Fundraising ideas

A-Z Fundraising Ideas

Most popular fundraisers

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A

• Abseil – brave the heights and give an abseil a go.
• Afternoon Tea – get out the teacups and saucers and host an afternoon tea. Time to show off your scone making skills!
• Alcohol free - go alcohol free for a month! How long can you go?
• Art Exhibition – get together local artists work and ask for donations for entry.
• Auction – ask local businesses for donations and set up an auction with your community! Who will make the biggest bid?

 

B

• Baking – get baking and set up a sale. You can download cake flags and other useful party bits from our Fundraising Resources page.

• BBQ – get your mates to donate for a plate, host a garden party and let them know what it’s all for.
• Bingo – get a full house and host a bingo event with your friends, you can print off some cards online.
• Birthday Giving – don't know what you want? Why not swap out the gift giving and ask for donations instead!
• Books – sell some books you’re already done with or start up a book club with your community for a small donation.

 

C

• Crochet – download our crochet pattern and get creative!
• Car Boot Sale – gather up your unwanted clutter and take it along to a local car boot sale and see if you can turn your unwanted items into a donation. Make a poster to let people know what they’re contributing to!
• Coffee Morning – gather together your work colleagues for a morning Coffee and pastry in exchange for donations and a great way to start a work day.
• Car Wash – offer up a car clean to your local community and get the donations coming in!
• Crafting – whatever craft you enjoy you could pledge an hour, a day, a week and any items you make you could offer for a donation to RBL. One of RBL’s top fundraisers make metal sculpture poppies and hides them around the New Forest on Remembrance Sunday and asks the finders and hunters to make a donation to RBL.
• Cycling – pop on your helmet and hop on your bike! Set a distance or time you want to reach or take part in an RBL cycling event
• Camping – could you sleep in your tent in your garden? How many nights could you manage? Why not set a wager too!

 

D

• Dog Walking – see how many miles you and your doggy can cover, or offer dog walking to your friends and neighbours
• Dog Show – get your four-legged neighbourhood friends together and show off their party tricks!
• Danceathon – gather your friends together and challenge yourselves to dance the night away. Ask for donations for attending, and you could ask your friends to help you create a playlist by choosing a song for a small donation
• Discover Adventure – Take on a challenge through Discover Adventure and choose to support us at the same time! Charity Challenges - Cycle Rides, Treks & Climbs - Discover Adventure
• Dinner party – come dine with me style or donate for a plate, don’t forget to share what it’s all for – you could even add in a theme.
• DIY – are you handy around the house? Could you offer your services within your local community – help your neighbours put up some shelves? Or perhaps build some flat packed furniture for a small donation?

 

E

• Eating competition – how many crackers can you eat without water? How many marshmallows can you fit in your mouth?
• Eurovision party - pick a country to support and set up a sweepstake, you can even dress up!
• Easter activities – easter egg hunt, easter party, egg painting, you name it, you can do it for Easter or beyond
• Exercise marathon – how many different exercises can you do?

 

F

• Fancy dress – hold a themed dress up day at work or whilst you’re doing your chosen activity! You could even get someone else to choose your outfit.
• Football match/tournament - host a football match parents vs children, or work colleagues vs your family see who comes out on top and ask for donations to come and watch.
• Facebook fundraising – check out our virtual events or make up your own!
• Face painting – have you got any local fetes or parties coming up? Ask for a donation in exchange for face painting, you can get inspiration online.
• Film night - bring the cinema home and set up a viewing of your favourite films – military or not!

 

G

• Games night – gather your friends together to play your favourite games, monopoly, poker, cards, or even a game of charades. Ask for a small donation to attend and have an evening full of fun and games – literally!
• Gardening – pop in to see your neighbours and ask if they need help with their gardening for a donation to your fundraising. You could mow the grass, plant some flowers or tidy up the patio.
• Golf – get your golfing friends together at your local driving range or golf club and play a game for charity!
• Give something up – your takeaway coffee, sweet treat or even a favourite vegetable! See how long you can go without and get your friends to guess how long you can go. Or donate what you save to your fundraising.
• Guess the '?’ competition – Guess how many sweets are in the jar, or the weight of the cake – use your imagination and the winner takes all the sweets or whatever you choose.

 

H

• Head shave – could you be brave enough to shave all your hair off?
• Hiking – choose a challenging route and pull on your boots! You could even join in on our Poppy Hike 2025.
• Hogmanay – don your kilts, and celebrate the last day of the old year at home.
• Halloween – host a Halloween party, fancy dress or not, and get the themed games out – apple bobbing, pumpkin carving or painting to name a few!

 

I

• Ice cream tasting – share your favourite flavours with your friends and get judging! What flavour will come out top?
• Irish Night/Day - you don’t wait for St Patricks, if you’ve got the skills why not show off your Irish dancing skills and teach your friends? 
• Iron Man – ready for that next step? Take on an Ironman challenge and fundraise at the same time.
• International Day - ask everyone to bring a dish from each cuisine
• Invent something - put your creative skills to the test and see what you can come up with.

