With good weather and good spirits, summer is second only to Christmas when it comes to the best time of the year for fundraising potential. So, we thought we’d take a look back at the last few months and put together the top seven tried and tested fundraising ideas from the summer, so you can keep them for next year!
1. Everyone loves a BBQ
Who doesn’t love a BBQ? Whether you’re holding a bigger event with lots of hungry people or the BBQ itself is the main event, they’re easy to get hold of, cheap to run, and a delicious way to tempt people to put their hands in those pockets.
2. Host a run in the sun
While you can host a fun run any time of the year, the extra sun is sure to lure those warm weather runners out of the woodwork if you hold it in the summer. The shorter the event, the easier to organise and more accessible it will be, so consider an event up to 5K. Make sure you hand out water and cool refreshments!
3. Keep it simple
If marking out a run course sounds like too much effort or you don’t have enough volunteers to direct runners, you can always strip it back and host an outdoor ‘bootcamp’ fitness class in a local field or park. Just make sure you get the landowner’s permission and that the class leader is qualified and insured to lead groups. By keeping it simple you can make sure you don’t miss out on the great opportunity that summer presents.
4. Add-ons and upsells
This is a common trick in the world of eCommerce to get customers to spend more, and it won’t do you any harm to channel your inner entrepreneur next time you host an event. For example, if you’re a sports club hosting a competition, consider selling food, drink and raffle tickets as extras.
5. Get into the festival spirit
Summer is festival season, and while holding your own Glastonbury might not be feasible, you can certainly piggyback those summer festival vibes by hosting a summer concert with local musicians (who will help you spread the word) or an outdoor film screening beneath the stars. Remember to sell all the usual cinema refreshments like popcorn and soft drinks!
6. Keep cool with a car wash
Anything that involves the potential to get wet is best saved for summer, and a charity car wash is something you can hold as a standalone fundraising effort or bolt-on to a bigger event that’ll involve people arriving by car. Get the youngsters involved and you can combine fundraising with providing a holiday activity for the kids!
7. Get the whole family involved
Talking of fun things to keep the kids busy in the holidays, if you’re hosting anything like a farmers’ market or food & drink festival (both great ways to fundraise in summer by the way!), it won’t be complete without a fun activity or two for the kids, like a coconut shy or face painting. Don’t miss out on this easy way to make your event more attractive to families.
BONUS: Get free donations with easyfundraising!
Of course, you can also join more than 180,000 causes and charities across the UK and register your good cause to turn your supporters’ everyday shopping into free funding! It only takes a few minutes and, to be fair, you can do this at any time of year!