Afternoon Tea

A variation on the ‘old-fashioned’ coffee morning but Afternoon Tea is just the thing. Borrow as much china as you can, get your mum to bake a Victoria Sponge and some fruit scones. Then hit the phones.

Britain’s Got Talent

Some of us have a musical talent and most of us know someone who is a brilliant guitarist or pianist or has an amazing voice. Bring together two or three acts, put them on the bill and after you’ve raised a four figure sum for your favourite charity, you may go on to be the next Ed Sheerin.

Club Nite

Charm your friend with the decks, find a venue, start Tweeting and wait till the crowds and the cash roll in.

Deli

I tried a one-day deli and it worked a treat. I got my mum to make a big double batch of her much-loved Fish Pie - the 10 portions sold at £3.50 each; my running club buddy Louise contributed her ‘to die for’ Rocky Road - gone in an hour! Treacle tarts, banana loaf, macaroni cheese a la maison, strawberry jam, coffee buns and cup cakes - generously donated by friends and family - flew off the (temporary) shelves.

Email

Email all of your friends and colleagues to let them know what you are doing and ask them to support you.

Facebook

You know how it works by now surely?

Gift Aid

Remember that if you pay tax you can Gift Aid your donations to make the most of the money you give, also remind everyone who sponsors you to do this and maximise your giving.

Helping Hand

Let everyone - all your family, friends - know what you are doing and get them to help.

Invite

Invite friends and family to donate money to the charity you support in place of presents for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.

Jar

The old ones are the best! Wash out half a dozen plastic litre milk cartons, take one into your office and ask colleagues to fill with their small change. Ask five close friends to do the same.

Karaoke Night

Vintage again! Get a local pub that does karaoke to donate a room and get your family and friends to sing their hearts out for a small fee. Don’t forget to join in.

Laughter

People still love mad stuff so think about shaving off the moustache that should have been axed in 1999, jump into a bath of cold beans or dress up in your mum’s old dress and run in a 5K.

Matched Giving

Ask your employer to match whatever your colleagues raise and tell people this when asking for sponsorship.

Night At The Races

Race nights are always popular but can be expensive to set up. However there are lots of fund raising opportunities - selling tickets for the night, taking a cut of the betting and auctioning horses which can then win prizes. Attract a big crowd and your fund raising worries are over.

Online Auction

Gather up a few reasonably valuable items - your charity might help you get a sports shirt signed by a celebrity or the local Italian restaurant could put up a nice meal for four. Then let the bids coming flowing in.  

Publicity

Remember that getting publicity through your local papers and radio will boost your fundraising efforts. Get in touch with your local rag and tell them what you are doing and why.

Question

Why are you undertaking this challenge? If you are fundraising for a charity that is close to your heart due to a family member or friend needing help from that charity, let people know what you are doing and why. This makes your request for sponsorship more real.

Recycling Event

Some unimaginative people used to call this a car boot sale - but the idea is the same - gather as many books, old games, prints, ornaments, sports items and general bric-a-brac you can, promote your event far and wide and rub your hands as family, friends and colleagues snap up the bargains.

Strategy

A good fund-raiser has a plan so get your’s down on paper and turn it into actions.

Time

Time can be your best friend as a fund-raiser so as soon as you read this - get cracking!

Unchain

This is what you need to do if you are going to succeed as a fund raiser. Unchain your creativity, your enthusiasm, your persuasiveness and your drive. Make this work!

Very Supportive Charities

Your charity is there to help you and they have years of experience - contact them for advice, ideas and support.

Web

Set up a webpage to tell people about your fundraising efforts, you could use it for your online auction too.

Xtra Imagination

As we said don’t have a car boot sale have a planet-friendly Recycling Event. Don’t have a coffee morning have a Smoothie Brunch - a- good idea if you have lots of friends who are runners. A Saturday/Sunday late morning time-slot is ideal for runners keen to re-fuel after their long runs and chat about their progress. Provide a big exotic range of drinks (Banana, oat & honey and Very Berry are favourites) and lots of great food. Then flog the premium-priced raffle tickets!

Yes

Yes, you can do it! Fundraising can be challenging but keep going and you will be surprised how well you do.  Remember, you are doing it for a charity so you have nothing to feel awkward about when it comes to approaching people for help or money. The worst they can do is say ‘no’, and more often than not they will say ‘yes’.

Zzzz…

Z is for lots of rest. What with running a marathon and a marathon fund-raising effort you’re going to need a bit of extra kip.

Image: Pixabay