How can I fundraise whilst adhering to social-distancing guidelines?
If this is a question you or your charity are currently asking then you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite fundraising ideas – All of which are possible to carry out in a safe, socially-distanced way.
One thing that Covid-19 seems to not have affected is people’s community spirit – If anything, it’s invigorated and encouraged it. The British public have shown how much they are willing to help those in need – And your cause is just as worthy.
All you need to do is appeal to your supporters and engage with new ones with a fun fundraising campaign that they can’t resist! Here are some of our favourites.
Top 10 Socially Distanced Fundraising Ideas
Social Media Challenge
We’ve all witnessed how certain challenges have gone viral on social media and raised huge funds for various charities. From the ice bucket challenge a few years ago, to the Give Me 5 challenge during lockdown, these types of challenges are great for fundraising. Not only do they raise immediate awareness and donations, but they also pop up on people’s ‘memories’ each year, possibly prompting a further donation. Choose a challenge that is relevant to your cause, and maybe enlist a famous face or influencer to help kick things off by getting the word out there fast.
Fitness Challenge
There are so many fitness challenges that can be done whilst social distancing. Sponsored runs, walks and cycles are easy for people to do alone or even from their own homes. Following lockdown and the restrictions that meant people couldn’t exercise in their normal way, there are likely many people out there looking for a good excuse to kickstart their fitness regime again – What better than raising money for a worthy cause at the same time? Now that’s motivation.
Online Auction
Online auctions have been really popular during lockdown, with lots of money being raised for NHS Charities Together among many others. The great thing about online auctions is that you can be as creative as you like! There are so many things you can auction off – Whether it’s signed memorabilia, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, art, jewellery, luxury items. The list really is endless. They are very easily themed to suit your cause too, so it’s an ideal option for ensuring your supporters will be interested.
Community Clear-Up Competition
Over the last few months we’ve seen communities from around the globe come together to help their most vulnerable, and it’s been heart-warming to see. Tap into this community spirit by encouraging those in your local area to do a sponsored clear up. Choose a day, advertise it well, and get people to (safely) clean up public areas in the community. Prizes could be given to those who raise the most sponsor money, and collect the most rubbish.
Photograph Competition
People get a real buzz our of their photos being shared – Whether it’s their baby looking adorable or their pet looking super cute, these types of competitions often get many entries. Link this with social media, and you could see huge sharing potential. Find something that’s relevant to your cause and encourage people to enter – The prize should be great, and the entry fee minimal. Don’t forget to make sharing the competition a condition of entry!
De-Cluttering Donations
Let’s face it, there’t not many people among us who haven’t gone all Marie Kondo in our houses during lockdown. The extra time spent at home, with many not working, gave a prime opportunity for de-cluttering sessions and mass clear-outs. Couple this with the fact that charity shops had to close and many haven’t re-opened and you’ll probably find that there are many people with bags of stuff they’re wanting to get rid of. Send a plea to your supporters to use their de-clutter swag as a chance to raise vital funds – They can sell their trash to someone else who will treasure it, and donate the money they raise to charity.
Re-Fuel A Charity Running On Empty
Hands up if you grab a coffee on your drive to work? A caffeine boost to re-fuel your mind ready for the day ahead, and petrol in the tank to get you there. But when lockdown hit, both of these things became redundant. For all those people working from home, who suddenly didn’t need to put fuel in their car or buy a takeaway coffee on their way into the office, this is quite a monetary saving. Just imagine if all these people donated the equivalent of a tank of petrol, or a weeks worth of coffee to a worthy cause? That’s a lot of money.
Digital Book Club
Who’s found that their passion for reading has been re-ignited during lockdown? There’s something pretty special about escaping into a good book, especially when your reality is that you can’t leave the house. Obviously, things have started to open up again now and people are going out. But there will be many that are wanting to still stay in – And lots who have a new-found (or rediscovered) love of reading. Encourage your supporters to set up their own digital book clubs – It’s a great way to stay social via video chats as well as raise money. Book club members could donate a small amount each week when they e-meet, or they could make a one-off donation of the cost of the first book.
Business Buddies
Let’s face it, everyone’s been hit by Covid-19 in some way – And it’s been truly devastating for charities and businesses too. As we are all trying to get back on our feet, why not buddy up with a local business? For example, a local pub could donate a percentage of proceeds from a particular dish or drink to your charity. This would be great publicity for both your charity as well as the pub, and might also provide extra incentive to get people to eat out in their local community.
COVID-19 Swear Jar
Anyone else sick of hearing the word’s Covid-19 and Coronavirus? Pandemic, crisis and even phrases like ‘unprecedented times’ are on the list. Us Brits love turning hard things into humour, so why not encourage your supporters to start a Covid-19 swear jar – Every time someone in their household says a word on the list, they put coins in the jar. At the end of the month the contents of the jar is donated to charity! Minimise the Covid chat at home and raise money at the same time – It’s win-win.
What are your favourite socially distanced fundraising ideas?
For more information on how our smart sticker technology could help with your fundraising in this socially-distanced, post-Covid world please get in touch. Turn your collection boxes into mobile payment technology with our smart stickers.