, wash and dry or even a waxing service.
• Garden Clearance – A great fundraising idea if you have a lot of willing parent/guardian volunteers, as they can supervise the youngsters and do any heavy lifting and carrying that may need doing. Hint - Lots of people need this work carried out regularly, so you could offer a small discount for block bookings or an incentive for referrals.
• Lawn Mowing – A good opportunity to raise some money for your club and help people get their gardens into shape during spring and summer. You can advertise the service on popular social channels and online community pages or go old school and drop flyers through letterboxes. Hint - Remind people that the money goes to your group or club and they may even tip once the work is done!
• Packing Supermarket Shopping – Find out from your local supermarket whether they allow charity bag packers. If they do, organise a rota of volunteers from the club and give everyone manageable shifts over a weekend or series of weekends. Make sure there is a clearly visible collection tin or bucket with your QR code on it so people can give you a donation for your help simply by scanning the code and remember to wear uniform so people know which club or group you’re from. Hint – Don’t forget to rota in an adult volunteer or two to ensure that everyone turns up for their “shift” and that everything runs smoothly on the day(s).
• Cinema Nights – Pick a popular classic film and a suitable date, set up a big screen and rows of chairs, then charge people a small entry fee to come and watch. If you put the QR code on your email people can simply scan the code and your cause will receive the money immediately into your bank account – and remember you can also claim Gift Aid seamlessly without any paperwork and add an extra 25% to the donation. You could use an outside space to host an outdoor cinema or use the community hall if you want to make the event weather-proof. 
•  Dog Walking – Raise funds by helping out your neighbours by walking their dogs for a small donation. There are lots of people who have to work or may not be able to give their dogs the exercise they need. Why not advertise the service for post-school hours during the summer months (or during the day over weekend or summer holidays?
• Second-hand Clothing Fashion Show and Sale – The key to making this a success is people know that you are looking for clothing and accessories donations well in advance, so that as many people as possible have time to sort through their stuff and give you anything they don’t need any more. Hint- Style some of the items into catwalk outfits for your volunteer models to wear on the night and don’t forget to get your club leaders, parents and guardians involved to model the adult sizes. Charge a small fee for tickets and open a pop-up shop where all your donations can be sold after the show.
• World Record Attempt – a wonderful way to get people simultaneously channelling their competitive spirit and laughing hard is to try and break one of the many world records https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ out there. Hint - Contact the local paper and encourage them to report your event. If you have an online fundraising page, make sure they publish this too.
• Summer BBQ – Not just a great fundraising idea, a summer barbecue is often a hotly anticipated event in the club’s social calendar. Put up a poster with your QR code and your supporters just scan and pay on entry for a set BBQ menu and approach local musicians to provide the entertainment. Hint - Local supermarkets or butchers may be able to give you discounts on food if buying in bulk – it can’t hurt to ask.
• Garage and Street Sales – Get the community spirit going and raising money for your group by encouraging the households in your neighbourhood to have a clear out then sell the items in a big street sale, with proceeds from the items sold going to your group. Here is a list of Street sales. Spread the word far and wide by advertising online via your group website and social media pages, in the local press and with printed flyers and don’t forget your QR code that will allow your supporters to donate by scanning.
• Teddy Bear’s Picnic – A fantastic fundraiser for groups that cater for little children, a teddy bear’s picnic is a great excuse to enjoy delicious sandwiches, indulgent cakes and teatime treats – you could even go on a bear hunt as well.
• Bonfire Night – If you can get permission from your local council in the UK – see contact list - hold a bonfire party. Notoriously well attended, a good firework party provides the opportunity to raise funds via the entry fee and through the sale of hot drinks, refreshments and sparklers. Hint - Make sure you read the health and safety requirements for holding an outdoor event.
• With your unique QR code from Evershare.io it is so easy and free to get you r scannable QR code to enable cashless payments you’re your supporters and regular donors..

Raising money as a business or in your department is a great way of getting everyone in your work community involved in doing good.

