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Fundraising Ideas – A to Z

Help the Army Cadet Force do more for young people in the UK.

fundraising ideas A to Z
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On this page

This list is designed to give you some inspiration and ideas but there are 1000’s more ways to get involved and fundraise for ACCT UK. We are happy to discuss any ideas you have and help you put them into action! We can also help with risk assessments and provide fundraising materials. Don’t delay, contact us at Fundraising@acctuk.org.uk  

A 🧗🏼‍♂️

    • Abseil – Not for the faint-hearted but perfect for the adventurous! Take on an iconic building or landmark.

    • Auction / Auction of promises – Do you, or a friend or family member have a sought-after collection or desirable sports or military memorabilia? Then an auction could be the perfect way to support ACCT UK. You could make your auction a more casual affair by auctioning off your skill set or particular talent. Are you an excellent cook, have mad wood working skills or maybe you are a solicitor or financial expert who can auction off an hour’s expert advice? Dog walking, being a butler for the day or even doing someone’s shopping for a week are all worthy prizes…

    • Afternoon tea – cream or jam first, chocolate or vanilla cake, crusts, or no? These debates will rage forever but the one thing almost everyone can agree on is that afternoon tea is an oldie but a goodie and never goes out of favour.

    • Arts and Crafts stall – Maybe you are a crafty genius? There are so many local fairs, craft shows etc. where you can sell your fabulous creations.

B🎸

    • Battle of the Bands – Arrange a fabulous evening with your musically inclined friends and colleagues. Who will reign supreme? Charge ticket prices and help support ACCT UK whilst having a fab night of entertainment.

    • BBQ – Who doesn’t love a BBQ, get friends and family together, or organise a work event.

    • Bake sale – Yes, yes, and hmmm, let me think… yes! A bake sale whether at school, work or home, cake, pastries, and other delicious goodies are always a popular way to raise funds.

    • Beard shaving – Maybe you’re always being encouraged to go clean shaven, or you would love to see a friend or parent lose the fuzz… get the razor out and raise some money to help ensure no cadet misses out.

    • Book sale – The perfect opportunity for everyone to have a clear out and then buy some fabulous books they haven’t read yet.

    • BingoOnce considered very uncool, Bingo has experienced a renaissance and now everyone is at it. Join in the fun, get some friends, family or colleagues together, don’t 58 (make them wait, of course).

    • Bring and buy – Marie Kondo famously said, ‘Does it bring you joy?’ If not donate it and find something that does….

    • Birthday Fundraiser – If you don’t need presents for your birthday then you can ask for a donation instead. You can use FB or set up an Enthuse fundraising page and then encourage your contacts to help you reach your target.

  • C☕

    • Coffee mornings - Some people can’t even function until they’ve had their coffee, maybe your coffee morning will be a chance to catch up with friends or colleagues from different departments or maybe you can make it a networking event for local businesses or clients. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy a nice cup of Joe.

    • Cinema screening - Host a film extravaganza, maybe a classic that everyone loves, use your house, garden, school canteen or your office boardroom and don’t forget the popcorn!

    • Concert – Whatever your music tastes, a concert with friends, family or colleagues will be fun and maybe you’ll expand your musical knowledge. Think about who you know that can play an instrument or sing.

    • Carol singing – Christmas comes but once a year but it’s worth the wait and carols are the perfect way to celebrate and raise important funds. Warm up your vocal cords and get ready to ‘Deck the Halls’

    • Competition – A friendly competition such as a ‘Bake off style’ event, a football match, a spin class competition, or a tennis tournament, is a great way to raise money and finally decide once and for all who should be crowned the best.

    • Collections – This is a tried and tested way to get donations – organise a collection at your local shopping centre, train station, supermarket, fete or festival. We will provide collection tins or buckets all you need to do is ask for permission and pick a date!

D🐕

    • Dinner Party – A dinner party can be hosted all year round, perhaps pick a dinner theme and encourage guests to dress appropriately or have a ‘Come Dine With Me’ event where 4 or 5 of you all host a dinner and vote for whose event was the best.

