A-Z of fundraising ideas
It's not all running marathons! From auctions to zany clothes days, there are loads of wonderful ways to help us fight poverty. Find great fundraising ideas here!
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
Aerobics-athon
To stay fit and healthy, organise an aerobics-athon. It’ll make you feel good about supporting us.
Arts and crafts fair
Put your creative talents into action and sell your works of art at a craft fair.
Auction
Organise your own fundraising auction. Why not auction off your talents for the day?
Art exhibition
Instead of selling your art, charge your friends and family to look at it!
B
Bad Hair day
Fed up of being nagged about your untidy hair? Organise a Bad Hair day to raise us money.
Bad Tie day
Look in your dad’s wardrobe for those outdated ties and dazzle your friends. Pay to display the outrageous tie. Your friends could pay to have the offending tie removed.
Bag packing at local supermarket
Ask your local supermarket if you can hold a bag packing day for CAFOD. It’s a great way to provide a service to the local community while supporting us too.
Battle of the bands
Challenge those budding musicians to a battle of the bands and put on a concert to raise money. You could also raise money with a “pay to leave” policy.
Bring and buy sale
Sell donated goods on a stall. Cakes, books, home-made jam, bric-a-brac and fairtrade goods are firm favourites.
Bike ride
Pedal for poverty! Why not organise a bike ride and turn it into a sponsored event?
Beat the goalie
Challenge your friends to a beat the goalie competition. Pay to play.
Bingo
Organise a bingo event – devise your own calls for the numbers. Charge a fee per game.
C
Cake sales
Cake sales are a great way to raise money and awareness too, if they are made from fairly traded products. To ensure a healthy eating dimension have a variety of cakes like carrot cake and banana bread. Don’t forget to sell your products to teachers too, if you’re doing it in school. Ask your priest about setting up a stall after Mass. You could even make tea and coffee!
Coppers for CAFOD
Collect all those unwanted coppers that weigh down your pockets – small change can make a big difference.
CAFOD T-shirt sales
Get creative and design a CAFOD T-shirt, and then sell your fantastic designs. Go the extra mile and make sure the T-shirts are fairly traded too.
CAFOD Christmas cards
Design your own CAFOD Christmas cards to sell to your friends and family. Make sure your card is recycled or sourced sustainably.
Colour theme days – everyone wears CAFOD green
Bring a bit of colour into your day and raise money at the same time. Get all your friends to dress in the same colour and make a real splash.
Collections
Put those empty jam jars to good use and turn small change into a big difference.
Cross country bucket run
Feel good through exercise and through supporting us. Map out a course for your run and make sure you get sponsored too.
Create a cookbook and sell it
If you’re a budding Master Chef, put your recipes into a book and sell them to friends and family. Why not think about making it a fairtrade recipe book?
Competitions
Devise your own competition, or use tried and tested ideas such as ‘guess who the baby in the picture is.’
Concert
Gather all the talented people you know under one roof and put on a concert for friends and family. Think about a “pay to leave” policy too.
Cricket match
Challenge your peers or teachers to a cricket match. Each team pays a fee.
Car wash
Charge your teachers, friends and family to wash their cars.
Chocolate ban
Give up chocolate for a day, a week or a month and give the cash you saved to CAFOD.
D
Doughnut sale
Delight all your friends with a delicious doughnut sale. Shops like Krispy Kreme let you buy their doughnuts at special low prices so that you can sell them on for a fundraising profit!
Disco
Put on those dancing shoes and disco the night away. Remember to charge an entry fee.
Dance-athon
Dance all day in a sponsored dance-athon.
Dress down day
Ditch the uniform or the suit and dress to impress.
E
Enterprise Days
Put on your Apprentice heads and come up with the marketing idea of the century! Create and sell the product you have designed.
Eco day
Dress green and do good deeds for the day, like litter picking and recycling your rubbish. Remember to get sponsored for all the activities you do.
Eating baked beans with a cocktail stick
Challenge your friends to a baked bean eating competition – how many can you eat in a minute using only a cocktail stick?
Egg and spoon race
Are you up for an egg and spoon challenge? Race your friends and family. No cheating now!
Egg painting competition
Don’t waste those eggs after the race – turn them into works of art. Sell them to raise money for us.
F
Fairtrade stalls
Go for an ethical angle to your stall and sell fairly traded goods – why not ask if fairtrade products could be sold in your tuck shop or canteen too?
