1. Polar plunge
Coastal communities often put on sponsored sea 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 sea together on a chosen morning. Just make sure you have medics on standby as temperatures can be freezing.
2. Host a ball
People love the chance to don their gladrags at Christmas. 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.
3. Santa fun run
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 Father Christmas. This makes for a brilliant photo opportunity, so be sure to tell your local newspaper about it.
4. Movie night
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 blankets and slippers!
5. Join a corporate matching programme
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!
6. Create a Christmas GoFundMe campaign that pulls on heartstrings
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 afternoon for the elderly? Or consider fundraising for Christmas hampers for nurses working a Christmas Day shift, like Rosie.
7. Christmas lights fundraising
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.
One town which successfully fundraised is Port Talbot after its council announced it would no longer be funding the lights in 2014. In 2019, Aberavon RFC, a local rugby club, set up a GoFundMe with the hope of bringing some festive cheer to Port Talbot. The club asked for people in the local area to support the fundraiser in any way they could. The fundraiser even caught the eye of actor Michael Sheen who offered to match every pound donated to the cause. Within days the fundraiser had exceeded its £10,000 goal.
Why not launch a fundraiser to light up your town this Christmas?
