Art do you know a painter, photographer or a potter? Get donations and hold an exhibition/sale
Auction of promises’ or a slave auction (get someone to offer to be a slave for the day or your manager to make coffee for the department for the week. Colleagues can bid for their services)
B
Baby competition ask colleagues or friends to bring in baby photos of themselves. People pay to guess who’s who great fun and prizes for the winners
Bring and buy – at work, garden, community centre
Barbecues
Bag pack get a group together to bag pack at your local shopping centre. Don’t forget a garda permit and permission from the shopping centre
C
Car boot sale
Churchgate collection don’t forget to get permission from the priest and organise a Garda permit.
Company contacts ask your suppliers for sponsorship, gift donations (get permission)
Coffee morning, cake sale ask a local cookery class or school to help
D
Dress down for the day. Pay for the privilege
Diet you, friends and colleagues – €1 per pound
Drink get sponsored to give up alcohol
DJ do you, your children or friends know one? Ask them to do the music for your event.
E
Email invites and reminders to friends, their friends’ friends
Ever ready keep your eyes open to opportunities and keep your sponsorship form handy (if appropriate)
F
Fashion show
Fancy dress party or day
Fetes and fairs have a stall
Fine box for colleagues’ swearing or lateness
Football kit day at work. Pay to wear one.
G
Golf Day – tournament
Guess the number e.g. balloons in a car, sweets in a jar etc.
Games: monopoly, chess tournament, team trivial pursuit, scrabble pay to enter, donated prizes.
H
Hobbies what hobbies can help you raise money sport, walking, cycling, art and craft, aromatherapy, massage etc.
Horse racing & dogs sweepstake at work.
I
Ink write to everyone you possibly can and ask for a donation
International think about the country you’re raising money for (if appropriate). Tie it in to your party, dinner or stall.
J
Jazz night
Jumble sale
K
Karaoke evening (pay not to sing perhaps)
Kick-off 5-a-side tournament work, pubs
L
Line dancing evening
Library get your friends, family, colleagues to get a book from the library instead of buying it and to give you the money they’ve saved
Lunch-less set a date for all your colleagues to bring in a packed lunch and then to give you the money they would have spent.
M
Matched donation from your company
Murder mystery party
Meal ask a restaurant for reduced prices if you bring a large party on a weekday evening. Charge cover price plus extra. Raffle and games too.
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
N
Neighbours. Offer to wash their windows, mow the lawn or throw a street party (if its big and in the street, get council authorisation). Charge admission.
O
Organise events within events why not hold a raffle at your party or an auction at your sports tournament?
Opera try to get a group discount on opera or theatre tickets and then charge everyone a bit extra for the outing.
P
Party 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s beach, Easter, out of season Christmas, or no theme just for fun!
Police Cell ask if you can use a cell for the night. Get your work colleagues to sponsor
you or your boss/director to spend the night there
Pub crawl (fancy dress or three legged)
Public humiliations get the director of the company in stocks and then throw tomatoes at them the more senior the better!
Q
Quiz night organise one, ask your local pubs to give you a percentage of the takings
Quiet time get a local youth group to do a sponsored silence
R
Raffle get local businesses to donate prizes
Races Three-legged, egg and spoon, relay
Relatives Make the most of talented relatives who may be able to donate services, artwork etc. Get all of your family to ask all of their friends to sponsor you/come along to your events too.
S
Services ask a hairdresser, beautician, masseur, tarot reader friend to come to your event and donate their proceeds or a day’s tips
Sponsored activities you and friends can walk, swim, dance, fast, bungee jump etc.
Shave off your beard or someone else’s (and get people to sponsor you)
Street party
Smoking sponsored abstinence, or/and donate the money you save
T
Treasure Hunt
Twenty-four-hour marathon: darts, stay awake or dancing. Sponsored or have a team competition
Tail pin the tail on the donkey. Pay to play, donated prizes
Tin collection tin or bucket to take to events:(make sure you get permission); contact us for details.
U
Use your network of colleagues and friends to come up with ideas and help with activities
Unwanted and unused gifts ask friends and family, colleagues: use for prizes or car boot sale.
V
Valet service: offer to clean cars inside and out for all your family, friends and colleagues
W
Website ask work if you can have a bit of space
Wine and cheese party homemade wine, prizes and cheese donated. Guess the wine’s country game. Charge admission and for entering games
Waltz big band night (use old-time records if can’t find a band) dinner-dance, admission fee.
X
X-ercise – get your local gym to organise a work-out-a-thon
X-factor competition
Y
Young and old organise a big family reunion for all ages. Ask for donations, they’re bound to vie with each other over who gives you the most!
Z
Zest and zeal essential if you are going to make the best of your fundraising. Your challenge is demanding and exciting and your fundraising will make a real difference to people’s lives. You should feel proud that you’re doing it.