    • Dances / Disco – Whether in your living room, at a local venue, your school or at work, dance like no-one’s watching and throw some shapes.

    • Darts match – Charge an entry fee and keep the competition fun and challenging, maybe throw while balanced on one leg, first to three bullseyes (maybe don’t throw blindfolded) I bet you can come up with some great ways to make the evening fun.

    • Dog Walking – With so many people heading back into offices, walking the dog can be a real problem, help out your friends and neighbours by offering an important service and of course enjoy as many doggy cuddles as you can at the same time.

    • Dress Down Day – Maybe you have a strict dress code at work, are sick of wearing your school uniform every day or would like to parade in your jeans and a t-shirt. Arrange a dress down day and charge everyone a donation to wear their own clothes.

E🥚

    • Eating competition - How many crackers can you eat without water? When it comes to food, there are lots of challenges to set, particularly for fans of ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!’ You can raise money with entry fees or tie an eating competition into a larger event. Top tip: breaking records could help you gain press coverage and increase your fundraising.

    • Easter Egg Hunt or party – If you’re involved in the Army Cadets then you may be off to camp at Easter, so perhaps arrange a fun egg hunt, a bunny hop race etc whilst you are away. If not perhaps arrange a bunny themed party with a Easter themed quiz in your local community, work or school or a local Easter egg hunt.

    • Egg and spoon race – Remember primary school sports days? The Egg and Spoon race takes skill and balance – why don’t you have a picnic and couple it with some fun games and challenges that appeal to all ages.

    • Eighties night – Some of you won’t even have been born in the eighties, so find out what you missed and have a fab evening of 80’s classics, neon, ra-ra skirts, fingerless gloves and of course some legwarmers!

    • Exhibition – Do you have some military memorabilia to display, are you a keen photographer or artist? Maybe you and your friends could display together and invite everyone to come and look at your unusual or original pieces, maybe you could even auction some off to raise some extra money and of course start making a name for yourself….

    • Expert talk – Do you or someone you know have a wealth of knowledge that they would like to share? Arrange an event with drinks and canapes to help others to understand your area of expertise or hobby. Charge admission to support ACCT UK and include a segment in your talk about why you support us.

F⚽

    • Face painting – Volunteer to face paint or paint glitter on at a local fete, fair, festival or night spot if age appropriate and get a donation in return.

    • Football match / 5-a-side football – Raise funds by charging a player fee and you can even let spectators donate to take part in a penalty shootout at the end of the match. If you have smaller numbers, then 5-a-side is always fun.

    • Fancy-dress days - Fancy dress is not just for kids or Halloween. It is great fun whether you are at school or work. Ask your colleagues to dress up for the day and make a donation, the more outrageous the better.

    • Fashion Show – Always fancied strutting your stuff on the catwalk? Perhaps you’re a budding designer? Is there a local clothes shop or company that would like to help or provide an on the day discount for some older stock? Dress up, sashay and don’t forget to twirl.

  • G 🎲

    • Games Night – All you need is games, whether board games or console games, a place to play and people to play with. Charge friends to play and arrange a lunchtime competition at the office for a week or invite people over for snacks and charades. Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to have fun.

    • Girls (or Boys) Night In - Get your friends round and ask them to donate what they would have spent on a night out. Do a pot luck and donate the extra £’s.

    • Give it up! – Do you have a bad habit? Give it up and get your friends, family, or co-workers to sponsor you.

    • Golf Day – Maybe your company loves to do business on the golf course, or you just love to have a few rounds at the weekend. Golf is a great way to raise funds for ACCT UK.

    • Gardening – If you have green fingers perhaps you can help others in exchange for a donation whether that is cutting grass, weeding, planting or perhaps your neighbourhood has some other beautiful gardens, and you can organise an open day with the others. People can pay a fee and take a look at lovely gardens in the area and get some expert tips from experienced local gardeners as they walk round.