 

J

• Jazz night – put on an evening of entertainment and charge for entry. Or if you’re a jazz musician, why not give lessons for donations.
• Jumble sale – gather together your unwanted items and sell what you can, why not ask your friends for donations too?
• Jewellery making / selling –  feeling creative? Host or join a class and invite your pals. You could even sell some of your old jewellery or the ones you make.
• Jumping Jacks – see how many you an complete in an hour

 

K

• Kayaking – hop in the kayak for charity! Challenge yourself with distance or time and let your friends know the challenge you’re taking on.
• Karaoke - get your friends together and choose your favourite tunes in exchange for a donation
• Kick a habit – challenge yourself to break a habit and raise money whilst you do it
• Knitting – download our knitting patterns and get making! You could even get your friends together and host a charity knitathon too

 

L

• Learn a new skill – pick something new and see what you can do! Why not get your friends to pick one?
• Lego contest – host a Lego building contest! Why not try it without the instructions?
• Line Dancing – is country music your thing? Or perhaps the classic party dances of the Macarena or the cha cha slide? invite your friends and family and see if you can keep a line dance going non stop for an hour or two
• Lunch – invite your friends over and get them to donate for a plate
• Loose change collection – see what change you and your community have, you’ll be surprised what you can raise

 

M

• Music concert – host your own music event and gather up local musicians to perform
• Matched Giving – ask your employer about matched giving, some companies can match whatever you raise!
• Marathon – choose from one of the many running events and do it for the RBL!
• Makeover – ask your friends to donate their skills, from hairdressing to nail art or makeup

 

N

• New Year party – get together with your friends for the countdown and raise money at the same time
• Nearly new sale – sell off some of your clothes, get your friends to join you too
• Netball – host a tournament or game with your pals and get donations for entry
• Night time walk – get your glow sticks ready and head out for a trek around your local community

 

O

• Open mic night – got a good voice? Or a venue people could use? Host an open mic night and ask for donations for entry or to watch
• Open Garden – love your garden? Why not show it off! Invite your neighbours round and have a charity collection at the same time
• Office collections – ask around the office for donations – why not set up a fundraising page and add it into your email footer? We’ve got lots that you can choose from to use as a template too.

 

P

• Pancake Day – Whether it’s on Shrove Tuesday or just because, do some flips for charity!
• Penalty shootout – Goal! Take turns in goal and see how many you can get in.
• Photo competition – host and judge a competition where you can ask for donations for entries
• Poetry – like to rhyme? Or maybe not. Share your own poems or get people to write their own. You could even make it a competition or performance.
• Potluck – host a pot luck where everyone brings a dish to the table
• Pumpkin painting – get out your paintbrushes and paint your pumpkins ready for autumn

 

Q

• Quiz night – gather your friends, family or work colleagues and host a quiz night, check out our RBL round and poppy themed questions
• Quintessentially British Day – Bunting, and traditional afternoon tea with marmalade sandwiches springs to mind or perhaps a Sunday roast or strawberries and champagne while watching Wimbledon. Whatever this means to you put on a celebration of all things quintessentially British
• Queen for the day – dig out your robes and don a crown
• Quest - map out some clues and see who can complete your quest the quickest

 

R

• Read-a-thon – how many books can you read in a month? Or a year? Why not challenge for friends
• Running – take on a run of your choice or take a look at one of the many runs across the country that we have on our website.
• Rock Painting – paint some rocks with beautiful Poppies and hide them in your local area. Pop a note on each rock asking the finder to make a small donation if they can
• Raffle – get local companies or some friends to donate items and raffle them off.

 

S

• Sports Day – the egg and spoon race is making a comeback! Host a sports day with your pals in exchange for donations.
• Street Party – spread some community cheer and get your neighbours together on your road and put-up decorations where you can.
• Sponsored Silence – shh! How long can you stay quiet for?
• Sweepstakes
• Swimathon – Head to your local swimming pool or even your local seaside and pledge to swim a distance of your choice and see how long it takes. Ask your friends and family to sponsor you for each length you do. Could you aim for 80 lengths to mark the 80^th anniversary of the D-Day landings?
• Sky Dive – have you got a head for heights? Would you be willing to step out of a plane and experience the thrill of free falling through the sky while supporting our Armed Forces community?

 

T

• Talent contest – got a skill you can show off? Challenge your friends to a latent contest and show people what you can do! Set a donation for a ticket or entry and you’re onto a winner!
• Tombola – roll up roll up! Whether its at your local fete or just because, get a tombola going and raise some funds.
• Treasure hunt – fancy being a pirate for the day? It doesn’t have to be real treasure, set a map of places to find and challenge your friends to see who can find them all first
• Tug of War – heave! Challenge your friends to a tug of war! Just make sure you’re safe when doing it and choose a good rope – you don’t want any injuries!

 

U

• Upcycling – have you got any old furniture or bits and bobs that need some love? Fix them up and sell them on for a donation.
• Uniform free day – whether at work or school, trade in the uniform in exchange for a donation (just make sure you check it’s ok first!)
• Ultimate Frisbee – get down your local park and get throwing!

 

V

• Vintage sale – have you got any old furniture or clothes you could sell off?
• Video Game competition – got a favourite game you play? Why not challenge your friends to a tournament for charity
• Volunteer – got time to spare? Help us with collections in your area, come along to cheer on our event participants and more.  Find your local volunteer opportunities

 

W

• Waxing – would you be willing to wax off that hairy chest or back – ask friends and family to donate in exchange to pull a wax strip off themselves!
• Walking – choose a route you enjoy nearby, or perhaps somewhere new. Challenge yourself to walk the furthest you can in a day, a week or a month and ask your friends to support you. You could even sign up to one of our Poppy Walks or our new Poppy Hike.

 

X

• Xbox / PlayStation / Switch / Console Night – host a gaming session for RBL!
• Xmas party night – get out those Christmas jumpers and don some tinsel. Ask friends to bring themed snacks and get the donations coming.
• X-Factor – have you got the X-Factor? Host your own singing competition and embrace your inner critic.

 

Y

• Yoga – do you go to yoga regularly or host classes? Ask if people will do an RBL specific class and let them know where the money will be going.
• Your own thing! - got your own idea? Great! Get it going and let us know what it is – we might even add it the A-Z.

 

Z

• Zip wire – zooooom down your local park zip wire or take on a bigger challenge in exchange for donations.
• Zumba – Get your friends together and have a Zumbathon! See how long you can go for.

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