What have you done to raise charity funds?

[Frazzlerock]

Hi, this isn't a begging charity post I promise!

I just would like to know what you have done to raise charity funds in the past?
DP and I are doing a few races next year and need to raise £2500

I'm awful at raising money. I have tried several times before, and failed miserably. Yet some people manage to do it so easily.

I'm thinking pub quizzes which DP is really good at organising - but then worrying about getting enough people interested...

Maybe a raffle if we can get our hands on anything worthy enough?

How do people generally do it?

1. Christmas present wrapping service (look on Pinterest so you do it well)
2. Ironing service
3. Whilst the weather is still nice put on a sports day type thing for local kids and parents

That's all I've got!

Auctions, either on Ebay or on a dedicated site.

@specialsubject but the race would go ahead whether I fundraised for charity or not??

Most races are already run by a race rents organiser and people choose who to support for their fundraising. It's not like when you go in n an event organised by the charity.

For London marathon and other large events charities get allocated a number of places and the person fundraising just pays the entrance fee and agrees to raise a given amount.

London marathon raises the most money for a one day event

It's an amazing charity in itself

I work for a charity so lots.

A good taste bad taste raffle goes down well. Means you need half good prizes and half ... Well yanno other stuff. You could end up with a tin of beans but they're great fun and a way of doubling your money.

Blind raffles always sell out mega fast as well IME .

London marathon raises the most money for a one day event

Remind me on how much the minimum you have to raise to enter? 1500 quid isn't it?

Don’t keep asking your friends to pay for your hobby. You’ll piss them all off by the time you come round the third time ‘raising money for chairity’ (getting someone else to pay for your place in a race)

re the London Marathon, charities have to PAY for the places they are allotted. So it is a very inefficient way of fundraising unless the runners themselves pay for their slot and any funds raised via sponsorship etc are on top of that.

No gamer

It's £38 .... well was in 2015 when I paid for my ballot place!!

Brilliant suggestions, thank you!

@gamerchick I love it!

Do either of you work for companies who would sponsor your entry fee as part of a marketing plan for them?

Auction of promises.
Highest bidder gets:
1 hour of ironing.
A casserole delivery
Dog walking every Tuesday evening for 4 weeks
Photo categorising (is pay a fortune for someone to organise my pic files!)
Dressmaking
Gift wrapping
Babysitting
Make a Christmas pud/cake
Cake sale (I know someone who bought a huge fruitcake, covered it in fondant icing and glitter, cut it into 16 and cellophane wrapped it with red ribbon. Sold all for an amazing profit)
Etc.

Sweepstake on your finish times

Quiz night, race night

@yolofish I paid for my entry £100.

re the London Marathon, charities have to PAY for the places they are allotted. So it is a very inefficient way of fundraising unless the runners themselves pay for their slot and any funds raised via sponsorship etc are on top of that

That seems to be a better way of doing it. We gave the LM a huge swerve this year, Greedy gits.

Greedy? How are they greedy?

The London marathon raised in excess of £45 million for the one day race

They also have their own charitable trust which works within the deprived areas in the London boroughs. They put the money back into a charity they themselves created

They charge £38 for individual race entry through the ballot system. The Reading half marathon also cost £38 for context!

They have to pay for those road closures. That alone cannot be cheap.

All those runners have to train.....but of course they could just fundraise in the same way and sit on their arse eating cake for a Macmillan coffee morning, and raise a fraction of that

Because obviously an individual entry for a few quid is massively different from a charities entry. There is a minimum amount they request which you have to pay regardless and it's not 38 quid. It's standard practise. Just that minimum amount varies from charity to charity.

Do you think that 45 million is out of the kindness of people's hearts?

I don't support Macmillan either

It sounds like the charity you are fundraising for is personal to you?

If so, are you happy to share yours and your husbands story? (not on here, I mean with potential donors etc)

When dfil died we held a fundraising night for a charity that supported people with his condition. It was very successful and raised over 2k. The attendees were, in the main, family and friends of the family, plus people who'd known dfil. Admittedly, it probably helped that dhs family have lived in the area there whole lives so had quite a big network, but I think because it was personal, people were willing to pay a fiver for a ticket for a night out.

We provided a very basic buffet and dj/disco (family member did it for free) , and it was cheap and cheerful in a working man's club (so cheap beer!)

We had a raffle and local business owners were very generous so if you are doing a raffle, I would recommend approaching them - things like free haircuts, afternoon teas, meal vouchers etc were all donated in exchange for a mention on the night.

We had a few football cards going round - people are happier to donate if there's a chance of them winning something back. Similarly, a game of who could roll their pound coin closest to the bottle of spirits. (we kept the pound coins, closest kept the bottle)

There were also change buckets by the bar.

There were paragraphs in there somewhere!

That's down to the charities then isn't it.... the bigger ones are the ones who splash out on post race parties and massages....

I ran for a small charity and had to raise £1000, yes, from the goodness of people's hearts that was! Where else??

So not 38 quid and whatever you could raise then. It was a set minimum amount?

Out of interest, if you apply as an individual, is there still a minimum amount you have to raise or can you just pay the 38 quid and run for yourself do you know?

I've run it twice

So first time a ballot place, paid £38 and raised a bit for Leonard cheshire disability with no pressure. I chose them and they just gave me a top and cheered me on the day. That was it.

Second time I was unlucky in the ballot so I approached a small charity. Paid £50 (there stipulation)for the place on the promise I'd raise the £1000. Which I did.

If you are lucky enough to get a ballot place then yes, you can just pay the £38 ( 2015) price and turn up and run, no moneyraising required

Awesome, thankyou.