Fundraising ideas
Fundraise your way for Life! If you’re not sure what you want to do, we have an A-Z of 50+ great fundraising ideas to inspire you. Whatever you choose, we’ll be here to help every step of the way – say hi on fundraising@lifecharity.org.uk.
Your Fundraising A-Z
We’ve packed all the ideas below into one handy PDF for you. Get free access now!
Abseil
Are you a bit of an adrenaline junkie or keen to challenge yourself? Abseiling is an exciting way of raising money and there are venues around the country where you can give it a go.
A night to remember
Give the community a chance to put on their best party wear and host a gala dinner or themed family-friendly party.
Auction
Charity auctions can be a low-cost, low-risk way to fundraise, especially if you are able to get organisations to donate prizes to you.
Bake sale
A classic fundraising activity that everyone will love! After all, who doesn’t love cake? Bake sales always bring the crowds in and raise more than you might think.
Bingo
Get everyone in the competitive spirit by hosting your own bingo night. Charge per ticket and you could even try to get some raffle prizes to increase your donations.
Birthday
If you are celebrating a birthday, Facebook Birthday Fundraisers is a quick and easy way to ask friends to donate. Or you can set up a JustGiving page and ask friends and family to donate to that.
Charity ball
Hold a classic charity event with great food, some live music, a silent auction, and more – you have free reign to make it as brilliant as you can.
Christmas
Get festive and decorate and sell Christmas biscuits or decorations, go carol singing, or you could even ask for donations instead of presents!
Crafting
You could produce and sell art of your own or even hold a community arts and crafts event to encourage people to bring out their creative side.
Dance the night away
Grab your dancing shoes and let loose! From disco to barn dances or salsas to jives, hold your own Dance Marathon and dance the night away with family, friends, or colleagues.
Dinner party
Staying in is the new going out. Why not invite your friends over for a dinner party? Everyone donates what they would have spent on a night out, or have a set amount such as £20 per person.
Dog walk
Grab your four-legged friend and challenge yourself to a sponsored dog walk. This could take place over one day, one month, or anything in between – the choice is yours.
eBay
Sell your stuff on eBay and donate the profits to Life. Alternatively, head over to Life’s eBay page to donate by buying yourself a bargain!
Eighties night
Leg warmers, headbands, bright colours – don your best ’80s outfit and bust out your best moves at an ’80s themed party.
Fancy dress
Holding a mufti day at school or a dress-down Friday in the office is a fun way to go about fundraising. Pick a theme and get everyone to chip in a pound or two to take part.
Fashion show
Host your own fashion show. Why not show off some of your buys from your local Life charity shop?
Festive fun
Make the most of Easter, Christmas, Halloween, and more by organising festive-themed events to raise money. You could go carolling in December, hold an Easter-themed easter egg hunt, ask for donations at Eid instead of gifts, or do whatever else you can think of!
Give in memory
Donating in memory of a loved one is a positive way to celebrate their life. You could set up a tribute fund page, hold a collection at a funeral, or make a one-off donation.
Gone for good
Give something up for good – a good cause, that is! Challenge yourself to stay away from something for sponsorship. A week without Netflix, a month without chocolate … what you give up is up to you.
Golf
Hold a golf tournament at your local club and get everyone to pay an entry fee for charity. You could even ask the club to waive your green fees to make sure that as much money as possible goes to Life.
Haircut or headshave
Cut your hair off or even go for a full head shave. You can donate the hair to the Little Princess Trust and support Life through your fundraising.
Have a feast
Why not hold a bake sale, dinner party, wine tasting, or a barbeque? Whether you make it from scratch or buy and sell, food can be a great way to fundraise.
Hook a duck
Why not bring back old-fashioned classic games as part of a fundraising day, fête, or event?
Halloween party
One of the best times of year for holding a fancy dress party – Halloween! Send out your invites and charge guests an entrance fee to enjoy some spooky fun. Why not hold a ghoulish bake sale too and sell some of your favourite ghostly treats?
Add the Life donation sticker to your Instagram story to ask for donations from your followers.
In it to win it
Set your competitive side free and host a treasure hunt, football tournament, or a sweepstake.
Ice cream tasting
There’s no better to cool down in the summer months than hosting your own ice cream tasting event! Discover all the different flavours – what’s your favourite?
Jump rope
Do a month-long skipping challenge to see if you can jump rope for 15 minutes a day (much harder than it sounds!). Or host a jump rope competition where competitors pay to take part and the winner gets a prize.
JustGiving
Whatever you do to fundraise, whether it’s simply through raising awareness or by doing an event, setting up and sharing a JustGiving page is an easy way to publicise what you’re doing and why, and it enables people to donate quickly and easily online.
