If you want to donate some money to charity, but can’t think of how to raise the funds, you should follow our fifty great money raising tips below:
1. Hold a raffle
Gather together any old toys, clothes, or knickknacks from your local neighbourhood and hold a raffle. The money you make from selling raffle tickets can be donated towards charity.
2. Organise a spelling bee
Ask your teacher for permission to organise a spelling bee. Charge people to take part, and for people to come and watch. The money you make can go towards a winner’s prize, and the cash left over can be donated to charity.
3. Have a garage sale
A great way to raise money for charity is by having a garage sale. Ask your mum and dad to help you organise it, as they are bound to have lots of things you can sell.
4. Have a games night
If you want to raise money quickly for charity, then you should think about holding a games night. Invite your friends over for a friendly game on Monopoly, and charge a small admission fee at the door.
5. Hold an “Around the World” theme party
A good way to raise money for charity is to find out more about the cultures you are helping in the process. Have an “Around the World” theme party, where everyone comes dressed up in the national dress of the country of their choice. The cash you raise in admission fees can be put straight towards the charity.
6. Have a treasure hunt
Get all of your friends to chip in some money for a treasure hunt. Buy a prize, get a parent to hide it, and give the money left over to a good cause. You can even have lots of fun in the process when you go hunting for clues!
7. Put on a talent show
Can you or any of your friends sing, dance, perform, or tell great jokes? Then why not hold a talent show? The money you make from ticket sales can be split between a prize and a good cause. And you never know, you might just discover the next Brittany Spears!
8. Guess the weight of a jar of sweets
Fill a large jar with your favourite sweets – jellybeans, gobstoppers, whatever you like. Sell tickets to people so they can guess the number of sweets in the jar. The person who gets it right wins the sweets, and money you make can be given to charity! Everyone wins!
9. Make and sell homemade cards
If you are good at art, you might want to think about creating your own holiday cards – such as Christmas, Easter, or even birthday cards. You can sell them to your neighbours and friends at school. Once you have recouped your costs, you can give the remainder to a charitable organisation.
10. Have a bake sale
Do you like to cook? Can you make a mean soufflé or tangy raspberry tart? Well, put your skills to use and bake some cakes and treats, and sell them at a bake sale in your front lawn. The money you make can go direct to charity, and you can eat any leftover cakes!
11. Have a calendar sale
By making your own calendars and selling them to people in the local community, you can raise a lot of money for charity. In fact, you can even raise awareness too, as you can theme the pictures of each month around different charitable causes.
12. Do a sponsored walk
Round up a few friends, pick out your best walking shoes, and get your friends, family, and neighbours to sponsor you to do a long walk in the name of your chosen charity.
13. Pet walk or pet sit
If you want to earn money while putting something back into your community, get your neighbours to hire you as a pet walker or sitter. The money you earn from looking after their pets can be put towards any charity that you choose.
14. Do chores for cash
A great way to earn money for a good cause is by doing chores for money. Ask your neighbours, parents, or friends’ parents to sponsor you to rake the leaves, feed the animals, and put out the garbage.
15. Have a “dress down” Friday
Speak to your teacher at school and ask if you can have a “dress down” Friday. Students pay to wear any clothes they want to school, and the money raised goes straight to charity.
16. Bag groceries
Earn money for a charitable organisation by bagging groceries at your local grocery store or supermarket. You can even put out a collecting tin to gather donations.
17. Guess the teddy’s name
Invite your friends around, name one of your old teddies, and put him up for display on a counter in the school. Let people try to guess his/her name, with each guess costing a certain amount of money. The winner gets a prize, and the funds raised can go to charity.
18. Organise a “beat the goalie” event
If you want to raise money for a good cause, and get some exercise at the same time, then you should organise a “beat the goalie” event. People pay to take shots at getting the football past the goalie, and whoever wins gets a small prize, a lot of praise, and the choice of which charity gets the money you have raised.
19. Do a sponsored silence
Keep quiet for an evening, and see how long you can go without making a peep. The longer you don’t talk the more money your sponsors will have to pay. This is a great way of earning money to donate towards charity if you have good willpower, and can entertain yourself in silence.
20. Have a basketball or netball tournament
Get your friends together, put some money in the pot, and have a netball or basketball tournament. The winner gets a prize, the charity gets the pot. If netball or basketball isn’t your thing, you could try organising a hockey, football, or lacrosse match instead.
21. Do a sponsored swim
Keep fit and healthy and earn money for charity at the same time by doing a sponsored swim. You could even try to get some of your friends to join in. And remember, the more laps you do, the more money you raise.
22. Hold a model car race
If you have a model car, and your friends do to, why not hold a model car race? People can pay to watch or participate, and you can donate the money raised to the charity of your choice. If you don’t have a model car, you could race model boats, planes, or even tanks!
23. Organise a sports da
Speak to the headmaster/headmistress of your school and ask if they can organise a charity sports day. Not only will you get out of your classes for an afternoon, you’ll also being doing something for a good cause.
24. Have a book sale
Have you got any old books? Do your parents or friends? Why not gather them all up and sell them off so you can raise some money for charity? You’d be surprised by the number of people looking to buy good books, especially if the money is going somewhere worthwhile.
25. Help out at a charity shop
Ask your mum and dad if you can help out at the local charity shop. You can volunteer to help organise the displays, or even help out at the till if you know how.
