A to Z of fundraising ideas

Looking for some simple ways to raise money? From baking to sponsored sleepovers, our A to Z of fundraising ideas is sure to help make it easy to fundraise for Sight Life at work, at school or in your community

A is for Amazon Smile. Did you know that you can raise money for Sight Life while you’re shopping on Amazon? And it doesn’t cost you a penny. Just go to Amazon Smile, log in using your user name and password and anything you buy will generate funds for Sight Life. You can use Amazon Prime too.

B is for Baking. Seriously, who doesn’t like cake? You don’t have to go all Mary Berry on us (unless you want to, of course!). It doesn’t have to be a Technical Bake or even a Showstopper Bake – your Signature Bake (even if it’s just a fairy cake or two) will be just fine. Dust off your aprons and get baking for Sight Life.

C is for Coffee Morning. A hot beverage (it doesn’t have to be coffee) usually accompanied by a piece of cake (see B above!). Get your friends together for a cuppa and a natter – for a small fee, of course!

D is for Don’t Send me a Card. Getting cards through the post for birthdays and anniversaries is lovely – but what do you do with them afterwards? https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ will send e-cards on your behalf, saving time, money and the planet. You can donate the cost of the card and the postage to Sight Life, and feel good about doing a bit for the environment in the process.

E is for easyfundraising, the UK’s biggest charity shopping fundraising site. easyfundraising turns your everyday online shopping into free donations for Sight Life. How? Just register with the site, start your online shopping first at easyfundraising, then shop as normal. The retailers will then make a small donation to say “thank you”.

F is for Film Night. Host a film night for friends and family. Charge an entry fee and sell popcorn and fizzy drinks (at an inflated price!). Why not make it a theme night, and dress as your favourite film character – for an extra fee, of course!

G is for Give it Up. Addicted to your morning Costa skinny latte? A daily bar of Dairy Milk? Or is a Greggs breakfast bun your secret vice? Give it up for a month, put the money in a sealed jar (no dipping in to it!) and donate the money you would have spent to Sight Life.

H is for Half Marathon. Get your running shoes on and get sponsored to do a half marathon (virtually if necessary). Too far? How about a Couch to 5k? Get moving and get your sponsors donating!

I is for Instagram. Strike a pose, take a selfie, share it, make a donation to Sight Life – then nominate a friend to do the same.

J is for JustGiving the world’s most trusted platform for online giving. Supporters can set up their own pages when they fundraise for Sight Life.

K is for that old favourite Karaoke. Why not host a karaoke night, a sing along or talent show? It’s a great team or family bonding event – and if it’s really not your cup of tea, you can always pay extra so you don’t have to sing!

L is for Loose Change. Why not empty the loose change out of your pocket or purse once a week, pop it in a jar, and when the jar’s full, donate it to Sight Life.

M is for Marathon – a distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. Run it, walk it, or you can even split it amongst a team. Just get sponsored to do it!

N is for Non-Uniform Day. Great for schools – but if you’re too cool (or too old!) for school, how about a Dress Down Day for a small fee? For Sight Life, of course!

O is for Old Clothes. Hold a swishing event and swap your old clothes with your friends. Charge a fee for every garment  taken away. Or sell them on Ebay and give the proceeds to Sight Life.

P is for Payroll Giving, also know as Give as You Earn (GAYE). Your chosen charity effectively gets more than you give it because your donation is paid before your salary is taxed. This means that if you give, say, £10 to a charity, and you are on the lowest tax band, only £8 will be deducted from your take-home pay. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, the incentives are even greater. Talk to your employer about joining the scheme.

Q is for Quizzes – whether it’s virtual pub quiz or a family challenge, have fun, test your brain and your general knowledge, and raise some money for Sight Life in the process.

R is for Raffles. Always popular and often part of C (Coffee Morning) or Q (Quiz)!

S is for Supper Club. Select your menu, cook up a storm, invite a few guests to your home – and charge them a fee for the privilege of eating with you!

T is for Ten-pin bowling. Head to the lanes and challenge your friends, family, or colleagues. Ask for a fee or donation to enter and then give a small prize to the winner – and the cash to Sight Life!.

U is for Unwanted gifts. Why not sell them and donate the proceeds to Sight Life? Or use them as part of a Raffle for your Coffee Morning, Karaoke Night or Quiz!

V is for Valentines – but don’t send a card. Use https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ and donate what you would have spent on a card and the postage to Sight Life.

W is for Waxing – a hair-raising experience for the boys! Be brave, and get sponsored to wax your legs or chest.

X is for X-treme Sports. Skydiving or ziplining anyone? Enough said!

Y is for Yoga. Start to de-stress with some sponsored yoga, in preparation for Z.

Z is for ZZZ. After all that fundraising, why not have a sponsored sleepover? You didn’t think you were getting off that lightly, did you?!

A word about Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme that allows charities to reclaim the basic rate tax back from HM Revenues and Customs on donations you make.

Once you have indicated to us that you’re happy for us to claim Gift Aid on your behalf and that you pay sufficient Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in that particular financial year, we’ll reclaim this money at no extra cost to you thereby increasing the value of your donation. We can reclaim 25 pence in every pound back – so your £1 donation is worth £1.25 to us. Click here to download a Gift Aid form.

Inspired?

Don’t forget to send us pictures from your fundraising events. We love to see all the creative ways in which people raise money for us. And don’t forget to send us the proceeds. Whatever you do and however much you raise, you can be sure that you’ll make a real difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people in South Wales.