• Choose an Annual Charity – Get people throughout your office or organisation involved in choosing which cause you will raise money for each year. You can hold an annual voting event, during which people can give talks on the benefits of supporting their nominated charity. Making employees part of the decision will help galvanise on-going support. With Evershare’s unique QR code which enables cashless bank to bank payments you can put the code into your company’s emails so you staff, suppliers and partners can easily donate to the charity of your choice.
• Dress Down Days – Whether you opt for casual clothing or you make it a fancy dress event, dress down days in the office always go down well. You can charge a small fee for allowing people to wear non-work clothes and charge people a fine if they forget.
  Hint - Turn this idea into a regular earner by charging employees a small fee to wear jeans each Friday. Our codes can be printed on T Shirts or Hoodies so your staff can actually scan each other to make a payment to the charity of your choice.
• Donate Your Coffee Money – People love their speciality coffees and spend a lot each month on their favourite caffeine fix. Ask people to forego their daily coffee just once and donate the money they would have spent to your chosen cause instead.
• Cycle to Work – Why not do your health and the environment a favour and cycle to work? You can turn it into a charitable challenge by donating the money saved on fuel or travel fares to your chosen cause. Many workplaces offer bike-to-work scheme or provide employees with help to purchase their own bikes via salary sacrifice arrangements.
• Lunchtime Quizzes – Host a lunchtime quiz and charge a donation for each team entry. You can download quizzes online and if you can’t get everyone together, you can use Zoom or Microsoft Teams to run it as a virtual quiz instead.
• Collect Plastic Milk Bottle Tops – A really simple way to raise money and reduce the amount of plastic waste going to landfill is to collect plastic milk bottle tops. You can make £60 per tonne, which may seem like a lot of lids, but if you ask the canteen to keep theirs, encourage colleagues to bring them in from home and even ask your favourite local coffee shop to save theirs for you, they will soon add up.
  Hint - Check whether your chosen charity has any information on their website regarding other ways you can get involved in recycling to benefit their cause.
• Matched Donations – Does your company have a matched donation scheme? Many organisations will match what you raise up to a certain amount, so make sure you let HR or your community representative know if your fundraising for charity. Your chosen charity can help when it comes to letting you know how your employer can send any matched funds over to them.
• Silent Auction – Source donations of auction items from colleagues, suppliers and local businesses and hold a silent auction via your intranet. Hold the auction over a set time period – maybe a couple of days early in the week – and announce the winners on Friday.
• Singles Night – Why not host an event for your single friends, family and work colleagues? Encourage more attendees by making it free to come along and raising funds through raffles and games and by selling food and drinks throughout the evening. There are lots of online resources to help your singles night go smoothly and get people in the mood to find love!
• Karaoke Night – Many of us have a secret favourite karaoke song and are just waiting for the chance to unleash our inner diva and belt it out for charity. Check out this list of the best karaoke songs to see which classics make the cut and whether your favourite is among them.
  Hint - Make a night of it and include food and drinks to maximise your fundraising efforts.
• Payroll Giving – speak with your HR team to find out how employees can give via the monthly payroll. It is often possible to give to more than one charity and some employers will match what you give up to a certain amount.
• Busking – If you have a high traffic entrance way to your office you could arrange to sing or play music to entertain colleagues and visitors as they come and go. Ask for more money to do requests or serenade people on their lunch break. Hint - Give the busker your QR code and donors just need to scan the QR code to make payment via their mobile phone wallet straight to your charity’s bank account.
• Recipe book – If many of the people in your office seem to enjoy cooking, ask colleagues to contribute recipes that you can collate into a printed charity cookbook. You could even sell an e-book version to reduce printing costs. People will love seeing their family name in print, and you might find a new dish that becomes your family favourite.
• 24 Hour Dance-a-thon – Challenge the staff of your office to dance for 24 hours straight. This works best if you organise everyone into teams, with each team taking a stint of a few hours before resting and refuelling ready for the next dance session.
  Hint - Stream it live on Facebook so your colleagues and friends can follow you throughout the day (and night). Our QR codes can be scanned from a Facebook post or on any social media allowing your donors t o donate safely and at ultra low cost. Evershare.io is 75% cheaper than using card payment systems like Stripe or Visa or Paypal.
• Car Share – Pool your resources and share cars with colleagues to travel to and from work. Not only is this fantastic for the environment but you can save a small fortune in fuel and parking costs. You can give a proportion of what you save to your favourite cause or charity.
• Evershare.io provides QR codes which enable bank to bank cashless payments so donors can donate directly to charity.

