Fundraising Ideas

Want to raise money for St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group? Our A-Z of fundraising ideas will give you plenty of inspiration. Whether you decide to do a sponsored run or bake sale, the money you raise will help to transform the lives of those in urgent need of eye care in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

A

• Abseil Looking for an adrenaline rush? Take on an abseiling challenge and get sponsored for it
• Afternoon tea Host an afternoon tea with a selection of finger sandwiches and teas and charge an entry fee
• Arts and crafts stall Arts and crafts fairs are a wonderful way for small businesses to promote and sell their handmade items, while raising money for charity. You can charge stallholders a fee for holding a stall
• Auction or auction of promises If you have signed memorabilia or valuable items you’re willing to let get off, an auction is a great way to raise money for SJEHG. Or you could auction off a promise for example a promise to cook a meal or do some gardening work.

B

• Bake sale Organise a group to make and sale baked goods, with all profits going to charity. Why not also offer tea and savoury treats on the day of the sale too?
• Bike ride Take on a cycling challenge and ask your friends and family to sponsor you. Plan your own route or join a bigger cycling event
• Bingo Organise a fun bingo night with exciting prizes, you can even do a musical bingo round
• Birthday fundraiser Make your next birthday even more special by asking for donations instead of gifts
• Book sale If you have a big pile of books you want to get rid of, organise a book sale to raise money for SJEHG
• Bring and buy sale Buy and sell second hand goods to raise money for SJEHG

C

• Cheese tasting Host a tasting night for cheese enthusiasts, you could even make it a wine and cheese tasting night
• Christmas Carols Organise a Christmas carol service for the local community, while collecting donations
• Coffee morning Organise a coffee morning with a selection of cakes and biscuits
• Comedy night Host a fun comedy evening and charge visitors an entry fee

D

• Darts match Challenge players in a darts tournament
• Dinner Party A great fundraising event that you can host all year round. Why not pick a
• theme based on food such as Italian night or curry night?
• Dog show Get the local community together to show off their dogs and give prizes for fluffiest dog, most behaved dog or dog with the biggest smile
• Dress up or dress down Organise a collection at work or in a school to dress down or to dress to a theme (for example pyjama day)

E

• Easter egg hunt Hide an assortment of Easter eggs in a local outdoor space for families to find
• Exhibition Why not host something like an art exhibition with proceeds going towards SJEHG?
• Extreme challenge Do something out of the ordinary, such as a sponsored bungee jump

F

• Facebook fundraising Raise money for SJEHG by setting up a Facebook fundraiser. Share your story and motivations for fundraising to attract lots of donations
• Fair Organise a fair with lots of different stalls where the public can buy goods. Charge a fee for stallholders
• Fashion show Organise a catwalk with models sporting their best outfits
• Football tournament A five aside football tournament is a great way to raise money
• Fancy dress Organise a fancy dress party or fancy dress day at work

G

• Garden party organise a BBQ or outdoor afternoon tea
• Give something up Get sponsored to sacrifice something you love for a month or even a year (for example chocolate)
• Golf day Organise a golf tournament or competition. Why not offer lunch or breakfast?
• Go the distance Do a walk or run equivalent to the distance between the UK and another country. E.g. A London to Paris run. You could do it in a day or across a month
• Guess the baby Gather together baby photos from you friends, colleagues or family and charge everyone a fee to enter

H

• Half Marathon take on the huge challenge of running a half marathon and get friends and family to sponsor you. Or you could even walk it
• Head shave Get sponsored for daring to take on a head shave
• Hike Organise a hike to raise money for SJEHG. You can even commit to walking a certain amount of miles over a month to raise funds

I

• International food night Ask guests to bring a dish from a specific country
• It’s a knockout organise teams to take on an obstacle course or sports day style activities

J

• Jazz night An evening filled with Jazz music, do you know any jazz musicians who could make a special appearance?
• Jumble sale Organise a local sale of pre-loved items

K

• Karaoke Host a karaoke or open mic night
• Knitting Organise a knitting class or sell your knitting at a fare

L

• Lunch Put on a lunch at your work or in your local community, why not have a theme to create a bit of excitement?
• Livestream Create and share live fundraising events and performance videos in real time, while raising money for SJEHG

M

• Marathon Take on the ultra challenge of running a marathon and get friends and family to sponsor you. Or you can do an activity that will take you 26.2 miles or hours, such as a dance marathon
• Masquerade ball Why not organise a glitzy and glamorous masquerade ball?
• Matched Giving When you raise money for SJEHG, your employer may be part of a matched giving scheme where they can double the amount you raise

N

• ‘Name the’ challenge: challenge people to name an item to win it, or even name songs or films for a prize
• Night in Organise a pamper night in or film night with each person making a charitable donation

O

• Office fundraising Organise a world cup or Eurovision sweepstake, dress down day or bake sale in the office
• Obstacle course Why not set up a challenging obstacle course, you could even have a limbo bar or hula hoop section

P

• Pamper day Put on a beauty treatment day with facials, massages and nail treatments
• Personal challenge Give something up or take on a new challenge and ask friends and family to sponsor you
• Pub Quiz Host a quiz at your local pub and offer a round of free drinks or big prizes to the winners

Q

• Quit Ask friends and family to sponsor you for quitting something for a period of time, for example meat or chocolate
• Quiz Organise a quiz with general knowledge questions and a picture round, with prizes for the winners

R

• Raffle Ask small businesses to donate prizes to be awarded at a raffle
• Run Whether it’s a 5k, 10k or marathon set yourself a running challenge of your choice

S

• Skydive Do an exhilarating sponsored skydive
• Sponsored silence Keep silent for a day or more and see how much you can raise for SJEHG

T

• Talent show Put on a talent show where people with a range of skills can perform for a night
• Tea party Host a tea party with a selection of sandwiches and cakes. Why not make it a themed tea party such as a Mad Hatter’s tea party?

U

• University challenge Take on a local university and test their knowledge
• Upcycle market Encourage friends or family to upcycle their old items and sell them at a market or online, with a percentage of sales going to SJEHG

V

• Variety Show Put on a ticketed event with music, dancing, magic or comedy

W

• Walk Do a sponsored walk for a day or set a bigger walking challenge across a month
• World record attempt Be brave and attempt a world record, the publicity will be great for SJEHG
• Wine tasting Put on a tasting night for wine enthusiasts. You can even make it a wine and cheese tasting night

X

• X-box Do a x-box or other game console tournament and ask for a small entry donation from those interested in taking part

Y

• Year-long challenge Commit to a challenge for a year, this could be giving something up or learning something new
• Yoga class Host a charity yoga class or set of classes

Z

• Zip wire Be a daredevil and do a sponsored zip wire challenge
• Zumba Host a charity Zumba class or set of classes