Fancy dress
Go crazy with the fashion ideas and create a zany masterpiece to wear for the day. Prizes for the most outrageous and colourful costumes.
Fancy dress football
Turn a regular game of football into something rather special with colourful costumes. Challenge your peers, teachers or other adults to a crazy match. Pay per game.
Five a side football
Challenge your mates or your teachers to a football tournament. Each team pays to play.
Fast Day lunch
Create a simple lunch in solidarity with people living in poverty. Donate the money you save.
Fast Day fun
How long can you go without playing your favourite computer game or watching the TV? Why not give up something you really enjoy for a set period of time? Get sponsored too.
Fashion show
Put your creative talents to the test and organise a fashion show – why not use recycled clothes and make it an eco-show? Invite the wider community to see your fabulous designs, and don’t forget to charge an entry fee.
Family fun day
Get the whole family on board and arrange a fun day full of the activities mentioned throughout.
Face painting competition
Put your artistic talents to good use and paint people’s faces. You could have a themed face painting day such as of animals or characters from a book. Remember to charge for your works of face painting art.
Film night
Create your own cinema and hold a film night for family and friends. Sell popcorn and drinks and charge an entry fee.
Fun run
Dust off your running shoes, add a green tutu and run for fun. Get a team together and create your own theme for when you run. Get sponsored too.
G
Give it up!
Get sponsored to go without something. Give us speaking for a day, computer games for a week, chocolate for a month, or give up magazines for the whole of Lent! Donate us the money you save or raise.
Guess the number of …(balloons in a car, sweets in a jar)
Have a lot of fun challenging your friends to guess the quantity in the jar or car.
Guess who the baby is (from photos)
Ask for baby photos and get your friends to guess who they are. Pay to enter.
Guess the weight of… (cake, teddy)
Quiz your friends on the weight of the cake – 50p a guess.
Games: scrabble, chess, trivial pursuits etc
For all those who love the challenge of a board game – why not have a marathon board game tournament? Either pay to play or get sponsored.
Green day
With everyone talking about climate change and the importance of looking after our world, why not organise a Green Day? Dress in green, hold an eco fashion show, litter pick and create a recycled materials art exhibition. Invite friends and family too. Remember to charge a fee to take part.
H
Hula Hoop Contest
How many times can you spin the hula hoop? Organise a hula hoop-athon. Don’t forget to get sponsored by the spin, or the length of time you keep the hoop going.
Hair beading, braiding and plaiting
Put your creative talents to good use. Make your friends look cool and raise money for CAFOD.
Hopscotch
Organise a Hopscotch contest in the playground, and challenge your friends. Pay to play.
I
Indoor games
Organise an indoor Olympics. Rain won’t stop play and you’ll have fun challenging your friends and raising money for us too.
International evening
Hold a themed night representing countries across the world. Decorate your hall with flags from across the globe. Bring an international flavour to the food with different national dishes and entertain your guests with world music. Why not also hold a quiz and test your friends’ geographical knowledge? Charge an entry fee.
It’s a Knockout
Organise an It’s a Knockout competition – fun for all the family. Either make it a sponsored event or pay to play.
J
Jumble sales
Reduce, reuse and recycle – the perfect opportunity to hold a jumble sale.
Jelly races
Have loads of fun with a jelly race – why not try different jelly moulds too, or even an obstacle course? Remember, you pay to play.
Jewellery making/selling
Put your creative jewellery making skills to good use and hold a sale with what you make. Share your skills with others and teach your friends how to make that perfect accessory.
Jigsaw marathon
Have you got an eye for a jigsaw? Challenge your friends to a speed jigsaw puzzle race. Get your friends and family to sponsor you too.
Joke-athon
Have your friends in stitches with a joke-athon. How long can you keep your friends laughing? If the jokes are really bad, make them pay a fee to leave.
Juggle-athon
With three, four or five balls – how long can you keep them in the air? Challenge your friends too.
K
Kite flying
When the wind is right get those kites into the air. The kite that stays up the longest wins. Why not design your own kites and get sponsored too?
Karaoke
Impress your friends with your singing ability – try out your favourite tunes. Pay per tune.
Knitting competition
How long is that scarf? Challenge your friends to a knit-off. You could sell or auction your work of art too.
Knobbly knees competition
Expose those knees – who in your group of friends has the knobbliest knees? Pay to play.
L
Lonely coins collection
Find a coin in the street – put it to good use and add it to a collection. Unsure what to do with those spare coins? Add them to your money box and turn your small change into a big difference.