COVID-19 has done many things and one of them has been the drastic decline in the use of cash. It has also increased the use of QR scanning. At Evershare.io we have combined tried and trusted technologies to allow donors to donate directly from their mobile banking app straight to charity. It has also had a massive impact on UK causes, from national charities to local groups and organisations. With large gatherings cancelled, charities and causes up and down the country have seen vital fundraising streams closed off to try and stem the spread of coronavirus. Here are some simple ways in which you can keep supporting charities, even when you’re in lockdown.

• Virtual Events – If you can’t get outside to run, walk or swim as often or safely as you’d like, why not use your treadmill or even your back garden to clock up the miles? You can do live streams of your progress on social media. Lots of charities and event companies are running virtual events for fundraising right now so there are lots of resources available.
• Do the Distance Anyway – with all mass participation events cancelled due to social distancing rules, the only alternative is to do the distance on your own. Make sure you record the miles you’ve run or cycled on one of the many free tracking apps you can use on your phone. Charities have worked hard to come up with lots of ideas to help you go it alone, so check out their websites for inspiration and motivation.
• Donate Food – Many supermarkets and food bank charities are providing safe places for people to drop off gifts of food. It’s a very meaningful way to support those in your community who are struggling. You could even offer to help with distribution and many organisations have very clear social distancing processes and PPE available to make this safe as we continue to deal with the on going pandemic.
• Direct Donations – Many people are losing income as a result of coronavirus, but if you are one of the people who is actually saving money by being at home, you could consider donating some of your savings to charity. Maybe your fuel costs have gone right down or you’re not spending money on those weekend nights out. Even the smallest regular donation can really help causes and charities right now.
• Sell Unwanted Items on eBay – Use the opportunity of spending more time at home to have a good clear out and sell any unwanted items on Ebay or through Facebook Marketplace. Donate the money to your favourite cause or charity and enjoy the newfound space in your home.
• Get Crafty – If you have perfected a new skill in lockdown or have always taken pride in your homemade gifts, start selling what you make online. You can list your items cheaply on Etsy or Ebay and help to raise extra funds for your favourite cause or charity at this difficult time.
  
• Birthday Fundraiser – If you have added your birthday to your Facebook profile, your friends will all be reminded of it on the day. Take advantage of this free publicity by fundraising for a cause on your birthday and requesting donations instead of gifts.
  Hint – Use Evershare’s QR code in your post to collect birthday donations and you’ll be able to get the 25% extra in Gift Aid too with no paperwork whatsoever due to our partnership with SwiftAid. Send the link to friends and family via email or WhatsApp.
• Virtual Disco – If you are a budding DJ (or you know someone who is) live stream a DJ set to fellow music fans. Platforms like Twitch will provide you with the technical capabilities you need, so pick a theme for your disco and get on the decks. This article will show you how to get set up.
  
• Online Wine and Cheese Tasting – If you or someone you know has a passion for wine and pairing it with delicious cheeses, host a wine tasting night and live stream it to a small group of paying participants. Sell tickets that include mini bottles of wine and food, delivered with no contact, which everyone can then taste and discuss during your event.
• Host a Workshop – Lockdown prompted thousands of people to take up distance or online learning. If you’re an expert at something and can teach other people, take advantage of this trend and host an online workshop. You can sell tickets and get sign-ups on Eventbrite.
  
• Game-athon - Host a live-stream where you’re sponsored to play and stream your favourite game. With gaming now almost exclusively online, you should be able to publicise and gather other participants from within the gaming community without leaving your favourite chair in the living room.
• Donate Your Time – If the Coronavirus pandemic has left you with a bit of extra time on your hands, donate that time to a good cause. A number of volunteer co-ordinating organisations are arranging to collect prescriptions, go shopping and generally support people who are shielding and it is an easy way for many of us to give something back to the local community.
• Sign up to Evershare.io the worlds first QR code for cashless payments. It is free to join and our fees are 75% that all other payment systems. How? Because we enable bank to bank cashless transactions from the donor’s mobile direct to your charity’s bank account.