Jumble sale
One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Table top sales, jumble sales, and garage sales could help you strike gold for Life. Nothing to sell? Try getting crafty and selling products you’ve made. Still have things left over at the end? Maybe you could donate to your local Life Shop!
Knitting
Sell your own knitted items or challenge yourself to learn how to knit! You could even host a knitting party.
Karaoke
Grab your microphone and hosting and evening of fun and singing. A prize could go to the best (or worst!) singers on the night.
Live stream
The gaming industry is now bigger than the film industry, so if you love to game, you’re not alone! Livestreaming is therefore an amazing way to fundraise – get a livestream going and get your followers to donate. Games aren’t the only thing you can stream, though – there’s growing interest in lots of video content like crafting and skill sharing.
Move for money
Now could be the perfect time to take on a challenge. Whether you want to run a local half-marathon, cycle on a Nightrider, or walk 100 miles. Ask friends and family for sponsorship, or take on a challenge as a team by asking friends and family to join you.
Movie marathon
Invite your friends and family for a movie marathon. Get others to sponsor you as you watch your favourite films back-to-back. You could even get people to donate to have their favourites picked and you can do a mini-review after your viewings.
Music to your ears
Open mic nights, carol singing, or a themed music evening will pull in crowds of music lovers who will happily support your fundraiser.
New beginnings
Incorporate fundraising into your wedding day, baby shower, or birthday. You could also give something up in January as a New Year’s resolution. Set up a JustGiving fundraising page to get people to sponsor you.
Office
Get the office involved and host a bake sale, dress-down day, or get your workplace to become a corporate partner.
Olympics
Are the summer or winter your favourite? Get creative and re-create your favourite Olympic sports at home, school, or the workplace.
Pick a few
Choose some different ideas that you like and host your own fundraising day or week.
Poker night
A poker night is a fun way to get together with friends to raise money for charity. You don’t need a permit or licence to hold a poker night for charity if you abide by the statutory requirements outlined by the Gambling Commission.
Quiz
Challenge your friends and family to a quiz. Whether it’s in your local pub, online or at home, there’s no better feeling than being crowned the winner.
Raffle
Raffles are a great option as you can incorporate them into a larger event or do a virtual raffle and ask local shops for prizes. Hairdressers and salons are always a good bet. Ask friends, family, and local businesses to donate prizes. Remember to check raffle laws (see our tips on safe and legal fundraising, or check your local authority website).
Run
Whether running is a way for you to get fit or already a part of your life, it’s a great way to fundraise. From a 5k to a half-marathon, a full marathon to a 100k Ultra Challenge, there is a running event there for everyone.
School
School is a great place to fundraise – host a mufti day, a football tournament, a charity fête or disco, or even wash the teachers’ cars for cash. The more creative you can be with your fundraising the better!
Skydive
Whether you are facing your fears or feeding your appetite for excitement, the incredible adrenaline rush as you jump from 10,000 feet at more than 100mph is an amazing experience and a fantastic way to fundraise.
Sponsored silence
Are you normally a chatterbox? Why not do a sponsored silence – you might be surprised how many people sponsor you!
Swim
Take on a long-distance swim solo or get together with friends to make it a relay. Either way, swimming challenges are a great way to fundraise.
Teddy bears' picnic
A great one for nurseries, schools, or with family and friends. You could also do a Guess the Name of the Bear as an additional fundraiser.
Tombola
Still a fundraising favourite and a simple way to raise money for Life.
University
You can host fundraising competitions on campus, host a live music night, or get your local RAG team involved in a bit of friendly competition.
Virtual race
Virtual events are becoming more and more popular and are an innovative and fun way to fundraise. Run a mile a day for a month or challenge friends to see who can be first to cycle 1,000 miles. Be creative and use technology to inspire those around you.
Waxing
Get people to sponsor you to have your legs, chest, or other parts waxed for charity!
Wash
Get your bucket out and organise a charity car wash. You could always see if the local Scouts or Guides could lend a hand.
XBox or PlayStation marathon
Host a livestream, hold a FIFA party with your friends … the consoles have endless opportunities to have some fun whilst fundraising.
X marks the spot
Organise a treasure hunt around your town, park, or school. Walk or cycle from clue to clue in search of hidden treasure. Charge people to enter, and ask a local business to donate a prize to the winning team.
Year-long challenge
Give something up for a year or take on a challenge where you do something every day for a year. Alternatively, why not try learning a new skill each week?
Yoga
You don’t have to be flexible to try out a yoga session. Known for being great for the mind, why not hold a yogathon or ask your yoga teacher to donate the proceeds from one session to Life.
Zumbathon
Get your trainers on and dance up a sweat in a Zumba class. Host a Zumba party to raise money for charity. How long will you last for?
Zipwire
Find a local, organised zip-line event and get your adrenaline pumping. Contact us to let us know when you’ve signed up to your zip wire.
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