Leapfrog
Leap into action for CAFOD and have a leapfrog competition in your playground.
Line dancing
Friends and family can have hours of fun with a line dancing event. You could even organise a line dance-athon. Charge a fee to take part.
Line of coins
Set yourselves a challenge to see how long you can make your coin collection. Watch as it grows.
Litter picking
Get yourselves sponsored on a mass litter pick afternoon and look after the local environment too.
Loud tie day
Look to make a difference amongst your friends: see who can wear the most outrageous tie. You could even design your own tie. Only those who have paid to display can take part.
M
Magic show
Put your magical talents to good use and organise a show for all your friends. Remember to have an entry fee.
Matched giving
Double the money you raise fundraising by asking local businesses to support your cause!
Money boxes
Take home a CAFOD money box, or make your own, and collect your spare change - or have a classroom box.
Mile of coins
Set yourself the mile challenge - what is the longest distance you can reach with a line of coins? (Bronze, silver and gold categories)
Musical evening
Show off your talents and organise an evening of musical entertainment - from singing to playing instruments. Pay what you think it’s worth.
Mini Olympics
Test those budding Olympians and hold a mini Olympics. Pay to play.
N
Nominate a teacher – to have their legs, beard or head shaved.
Challenge a teacher / youth leader to have a shave or wax for a good cause. Remember to get sponsored too, or charge people a fee to watch it happen.
Non-Christmas card money raiser.
Fed up of sending out Christmas cards to people you sit next to? Ditch the cards and the money you save can go to CAFOD. You could also create one large Christmas card and get everyone to sign it.
Nature trail
Organise a nature trail, learn about your local flora and fauna and raise money too.
Nearly new sale
Outgrown those jeans? Only worn something once? Why not sell or swap your unwanted things with your friends? Pay £2 for each item you take.
Name the teddy
Does your mascot need a name? Charge your mates to come up with the most interesting suggestion. You could raffle the teddy at the end too.
Netball tournament
Challenge your friends, teachers or parish to a netball tournament. To add an air of interest, why not play your matches in fancy dress too? Remember it’s pay to play.
O
Obstacle course
Have fun with an obstacle course and get sponsored too.
Odd clothes day
Turn your non-uniform day into an odd clothes day – mix up those socks and clash for cash.
Odd job Day
Charge a fee for all those odd jobs around the house that need doing.
P
Penalty shoot out
Show off your football skills in a sponsored shoot out.
Photo competitions
If you’re a budding photographer, hold a competition for interesting snaps. All entrants to pay a fee.
Pancake race
Hold your own pancake race – challenge your friends and family.
Pin the tail on the donkey
Challenge your friends to a pin the tail on the donkey. Remember to blindfold them - and no cheating! Pay to play.
Pantomime
Putting on a pantomime? Why not take a collection for us as people leave?
Plant sale
For those with green fingers, sell your produce in a plant sale.
Poetry reading
Organise a poetry recital and invite your friends and family. Why not hold a themed poetry event, or use poems from your favourite poet? Set yourself the challenge of reciting your poem from memory. £1 per line – the longer the poem the more you raise.
PTA coffee morning
Get the Mums and Dads to organise a coffee morning – and why not make it a Fairtrade event too? You could combine it with a ‘bring and buy’ sale.
Q
Quiet in the classroom - sponsored silence
Make your teacher happy by remaining quite for a few hours, or even a whole day. Remember to get sponsored too!
Quizzes
Download the CAFOD Quiz from our website or create your own to test your friends’ knowledge. Hold a PTA or parish quiz night and raise money for us by charging per entrant.
R
Rich man poor man meal
Organise a simple lunch with a difference – a small number of randomly chosen people get an upgrade from a simple lunch to a sit down meal. Help to demonstrate inequality in the world today.
Raffles
Get friends and family or local businesses to donate prizes and raffle them off.
Read-athon
How many books can you read over a short period of time? Get sponsored per page or, for fast readers, per book.
Relays
Organise a sponsored relay race. Add a bit of variety into the race and create an obstacle relay.
Rounders tournament
Challenge your friends and teachers to a rounders match. Remember it is pay to play.
Recycling – phones, ink cartridges etc
Upgraded your mobile and unsure what to do with your old one? You can turn it into money for CAFOD. You can also recycle spent ink cartridges, and donate left over foreign coins from your holiday too. (Special collection envelopes and boxes available.)
Recipe swap
Interested in cooking? Why not set up a recipe swap? You can even share the produce you have made.
Rugby match
Challenge your friends and teachers to a rugby match. Each team pays to play.
S
Soak the priest/teacher
See if you can convince your priest, teachers or youth leaders to get in the stocks and get wet! Get people to pay per sponge.
Students vs. staff – fancy dress tug of war
A fun way to compete with staff at school – challenge them to a tug of war. Each team pays a fee.
Stalls
Set up a variety of stalls, from plants or cakes to recycled goods, and create your own mini £1 bazaar.
Sponsored ideas / events – dye hair green / walk for CAFOD
Remember when organising a fundraising event to think about adding a sponsorship element – it’s a great way of collecting your money. Think of clever ideas that your friends and family can sponsor you for.
Salsa Dancing
Put on those dancing shoes and find a salsa partner – and dance away for CAFOD.
Staged events/performing arts
Thinking of putting on a show? Invite your friends and family and donate money from ticket sales to us. Get them to pay what they think it’s worth. You could even perform our very own play Degrees of Change, available to download from our website.
Swap shop
Tired of your clothes, toys and books? Then organise a swap shop and exchange the things you are bored of with something different.
Swishing
Admire a friend’s outfit – then engage in a new craze of swapping unwanted clothes for someone else’s cast offs. Make an evening of it with snacks and drinks, and ask for donations to join.
Spell-athon
Do you have a head for spelling? Then organise a spelling competition or spell-athon. Challenge yourself to a certain number of words – and why not get sponsored too?
Scrabble contest
Challenge your friends to a Scrabble competition. Each competitor pays to play.
Swim-athon
Swim the distance for CAFOD. Get sponsored per length… or per mile!
Shoe shine
Do a good deed for the day and offer your shoe shining services for a fee.
T
Talent contest
Hold a contest to showcase the talents of your friends and family! Organise a collection or charge at the door for entry.
24 hour fast
How long do you usually go without eating? Why not give up something you really enjoy for 24 hours? Get sponsored too.
Tombola
Get friends and family to donate gifts and organise tombola. Only numbers ending in 0 or 5 will win a prize!
Treasure Hunt
Create a treasure hunt and challenge your friends to find what you have hidden. Pay to play.
Teddy bears’ picnic
Organise a teddy bears’ picnic and invite friends and family too.
Three legged race
Team up with a friend and challenge other pairs to a three legged race. To make it more fun, why not do it in fancy dress too? Each team pays to play.
U
Ugly face pulling competition
A prize for the most outrageous face – make sure you get photographic evidence! Each entrant pays to play.
Uniform free days
Ditch the uniform for a fee, and take the chance to wear something more casual.
V
Virtual village
Create your own virtual village by fundraising to buy World Gifts for CAFOD. Decide with your friends which gifts you want to buy and think of clever ways to raise money for your target gift(s). If you’re fundraising in school, challenge forms, year groups or houses to see who can raise the most.
Volleyball
Challenge your friends and teachers to a volleyball match. Remember, you pay to play.
W
Walk for CAFOD
Organise a walk for CAFOD and get sponsored too.
Welly throwing competition
Put your shot put skills to the test and see how far those wellies will go.
Walk-athon
Set yourself a goal and walk the world for us – shorter distances are OK too!
Word search
Create a themed word search and challenge your friends and family. Remember to charge a fee.
World food day
Get together with friends and prepare and sell different dishes from around the world.
X
X-Factor Competition
Celebrate all your talents by putting on a show – Britain’s definitely got talent. Organise your own talent show and invite friends and family too. Have a “pay to leave” policy just in case.
Y
Yo-yo competition
Have you got a talent for yo-yoing? Then put your skill to good use and get sponsored.
Yodelling competition
If yodelling is your thing, then either get friends to pay you not to do it, or get sponsored instead!
Z
Zoo quiz
Create a zoological quiz and test your friends’ and family’s knowledge of the animal kingdom. Remember to charge a fee too.
Zany clothes day
Instead of a dress down day, dress up! Charge a fee and wear a zany costume that will brighten everyone’s day!
Good luck with all your fundraising, and thank you so much for your support. It’s much appreciated, and makes such a difference towards helping creating a world without poverty and injustice.
We would love to hear about your fundraising activities. Take photos of what you do and send them into us at communityfundraising@cafod.org.uk so we can celebrate your success by sharing them on our website. Alternatively you can send them to us at Community Fundraising, CAFOD, Romero House, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB
