Top fundraising ideas

A

• Abseil – Start right at the top! A sponsored abseil is not just for extreme sports junkies. In fact the more unlikely the participant the easier it is to get attract publicity and sponsorship. Make sure to shop around online for the ideal provider for your charity abseil
• Afternoon tea – Host an afternoon tea at work, home or a local venue and ask your guests to contribute with donations. Make sure to provide the tea and some snacks, or encourage your guests to snacks of their choice. Cake’s are always a popular choice!
• Auction – Do you have some any memorabilia you’re willing to let go of? Or know of any contacts to get your hands on some? You could even auction your own off your time and skills – perhaps a pledge to clean your friend’s car. There are various sites where you can easily set up your own online charity auction

B

• Bag pack – Get a group together and contact your local supermarket to see if you can pack bags in store for a weekend in exchange for donations
• Bake sale – One of the most popular ways to raise money. Bake sales are fun to organise do and an excellent way to raise money. Whether you host your sale at work, school or your home be sure to bake plenty of everybody’s favourites first to maximise your sales. Don’t know what to make? Try our delicious rhino cookie recipe!
• Ball / Dinner – If you like food, entertainment, music, dancing and lots of glamour, you could organise a charity ball or dinner. Find a venue and raise money through ticket sales
• Barbecue – Invite friends and family around to your place in the summer for a barbecue, or as they call it in South Africa ‘braai’. Ask your guests to contribute with donations
• Bingo – Host your own bingo night at work, home or a local venue and ask your guests to contribute with donations. Keep it fun by adapting the game for your audience by using a theme and photographs of your own choosing. You can find custom bingo card generators online
• Birthday – Set up a fundraising page and ask your friends and family to donate instead of giving presents or buying you a drink. Setting up your own Facebook birthday fundraiser is quick and easy – then all you have to do is share it!

C

• Climb – Get sponsored to climb your local peaks or even a global landmark. Check out Discover Adventure for more information on fundraising adventure challenges. You could even go out to the hills and climb the equivalent of Mount Kilimanjaro, or tackle it on the stairs! Then record it on your fitness tracker
• Cocktail party – Host a cocktail party for your family, friends or colleagues and raise money by encouraging your guests to contribute with donations. Check out our Rhino Sundowner for an entertaining evening of rhino-inspired drinks. You could even host a virtual Rhino Sundowner on a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom
• Coffee morning – Host a coffee morning at work, home or a local venue and ask your guests to contribute with donations. Make sure to provide the coffee and some snacks, or encourage your guests to snacks of their choice. Cake’s are always a popular choice!
• Concert – Know some musicians, or have talent yourself? Hold a concert in a local venue and raise money through ticket sales
• Cycle – Take part in a cycling challenge event and raise sponsorship through your online fundraising page. Check out Discover Adventure for more information on fundraising cycle challenges

D

• Darts tournament – Challenge your friends, family or colleagues to a darts tournament! Raise money by charging participants an entry fee and offer a prize for the winner. Darts is a fun game for all, making it perfect for all skill levels.
• Dinner party – Get your friends and family round for a dinner party. Ask your guests for a donation for your hospitality. Choose a theme to make it interesting and even plan some after-dinner games
• Disco – Party at home or rent out a community hall, organise a dance and raise money through ticket sales. Make sure to find a good DJ for the night! You could even host dance-off competition?
• Dress down day – Ditch the suit for a day and get everyone to pay in a small amount to wear their own clothes – the perfect fundraiser for the office!

E

• Easter egg hunt – Hold a treasure hunt for chocolate eggs this Easter. Raise money by asking your guests to donate to take part.

F

• Fancy dress – Set a theme and encourage your school or work colleagues to dress up for the day and pay a fee to take part.
• Football tournament – Host a charity football match, or a tournament if you have enough people interested. Charge players or teams a fee to take part
• Face painting – Raise money by setting up a face painting stall at a school fair, carnival or community bbq. If you’re at a crowded event, make sure that you have enough volunteers to deal with the demand

G

• Games night – Get your family and friends together for an evening of board games and raise money by asking your guests to contribute with donations
• Give it up – Get sponsored for giving something up. You could even donate the money you would have spent. Could you give up cigarettes, alcohol, coffee or chocolate?
• Golf tournament – Are you a member of a golf club or know someone that is? Get in touch with your local golf club and find out about hosting a charity golf tournament!

H

• Head shave – Challenge yourself to shave your head and raise sponsorship for the effort. Be sure to have a before and after photo taken
• Hike – Go on a hike to raise sponsorship. You could organise a local hike, or hike to a global landmark. Check out Discover Adventure for more information on fundraising adventure challenges

I

• In memory – Celebrate the life of someone you love and fundraise for a cause they loved in their memory.