  • H🎃

    • Head shave – Always popular and extremely brave- shave your head and ask your social circle to sponsor you. If you have particularly long and luscious locks, then you could also donate your hair to make wigs for those living with cancer or another health condition and help two charities at the same time.

    • Halloween party – The popularity of Halloween grows every year. Throw the ultimate spooky bash and charge people to attend the scariest night possible. Have games, classic Halloween tunes and the obligatory fancy dress. Offer a prize for the best costume. Your party will become the must-attend event on everyone’s calendar.

    • Hogmanay - We are not all lucky enough to live in Scotland but that doesn’t mean we can’t join in the fun! Charge people to come to enjoy the festivities at yours or at a local venue. Alternatively prepare a traditional meal for friends before everyone goes out for the celebrations.

  • I🌎

    • International Evening / International Day – Do you love the food and culture in Mexico, Spain, Ethiopia, have you been to a country lots of times or is there somewhere you have always wanted to visit? Are you an expert Irish dancer or is flamenco more your thing? Invite people over to experience a taste of a different place. Offer, food, information, games, dance lessons etc from this country and ask everyone to dress according to the theme (national dress, colours of the country’s flag for example) and charge people to experience somewhere new for the night.

    • It’s a Knockout – If you don’t remember the cult show ‘It’s a Knockout’ then definitely google it. It’s the ultimate opportunity to get your own back on a colleague, teacher, or senior officer! You will need inflatables of different kinds, headgear, and your sense of humour.

  • J💍

    • Jewellery collection, jewellery making/selling – Maybe you are a professional jewellery designer, own some pieces you are willing to part with, make jewellery as a hobby and can sell items to benefit us on a stall or online, or can charge for jewellery making workshops.

    • Jazz - George Gershwin said, ‘Life is a lot like jazz… it’s best when you improvise.’ This also rings true for fundraising. If you love Jazz, then we’re sure you will find a great way to share your passion and raise some funds. Whether a night of music or providing music lessons for donations… let the music do the talking.

    • James Bond – Everyone has their favourite 007. Whether you have a film night, a Bond themed party or even a Bond inspired challenge or treasure hunt, it’s bound to be legendary.

  • K🎤

    • Karaoke night – There are those who say they hate karaoke and yet when the lights go down and the music starts to play, everyone wants to belt out their favourite tunes… obviously they should be charged a donation for publicly embarrassing themselves.

    • Kite Flying – A British institution. Arrange a day out kite flying, perhaps run a competition of who makes the best kite, time in the air, decoration etc, have a BBQ or get everyone is bring a picnic and get flying.

    • Knitting – During lockdown more people started knitting and crocheting to pass the time. Set up a stall, sell your creations online or take custom orders and use your needles to provide young people with amazing experiences that will build their confidence and help them achieve their full potential.

L🥪

  • Luncheon / Lunch - Everyone has to eat, so whip up a delicious lunch to take into the office for friends and colleagues and ask for a donation.
  • Loose change – ask all your contacts to save their loose change… it’s amazing how quickly it will add up.
  • Line Dancing – It’s fun, it’s great exercise and you can even do it in your lunch break. Learn some dances off the internet and charge your friends or colleagues to take part. Get your cowboy boots out….

  • M🏃🏽

    • Marathon events - Not everyone is a runner, so for those that are a marathon is the perfect way to truly challenge yourself. For those that aren’t, maybe do a challenge over 26.2 hours or 26.2 miles – a sponsored silence, danceathon, jokeathon (so many dad jokes, so little time), rollerblade, swim or even unicycle….

    • Matched Giving - Whether you’re raising money in the office or outside of work, ask your employer about matched giving. Lots of our fundraisers have doubled the amount raised by their employer so don’t be afraid to ask.

    • Mince pies and mulled wine evening - Christmas is the perfect time to get together, so throw a mince pie and mulled wine event and ask for donations for ACCT UK.

    • Murder Mystery Evening – Who dunnit? Who knows, all will be revealed at your fabulous murder mystery evening. Hold it at home, charge a ticket price and let the evening unveil your killer.

