It’s dubbed the season of goodwill, making Christmas the perfect time to launch a festive fundraiser.
There’s a myriad of Christmas charity fundraising ideas that will spread tidings of comfort and joy, from Christmas fairs and present wrapathons to Christmas meals for the homeless.
People tend to give more generously in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. Harness the festive spirit to raise money for great causes this Christmas with your own GoFundMe.
Meet the Australians putting some of these Christmas fundraising ideas into action.
Why not sacrifice gifts this year in return for donations. Consider asking family and friends to donate to your GoFundMe instead of buying you a Christmas present. Likewise, if you’re getting married in December and looking for Christmas charity ideas, you could ask your wedding guests and those who want to support you into married life by asking for GoFundMe donations and switching out your wedding gift list for donations. If you have a personal connection to the cause you have chosen, be sure to share that with potential donors. Or if you don’t have a charity beneficiary in mind already, get some inspiration and choose which charity you want to support here.
It’s the festive season, the sun is baking and how better to raise money for a good cause than to gather your mates and get creative in the kitchen. Promise your nearest and dearest the best BBQ in town and baked goods for dessert in return for donations. You can go one step further and try and convince your local butcher to do you a deal on some snags in the name of charity. The less you spend on food, the more goes to your cause!
If you’re collecting toys or food for Australians in need this holiday season, encourage people to donate by hosting a collection party. Offer mince pies, spiced lattes and festive entertainment in return for guests bringing a toy or box of food along. Maximise donations by establishing collection points around the local community in schools, village halls and pubs. Not everybody has the time to go out and buy toys or food to donate. Set up a GoFundMe fundraiser so that people can donate money quickly and easily and you can buy the goods for them. The Inner West Mums Christmas fundraiser run by a group of mums looking to raise funds for a local girl’s refuge, Detour House. Remember to promote your project with emails and social media posts. Sharing is key!
Christmas fayres top Christmas charity fundraising ideas lists with good reason – they’re always a hit with pupils, parents, teachers and friends of the school and one of the best Christmas fundraising ideas for charity. Partner with local businesses and either charge them for a stand or take a percentage of their profits. Setting up a Santa’s shed will help boost your funds. Parents will enjoy a mulled wine bar, while children will badger them for loose change to play games such as hoopla with Rudolph’s nose or ‘guess the lucky Santa hat’. Raffles and auctions may also have a place here.
Christmas cards designed by school kids always have the ‘aww’ factor. The kids will enjoy getting crafty in an art class at school and cards are affordable to have printed in bulk online. Sell them at the school gates and the Christmas fair, or send children home with a pack that parents can either buy or return to their form teacher. Make it clear how any raised funds will be spent, so that parents know where their money will be going.
Children love a competition, making this one a surefire success. Buy a load of white or kraft paper baubles from a wholesaler and charge a small entry fee (enough to cover the cost of the baubles, craft materials and a prize for the winner). Try and find a local celebrity to judge the submissions, then give pupils the option of taking their bauble home or using it to decorate a school or community tree.
Gather a group of friends, neighbours and kids and parents from the local school and rally an organised carol singing session at the beach. Print out some spare song sheets so that passersby can join in and consider selling the cards and baubles you made with the above tips on the side. Whack on the barbie, get some beers and soft drinks on chill, and donate the profit from sales from all of your food goods too.
The premise behind this one is simple: parents and members of the local community pay the kids to wrap all their Christmas presents. Note that this activity may be better suited to the older years if you want your gifts wrapped nicely! Schedule the wrapathon for towards the end of term when people will have started buying gifts and teachers are still around to supervise. Maximise profits by requesting discounts on wrapping supplies from big companies, or asking parents to supply their paper of choice. Charge more for ribbons, poms and tags.
Christmas shirt day is a staple in many a school’s fundraising calendar. Pupils bring in a small donation in exchange for the chance to show off their silliest Christmas shirts. Present a prize for the best in assembly the next day. If shirts have been done to death at your school, or not many students own one, shake things up with a festive fancy dress day. Anything goes with this one. Baubles as jewelry then – sure why not!
Think your classic cake sale, only everything is festive-themed! Bonus points if you can enlist a celebrity baker (fancy it, Maggie Beer?) to come and share their festive baking tips with the school. Iced spiced latte sales also go down a treat, particularly when setting up for a children’s competition on a hot day.
Coastal communities often put on sponsored ocean dips with great success. They raise money through GoFundMe for your charity, making sure the event and fundraising link is publicised widely, then all rush into the ocean together on a chosen morning. Just make sure you choose a scorcher of a day so you hang around for a coffee and dry off afterwards.
People love the chance to don their gladrags during the festive season. Set a fun theme such as James Bond or The Great Gatsby and host it in a local hotel with dinner, drinks and dancing on the menu. Target local businesses, offering them bulk ticket deals, and offer discounts for younger guests. Consider tying your theme to your cause. For example, ‘a hint of pink’ for a breast cancer charity or a cultural theme if you’re fundraising for a project abroad.
The sight of a big group of Santas jogging around your local park is sure to elicit giggles from locals. The idea is that everybody pays an entry fee and commits to finding sponsors, before running 5km or 10km dressed as Santa. This makes for a brilliant photo opportunity, so be sure to tell your local newspaper about it.
Not into running but fancy getting involved still? Take inspiration from Ian Grainger who is motorbiking around Brisbane handing out gifts to kids!
You’ll need to apply for a license to host a movie screening in a public place, but film nights are a tried and tested way of raking in funds, especially at Christmas. Movies like Love Actually, The Holiday and It’s a Wonderful Life never grow old and will appeal to all ages. Sell drinks and nibbles and charge more for VIP seats complete with fans and bean bags!
Lots of big corporations run matching schemes, which see them match a registered charity’s fundraising efforts pound for pound. Research these and apply, and you could be doubling your earnings!
Use the power of social media to tell heartwarming stories of the people or animals your charity is trying to help. Make it clear how donations will help the subjects of your campaign and include a link to your GoFundMe so people know how to donate. Keep donors updated on how their money is helping. Ideas could include ‘feed a homeless person’, which sees people donate the price of a Christmas meal to a charity serving dinner to the homeless, or ‘twin your Christmas tree with a tree in the rainforest’, to support an environmental charity.
Why not try a Christmas fun run and rack up the kilometres? Or consider fundraising for someone in your community who has experienced loss recently and may need cheering up, like Cally.
It appears that Christmas lights are at the top of many wish lists once again as towns and cities raise money to pay for their own Christmas lights.
In the true festive spirit, many communities have come together by setting up digital fundraisers on GoFundMe.
In the past three years, there has been a huge rise in the number of Christmas light fundraisers appearing on the site. These include those set up by volunteers and local advocacy groups on a mission to light up their town this holiday season.
The town of Gympie raised is aiming to raise.over $10,000 to light up its Christmas tree this year.
Why not launch a fundraiser to light up your town this Christmas?
8. Set up a GoFundMe
Looking for something that you can do while completing your Christmas shopping? Why not set up a GoFundMe fundraiser. Why not try a Christmas afternoon for the elderly? Or consider fundraising for Christmas hampers for nurses working a Christmas Day shift, like Rosie.
The quickest way to start fundraising and making a difference today is to set up a GoFundMe fundraiser.
GoFundMe differs from many other fundraising platforms in that there are no hidden fees. Our experts are on hand to offer advice around the clock while downloading our mobile app means you can check in on your fundraising progress while on the move.
Donating is simple, meaning GoFundMe appeals to people who are pushed for time, especially during the busy festive period.
Setting up your GoFundMe campaign could not be easier, and there’s a treasure trove of expert fundraising tips on our blog to help you raise the most money possible for your cause.