J

• Jewellery – If you like to get creative, you could make your own handmade jewellery and sell them at fairs, festivals and carnivals

K

• Karaoke – Organise a karaoke evening or contest and charge for entry fees… or earplugs. You could host it at home, in the office or at school

L

• Live stream – Turn your gaming hobby into a fundraising event. You can fundraise for charity through a live streaming platform such as Tiltify.
• Lunch – Cook up a feast and gather your friends, family or work colleagues together for a fundraising lunch. Ask your guests for a donation for your hospitality

M

• Marathon – Sign up to one of our marathon places or find your own and get sponsored for your effort. Check out our charity event places for races, obstacle courses and more. You could even take part in a virtual race that can be completed at any time or location, meaning you do not have to physically turn up to a start line
• Matched giving – A great way to boost what you have raised so far. Ask your employer if they have a Matched Giving scheme and you could double what you raise from your fundraising activity

N

• Non-uniform day – Ask your school to hold a non-uniform day. Ask pupils to pay in a small amount to ditch the blazer and shirt for the day!

O

• Obstacle course – Find an obstacle course challenge near you such as Tough Mudder, Spartan Race or Inflatable 5K and get sponsored to take part. Check out our charity event places for obstacle courses, races and more

P

• Pancake day – Celebrate Shrove Tuesday by hosting a pancake day party and raise money by asking your guests to contribute with donations. You could hold a pancake-flipping contest, or challenge people to a pancake race!

Q

• Quiz night – Ask a local pub or community hall if you can host a charity quiz on a quiet night of the week. You can raise money by charging participants an entry fee and offer a prize for the winner. Check out our Big Rhino Quiz pack and activate those brain cells for a good cause! You could even host a virtual quiz night on a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom

R

• Raffle – Hold a raffle at a charity event to raise more money. Ask local businesses if they would be willing to donate prizes in return for publicity at your event
• Rounders tournament – Get some teams together, organise a prize and ask participants for donations to take part. If you are wanting to host your tournament in a local park, make sure to contact your park authority for permission
• Run – Whether you’re looking to do a 10k, half-marathon or fun run, you can get sponsored for your effort. Check out our charity event places for races, obstacle courses and more. You could even take part in a virtual race that can be completed at any time or location, meaning you do not have to physically turn up to a start line

S

• Skydiving – Find your local skydive centre and get sponsored to make the jump. A sponsored skydive is not just for extreme sports junkies. In fact the more unlikely the participant the easier it is to get attract publicity and sponsorship
• Sponsored silence – If being quiet is challenge enough, perhaps you could raise funds with a sponsored silence. Ask your friends, family or colleagues to sponsor you for an hour or more of silence
• Sports day – Organise a sports day for kids and adults. Raise money through ticket sales for the day. You can also sell refreshments or hold a barbeque for extra revenue. Classic activities include egg and spoon race, sack race, obstacle courses and tug of war
• Sweepstake – Hold a sweepstake amongst friends, family or colleagues and ask participants to make a donation to enter. You could guess the results from popular events like Wimbledon, the World Cup or Eurovision. If you’re taking part in a race, participants could guess your race time. Whoever guesses correctly wins a prize!
• Swimming – Get sponsored to take part in an organised swimming event, or organise your own swimathon at your local pool

T

• Treasure hunt – Create a treasure hunt around the house or garden and challenge your friends to find what you have hidden with clues and challenges. You could even  Raise money by asking your guests to donate to take part
• Triathlon – Get sponsored to swim, cycle and run in one go! Check out our charity event places for races, obstacle courses and more

U

• Upcycling – Old and unloved furniture and clothes are perfect for upcycling. If you have anything lying around the house or know friends who do, see what you can make and sell on. Raise money by donating a proportion of your profits.

V

• Virtual fundraising – When you all can’t be in the same place, some fundraising ideas adapt well to hosting online on a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom. Cocktail parties, quiz nights and exercise classes to name a few! You could even take part in virtual races and challenges that can be completed at any time or location, meaning you do not have to physically turn up to a start line

W

• Walk – Organise a long walk to raise sponsorship. You could organise a local walk or a walk to a global landmark. Check out Discover Adventure for more information on fundraising adventure challenges. Or if you usually take the bus you could get sponsored to walk to school or work for week or month
• World record attempt – You can practically guarantee that fundraising will be newsworthy and attract publicity by attempting to set a Guinness World Record. It will also make it easier to attract individual and corporate sponsorship!

X

• Xmas fair – Christmas Fairs are brilliant ideas for school, church and charity Christmas fundraisers. Stalls that offer arts and crafts, cakes, hot drinks and games are popular fundraising stall ideas

Y

• Yoga class – Are you a yoga instructor, or do you know one? If so, you could hold a not-for-profit class to raise money. You could even host a virtual yoga class on a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom

Z

• Zumba class – Are you a Zumba instructor, or do you know one? If so, you could hold a not-for-profit class and raise money through your endless rhythm. You could even host a virtual Zumba class on a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom