Community fundraising event ideas and examples
There are plenty of fun and engaging ways to raise funds to support your community. Find one that suits you or come up with your own idea!
To get you started here are some ideas and examples of how others have challenged themselves and raised funds for Lifeline.
Ideas:
- Get mobile for charity – enter a fun run, walk, or bike ride event and have family, friends and colleagues sponsor you.
- Undertake a personal challenge and be sponsored - weight loss, hair dye/shave, give up chocolate or learn a new skill.
- Gala ball with a theme – add a donation to the price of tickets. Speak directly to clubs or hotels who may offer a reduced price for a function room or food for a charity event.
- Trivia night – hold a trivia night and charge an entry fee. If you hold a trivia night in a pub, restaurant, club or café, persuade the owner to donate some takings from the night.
- Dress up day – Get together with your school mates or colleagues and sponsor the principal or boss to dress up for the day. Persuade them to match the funds raised and donate themselves!
- Dinner and Auction – organise a dinner with friends, family and colleagues and include an auction to raise more funds, seek out local businesses who may be interested in donating goods to auction.
- Donations in lieu of gifts – instead of Christmas, wedding or birthday gifts, why not consider asking for donations instead.
- Girls/Boys night in – ask your friends to bring a dish, have a night in and donate what money would usually be spent on a night out.
- Wash cars, mow lawns or other odd jobs – offer your services to friends, family and neighbours and get them to make a donation in lieu of what they would normally be charged.
- Movie marathon – get together with friends, share your favourite movies, grab some ice cream and popcorn and donate what it would usually cost to go to the cinema.
- Seasonal or themed fair – hold a Valentines, Easter or Christmas fair, selling crafts, cakes, cards and home made gifts.
- Second hand clothing fashion parade and sale – get together with friends and donate clothing that isn’t wanted anymore, price the items, hold a fashion parade and sell them to the highest bidder.
- Hold a talent quest or karaoke night – dare your friends to perform by sponsoring their talent!
- Giant raffle – approach local businesses and encourage them to donate prizes for a raffle and ask if you can advertise the raffle in their business windows – the business gains attention for supporting a good cause and at the same time it promotes your raffle.
If these ideas don’t suit you, please contact the National Fundraising Team at Lifeline who will be happy to provide advice and tips for turning ideas into something that works for you. We want to make your fundraising experience fun, rewarding and stress free!
Here are a few examples of what others have done to support Lifeline...
The Connect Dinner
Sydney's vibrant art and film community came together at a dinner on the 7th March 2009, raising over $8,000 for Lifeline's 24 hour crisis support service.
The dinner event, with Larry Emdur as Master of Ceremonies, was held at the stunning Tim Olsen Gallery in Woollahra and aimed to bring friends and industry together to encourage a sense of community.
The 'Connect' themed evening was organised independently by Yolande Dewey, Jane Johnson and Sacha Hodgson (pictured) who worked tirelessly to provide a special evening of fine food, good company and great music.
Lifeline is very grateful and gives many thanks for the hard work and dedication of the 'Connect Dinner' organisers.
A Ride for a Life - riding 3000km to raise awareness
Richard Jansen undertook a massive solo bike ride from Melbourne to Cairns to raise awareness about depression and to help raise funds for Lifeline. Richard, a father of three, lost a close friend to suicide and has experienced depression himself.
The purpose for undertaking this challenging ride was to raise awareness about depression and to break the stigma surrounding this issue.
"I've met some amazing people on this journey and it’s changed my whole outlook on life," Richard said from Mackay, Queensland.
"I really feel like I've had a positive impact on others. People who haven't been able to find a voice have opened up and shared their experiences about their own battles with depression and mental illness. Some people have been very flattering, telling me that what I’m doing is inspiring. In fact, it’s often the people I meet who inspire me."
Richard visited a number of Lifeline Centres along the way and was regularly interviewed by local media on his journey. All funds raised were used to support Lifeline’s suicide prevention work.
Men In Uniform photo shoot
Ian Horncastle lost a loved one on Christmas Day in 2008 and he turned to Lifeline for support. As a way of saying ‘thank you’ for our help, Ian decided to raise awareness and funds for Lifeline by selling merchandise from his Men In Uniform photoshoot.
Ian is a professional photographer and works with some of Australia's top stylists, makeup artists and models. The Men In Uniform project was launched in Sydney in 2009 with live music and entertainment. Dawn O'Neil, Lifeline's CEO, spoke at the event and representatives from Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury spoke to guests and handed out information about our services. The proceeds from tickets and merchandise, such as postcards and larger prints went towards Lifeline's suicide prevention fund, which supports programs such as Lifeline's Crisis Support Service - 13 11 14.
This event helped to raise funds for Lifeline but also provided an opportunity for Ian to grieve his loss and make it a little easier for him to move forward.
Ian has worked on a number of charity projects in the past, however he said that this project is the one that changed his life forever.
Side Panel
“Some people have been very flattering, telling me that what I’m doing is inspiring. In fact, it’s often the people I meet who inspire me.”
- Richard Jansen