There are many different ways to help charities and nonprofit organizations that work on causes you care about. Whether it’s setting up a monthly donation or volunteering during your spare time, every little action can make a big difference. So what about if you want to take it a step further and do some fundraising? Encouraging others to donate money can be a daunting prospect, but with the right event, you’re sure to find it a rewarding and valuable experience. Read on for some event ideas to get you inspired.
Remember, if you contact your chosen charity in advance, they will almost certainly be able to help you out by providing official donation tins, leaflets, and other valuable resources.
Hold a bake sale
If you are talented in the kitchen, a bake sale might be the perfect option for you. This is something you can do on a small scale in your office, as part of a bigger event, or outside on your local high street. Don’t forget that you might need to ask permission from your boss or your chosen venue! Choose a few recipes that you are proud of, and bake big batches to sell to colleagues or passersby, with all the proceeds going to local charities. Small sweet treats that are easy to wrap and carry usually work best, for example, cupcakes and cookies. Bonus points if you decorate them with the colors of your chosen nonprofit!
Take part in a sponsored challenge
If you want to try something a bit more active, why not consider getting sponsored to do a specific challenge? This could be anything from a marathon or ultramarathon to a bike ride, swim, or long walk. It doesn’t have to be physical either, just something that’s not too easy to accomplish. Instead, you could try something like a sponsored silence or even shaving your head if you’re feeling brave! These days it’s very easy to set up an online donation page to raise money, which also ensures transparency regarding where the money goes afterward. Be sure to take lots of photos of whatever challenge you attempt, which you can then use on social media.
Set up a raffle or competition
Another popular option to consider when fundraising is to hold a raffle or similar type of competition. You can approach local businesses and ask them to provide a prize in return for the publicity they will receive for taking part in the event or even provide one of your own. For instance, if you are a guitar teacher, you could offer a free lesson to the winner. Then all you need to do is sell the tickets (remember that, for fairness, you shouldn’t buy any tickets for yourself or your close family), and draw the winner publicly or on video. These days it’s possible to hold competitions entirely online, for example, using social media, in order to widen your potential audience. Just be sure to set your rules clearly so that you don’t end up having to spend lots of money shipping a prize to another continent!