    • Masquerade Ball – A ball is the perfect event for fundraising, you can charge for tickets, hold an auction, play games for donations, and even talk about ACCT UK and what we do. Add a hint of mystery with a mask and what’s not to love?

  • N🌃

    • Name the … – Name the teddy, bunny, dog or even fish It’s a simple guessing game- get the name right and you get a prize…. Charge per entry and provide a percentage of the money raised as a prize or ask a local business to donate one.

    • Night time Walk – get some friends together and take on a nighttime challenge, battle the darkness and sleep deprivation but make a difference to a young person’s life.

    • Netball Tournament – You could organise a tournament with each player paying an entry fee, you could have a shoot-a-thon with players getting sponsored for the number of goals scored or have a pass-a-thon, can you reach a 1,000 passes as a team or community?

    • Nominate Us – Do you or your family work for a company that supports charities? If yes, then please nominate ACCT UK. Email fundraising@acctuk.org for information you can share and help us support more cadets and adult volunteers to Be the Best!

  • O🥇

    • Office Olympics – The paperclip throw, the office chair 100m, the synchronised chair swivel…the possibilities are endless.

    • Open Garden / Day - If your garden is in full bloom or you have a house with a colourful history, why not open your doors for an entry fee and host an open house. With the kitchen close by, it will be easy to raise extra funds by offering refreshments and a great way to meet the neighbours!

    • Obstacle course - Set-up the ultimate obstacle course to raise money. Maybe you could have a separate course for children and adults to make the day family-friendly. Include a BBQ at the end for the perfect day. Just remember that health and safety is paramount. We’d be happy to help you with a risk assessment and discuss your ideas.

P🥞

  • Pancake race / Pancake Day / Shrove Tuesday - Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Have a flipping good time and see how many pancakes you can flip in a minute, have a pancake race or see who had make a pancake stack the fastest.
  • Payroll Giving – Does your company offer payroll giving? If so it’s an easy, tax effective way to donate to ACCT UK directly from your pay.
  • Picture Perfect – Camera phones have made taking pictures so simple and yet so many of us still don’t have a good family picture or picture of us with our other half, best friend or mini-me. If you have a great eye for the perfect pic- offer to do a photo session for your friends and family, get everyone to come along with their nearest and dearest and pay for any snaps they like. You could buy some nice frames in bulk and offer a framed version for a little more…
  • Pamper Day – Everyone deserves to be spoilt. Maybe you have friends who are trained in massage, experts at nails, love to create their own beauty products.

 

  • Q 🤓

    • Quiz night - You host the night and guests pay to play. Hold it at your local pub, village hall, canteen or even in your garden. Maybe you have a theme for each round, don’t make it too easy and perhaps ask a local business for a prize or two for the winning team- perhaps a round of golf or mini golf, a cocktail making course, a voucher…

    • Quintessentially British – Picture bunting and biscuits, tea and scones, a garden party and anything else typically British you can think of. Charge an entry fee, have a bake sale and a tombola to raise funds.

  • R🎫

    • Raffle – A raffle is great to have at a charity fundraising event. Just charge a fee for tickets and the winner gets a prize. This could also work as a standalone fundraising activity. It’s also a great way to recycle that unwanted gift… remember under 18’s can’t buy tickets if the raffle includes alcohol.

    • Running - Check out an event near you here (fundraising page link here).

    • Rowing Challenge – Have a rowing machine? Challenge your colleagues to row the furthest distance, fastest to 10K, do a team relay and pit yourself against another department or detachment.

  • S🪂

    • Sweepstakes - You have 1 question, for example, ‘How many sweets in the jar?’ and people pay to guess the answer. Whoever has the winning answer gets a prize, while you donate the money raised. Simple but very effective.​

    • Skydiving - This one really is extreme, but it could be the perfect way to raise some funds and help us ensure no cadet misses out.

    • SponsoredSilence – Are people always telling you to be quiet? Maybe they’ll pay you to do so? Decide how long you can stay quiet for and get your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you per hour.

T🧸

  • Tug-of-War - Challenge your friends, family, colleagues or even another detachment to the ultimate Tug-of-War. Charge each participant to take part and perhaps organise some fun and food for the spectators and charge them a fee too!
  • Tuck shop - Maybe you’ll sell sweets and chocolate, homemade treats, healthy snacks, homemade sandwiches… whatever deliciousness you decide on. Print up a price list and encourage your friends and colleagues to tuck in
  • Through the keyhole – Get everyone to take photos inside their house and guess whose house is whose. Charge a fee to take part.
  • Teddy Bears Picnic – maybe your child’s nursery or primary school would hold a teddy bears picnic, or you can arrange one in a local park or your garden if you have one and invite your child’s class.
  • Taxi Service – Maybe you can offer a taxi service to ferry friends and family around for a week.

U🧑‍🏫

  • University Challenge - Challenge a rival university to a competition, to see which university will come out on top. It could be a ‘University Challenge’ style quiz, a race through your university city or a scavenger hunt. Whatever the challenge, invite your fellow students to come and watch. Ticket costs will help you raise funds. Don’t forget to speak to your student union who may well be able to help you organise it.
  • Uniform for Teachers – Pay your teachers to wear school uniform for the day whilst you get to wear your own clothes.

  • V💌

    • Valentine’s Day – Throw a singles event, an alternative Valentine’s Day party or a dinner for other couples… remember that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a pressure-filled extravaganza, it can be fun for everyone!

    • Volleyball – set up a tournament at a local park, with a local club or even in the garden.
    • Variety Show – Who’s the group or company comedian or impressionist, does someone know some magic or always boast about their talent for ventriloquism? Get them all together sprinkle some singers and musicians in, and you have the perfect night.

    • Wax It – It’s a classic, people will queue up to pay money to see you cry out ‘ouch’.

    • Wine and Cheese evening – For the over 18’s only of course but a fantastic way to spend a fun evening and raise funds for ACCT UK. Charge a fee, offer a variety of wines and cheeses and then maybe have a raffle or tombola, some party games etc to help add to your total.

  • X🎮

    • X-Factor Competition – Host a fabulous evening and fingers crossed someone has some talent, you could expand the talent pool and advertise to the local community, bands and singers alike! The prize can be a percentage of the money raised, or a non-monetary prize of your choosing.

    • Xbox / PlayStation / Console Night – Play in exchange for a donation, set up a tournament, stream live and encourage those watching to donate as well. Let the games begin….

    • Xmas Fayre – do you make Christmas baubles or wreaths, fun stocking fillers? Sign up to a Xmas fayre and sell your lovely trinkets to help raise funds.

  • Y🧘🏽

    • Yoga marathon – Do you moonlight as a yoga or pilates teacher? Maybe one of your colleagues does. Perhaps hold a fun yoga class- make sure you think about health and safety, but classes could be run at lunchtime or after work and not only will your friends or colleagues be helping raise much needed funds they will also be working on their own well-being.

    • Year to make a difference – Doing something for 365 days is the ultimate commitment and will help encourage people to sponsor you. How about giving something up for a whole year? Or pledging to do something everyday- walk the dog and get paid in return, do weekly jobs for a variety of colleagues or neighbours- make lunch, drive them to the shops every Monday, water the plants etc.

    • Yes for the day – Get your boss, friends, children or colleagues to pay you to say yes for one day. Obviously legal requests only but if they’ve been nagging you to finish a project, play a game, come out with friends for an evening- this is their chance.

Z😴

  • ZZZzzz ….. Bosses are always saying that ‘time is money’. Challenge colleagues to turn up to work early for a week and get your managers to sponsor you. Alternatively, do the opposite and raffle/auction off a duvet day instead!
  • Zip Wire – Afraid of heights and want to challenge yourself? Want to see how many ziplines you can take on in a specified period of time or in your area?
  • Zumba – Exercise and dance… charge to take part. This is always a winner.
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