26. Donate a portion of your pocket money
Giving a portion of what we earn is a great way to show empathy for other people. When you get your pocket money, which you earn by doing chores, why not donate some to your favourite good cause? It means so much more when something is shared.
27. Hold a fancy dress day at school
This is another thing you might need to ask your head teacher permission for. Ask if you can have a fancy dress day at school. All the money raised can go to the charity of the school’s choice.
28. Do a neighbourhood car wash
Get your hands wet and soapy and organise a neighbourhood car wash. Charge a small fee for washing, polishing, and waxing your neighbour’s cars, and give the money straight to charity.
29. Play Hoopla!
You could raise money by setting up a game of Hoopla in your back garden. Invite friends over, and whoever can throw their hoop over the stack wins a prize. Make sure everyone pays a small fee for each turn, and the money can be donated to a good cause at the end of the day.
30. Organise a charity clean-athon
If you don’t mind rolling up your sleeves and using a bit of elbow grease, you could organise a charity clean-athon. For a small charge, you can offer to clean any variety of things for people – including their dishes, shoes, clothes, or even hamster cages!
31. Hold an animal show
Do you or your friends have some pretty pooches or cute kitties? If so, you could raise money by holding a pet show. People pay to enter their pet, and other people pay to watch them parade about, looking their finest. All money earned can be split between prizes and a good cause.
32. Donate your old clothes to charity
Have you got any old clothes that don’t fit, or you simply wouldn’t wear again? Then why not donate them to your local charity, where they will really do some good?
33. Have an ugliest outfit contest
Again, this is another thing you will perhaps want to ask your school if you can do. Hold an ugliest outfit contest in the school assembly, and give the proceeds to charity. Not only will you raise money, but you can have tons of fun in the process.
34. Become the neighbourhood gardener
If you have green fingers, you might want to do some gardening work for your neighbours. You can donate some of the money to charity, and even buy yourself a nice reward too.
35. Sit in a bath of custard or baked beans
Yuck! Gross but effective, sitting in a bath full of icky stuff is a sure-fire way to earn money for charity. Lots of people will be eager to pay you to sit in a tub full of cold custard of yucky beans!
36. Start a lemonade stand
In the summer, you can raise money by selling lemonade at the side of the road. Get your mum or dad to help you make the juice, and grab a friend or two to help you sell it.
37. Hold a dance-athon
Get down and boogie by holding a dance-athon. The longer you dance the more money your sponsors will have to give towards your chosen charity. So grab your best dancing shoes, a couple of good tunes, and get ready to dance the night away!
38. Hold a “battle of the bands” contest
If music is your thing, why not hold a “battle of the bands” contest? You could either ask your local community to hold it, or ask your head teacher if you can do it in the school. People will pay to see the bands, and the money will all go to a good cause. To top it all off, it will provide you with an incredible night out.
39. Have a maths quiz
Are you a whiz kid at maths? Can you count numbers backwards, multiply them, divide them, and recite your times tables every way but which? Then a maths quiz might be the perfect thing for you to organise. The money you raise in entry fees can go to a charitable cause, and you could use the leftover to buy some prizes too.
40. Donate your old toys to charity
If you have any old toys, you might want to consider donating them to charity. Many children in third world countries don’t have access to toys or fun learning materials, and they would really appreciate any that you don’t need.
41. Create homemade potpourri and sell it to neighbours
If crafts are your area of interest then you could put your skills to use by making and selling potpourri. You can make a variety of potpourris by using different kinds of dried flowers and scented oils. The money you earn can cover your costs, and the extra can go to charity.
42. Make and create your own candles to sell
Another good way to raise money for charity is by creating and selling homemade candles. These are easy to make, but you might need some adult supervision as the wax can get very hot.
43. Wash windows for cash
Lots of people don’t like to wash their windows, and that’s why they hire a window cleaner. Become your neighbourhood window washer and put the money you earn to a good cause.
44. Baby-sit for the neighbours
If you’re old enough, you might want to think about babysitting other people’s children. Most parents pay good money for this service, and you can put some of what you earn in the local charity collection tin.
45. Hold a sponsored fast
This money-raising task is only for those who have strong will power and a real determination to help charity. Hold a sponsored fast, and see how long you can go without eating for. Along with raising money, you’ll find out how hungry lots of children feel everyday – but they don’t get any money for it. It’s just a way of life for them.
46. Hold a festival day
Get your friends, neighbours, and family around and hold a festival day. Charge admission for events such as watching a karaoke competition, seeing magic tricks performed by an aspiring magician, or playing games in the backyard. The money you make can go to a charity and the event prizes.
47. Hold a sponsored mini-marathon
Get your running shoes out of the cupboard, pull on your shorts and T-shirt, and start running around the block in order to warm up for a sponsored mini-marathon. The more people that pledge money the more you will have to donate to charity at the end of the race.
48. Hold a movie night
Turn down the lights, pop some popcorn, and turn on the TV to your favourite movie. Anyone who wants to join in the fun will need to donate some money to the “charity jar”.
49. Start a loose change jar
You’d be surprised how much money you can collect if you start putting all of your loose change into a loose change jar. Once it’s full, you can take out the money, count it, and donate some to your favourite good cause.
50. Get a paper route
You can earn money to give to charity by taking on a paper round. Not only will you be doing this on behalf of a good cause, it’s good work experience too!
