Putting the FUN in fundraising
So you’ve decided to make a positive impact on the lives of young people facing complex trauma in the Far North Coast. Look at you go! All you need now are some fundraising ideas to help you raise urgently needed funds for Human Nature. Well lucky for you we’ve got you covered. Check out the list below of our favourite types of fundraisers. If these tips spark an idea for something else that inspires you to host a fundraiser, then go for it! We encourage creativity and uniqueness. After all, any donations raised for our organisation, big or small will make a huge difference. You can also combine some of the ideas below for an even greater impact. For example – you could host an event where you hold a raffle!
Plan an event to host a fundraiser
Everyone loves an excuse to get together with friends and family, be social and raise some money for charity. There are lots of different types of events you can host and they can be as intimate or extravagant as you like. Events work best to lean into your strengths. What are you and the people around you really passionate about? Perhaps you’re a skilled artist or musician, why not plan an art jam? Invite all your friends to come and paint, sculpt and play music. You can charge a cover charge then sell the art in an auction at the conclusion of the event.
Or maybe you’re really passionate about nature photography. You could plan a nature hike and invite people to bring along their camera equipment. You could have an expert come and give tips to your attendees and charge a cover charge. You may even be able to ask a local print shop to sponsor the event and give attendees a discount on getting their photos printed onto canvas or framed to keep or to sell to raise more money.
Virtual events
With the impact of Covid lockdowns on the events industry, many people across the globe have discovered the benefits of virtual events, of which there are many! You aren’t restricted to only invite people in your geographical location, you can attend from your lounge room wearing your favourite pyjamas and fluffy slippers and you don’t have to pay for a venue.
Some ideas for virtual events are:
- A virtual scavenger hunt where participants are required to find very specific and random things in their home.
- A virtual concert, poetry jam or book reading
- A virtual trivia night
- A virtual charity auction
- A class or workshop – could be a cooking class, dance class, meditation, yoga or crafternoon
Sell a product or service at your fundraiser
How good are old fashioned bake sales?! Lamingtons and hedgehog and lemon slice, oh my! Get the kids involved and enlist the help of a club or social group you’re part of and raise some much needed funds while teaching the kids grandma’s old chocolate chip cookie recipe. The added bonus – sweets! Put a spin on a classic and make it a savoury bake sale – can anyone say scrolls, rolls and sourdough? Yes please.
Or what about a secondhand clothing sale? Invite all your friends over, tell them to bring the things in their wardrobe they no longer wear and some cash and get shopping! One man’s (woman’s, or non-binary person’s) trash is another one’s treasure right? Plus it’s good for the environment.
Host a raffle at your fundraiser
Most people know how to host a raffle, it’s pretty simple really, you ask some people or businesses to donate prizes, you sell tickets and you draw a winner. Before hosting a raffle be sure you check the rules and regulations in your state or country to ensure you’re following best practise, you may need to register for a licence to hold a raffle. The NSW regulations are here
For some fun you could change it up and host a reverse raffle where the last ticket to be drawn out is actually the winner! There’s also what’s called a 50/50 raffle which doesn’t require you to collect any prizes and is best used during an event with a large number of attendees. The premise is that every ticket is sold at a set price, say $10 and half of the money raised goes to the charity, the other half acting as the raffle prize. This encourages people to buy more tickets in the hopes of potentially winning more money.
Hold a race, challenge or competition
Are you a fan of a bit of friendly competition? Then this option will put the FUN in FUNdraising for you.. There are two ways that this type of fundraiser can work:
- Getting people to sponsor you to do something that is challenging for example – a treacherous hike or expedition, surfing every day for a month or going without your favourite thing for a period of time.
- Encourage a group of people to compete against you and charge an entry free for example a fun run, a dance marathon, a talent show or an eating contest.
Get started and host a FUNdraiser!
Now you’ve got your fundraising idea there’s nothing stopping you. Get in touch with us if you require any further information about our organisation or the programs we provide for young people. We may even be able to help you promote your fundraiser. Good luck and thanks again for helping us to support the mental wellbeing of young people in the Far North Coast.
