Mo’ve over October – November is here! Or should we say Movember?
This month is Men’s Health Month – A month to raise awareness of some of the most common health issues men face.
Movember in particular aims to raise awareness of men’s mental health & suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. The money they raise goes towards prevention as well as research on treatments and support.
Shaving off your beard and growing a moustache is just one great way to raise money online from the comfort of your own home – All you need to do is document that mo with photo evidence!
Raising Money for Men’s Health Month
There are some other great ways to fundraise for many men’s health causes.
- Grow a Mo
Get your friends to sponsor you to shave off your facial hair (if you have any to start with) and then grow just a moustache for the duration of November. Take a photo every few days and share online with your friends. Share any online fundraising pages so that your supporters can easily donate to this great cause. - Sponsored Cycle
Bring your friends, neighbours and co-workers together for a sponsored cycle. Look for a local route you can follow, perhaps with a good pub at the end so you can finish with a pint! Encourage all your friends and family to sponsor your cycle, raising money for a men’s health issue close to your heart. Don’t forget to share your fundraising efforts online, including your sponsorship page! - Friendly Football Tournament
Organise a friendly football match between colleagues, friends or communities. Perhaps you could charge a fee per team for entry, plus sponsorships for each goal scored. Don’t be afraid to ask local businesses to sponsor your event – They could donate the football kit or help you advertise! If you have enough teams, make it into a fundraising day with food, drinks and other stalls to pull in the crowds of supporters! If you’re wary of taking cash donations, then look into QR codes and NFC tags as a way to take payments and fundraise online. - Charity Car Wash
This would be a great one for bringing a local community together – Whether it’s the village you live in, a housing development or a team at work. Get the boys together and get washing! Charge a fee per car and make sure you have plenty of marketing material to share with your supporters to raise as much awareness as possible for your chosen men’s health cause. Share photos and videos on your social media page and make sure no one will want to miss out on the fun! - Dress Like a Dad Day
Charge a small fee for the luxury of dressing down at work one day. You could theme it to ‘Dress Like a Dad’ or something of your choice. Use this day as an opportunity to prompt the men in your lives to talk about anything that might be troubling them, encourage them to go and see the Dr for that niggle they’ve been concerned about, and raise as much awareness as you can about the common health issues the men in our lives face. Share an online donation page with everyone so they can donate online if they don’t have cash. Don’t forget to share a photo of your outfit online and the reason why you’re doing it! Encourage the men in your lives to reach out if they need to. - Trade Time
Offer your expertise in return for a donation to a men’s health charity of your choice. Perhaps you’re a landscape gardener, an accountant, a children’s entertainer or a handy man. Set aside some days and offer to share your expert skills in return for a donation to a charity close to your heart. Share your fundraiser on your social media pages and encourage friends and family to spread the word! Online donation pages are easily shared too, making it easy to get donations direct to your chosen cause. - Fitness Challenge
There are loads of different fitness challenges you could do – From Couch to 5K to 20 push-ups a day. The list is endless! Choose an exercise that would give you a challenge and then share your progress each day for a month. Encourage all your friends and colleagues to do the same by nominating them to join in on social media! No one can resist the chance to show off their skills! Make sure you choose a men’s health charity to award the money raised too, and make sure your sponsors know the reason behind your fitness challenge. Maybe it’s to encourage the men in your lives to check their bodies regularly, or maybe it’s to let them know it’s okay to not be okay and reach out to those close to them to talk and share the load. - Throw a Party
Large or small – Arrange a gathering for all your nearest and dearest. You could save it for the end of Movember so you can all show off those moustaches you’ve worked so hard to grow! Ask for donations on the door, play games like beer pong where the forfeit is to make another donation, and talk talk talk about the importance of men’s health. Raise funds whilst raising awareness! - Go Sober
How about a healthier lifestyle challenge? Whether your crux is a pint of beer at the end of a long day, a sneaky cigarette on your lunchbreak or greasy takeaways multiple times a week, why not challenge yourself to give it up for a month? No judgement from us if you do any of these things – We all have our ways to unwind. But we also love a challenge! And we bet your friends, family and colleagues would pay to see you challenge yourself to give up something up for a month! - Check Yourself
Okay, so this one isn’t a fundraising idea, but it is a prompt to check in on yourself and the men in your lives. Have you been putting off making that Doctor’s appointment because you just ‘haven’t had time’? Book it now. Have you been struggling a bit lately with your mental health but don’t know what to do? Reach out to a trusted friend and speak about how you’re feeling. Are you worried about a mate that’s been a bit quiet or distant recently? Give them a call or drop them a text asking to meet up for a coffee or beer. Talk to the men in your life about some of the common health issues they may face. Raise awareness, build connection and encourage sharing and support. And if you feel moved to make a donation to a chosen men’s health charity, why not inspire your friends and family to do the same?
Can We Help You Raise Money?
Here at Donater we have a suite of fundraising tools specifically designed to make giving easier. Easier for the donor to make a donation, and easier for charitable organisations to receive that all-important fundraising.
Our suite of online fundraising tools include:
- A dedicated online fundraising page, personalised to your charity or good cause. Supporters will immediately recognise your branding and thus, trust that they are in the right place to make a donation. Online fundraising pages are easy to share online via a handy link, and can be easily linked to your website with a ‘Donate Now’ button.
- QR codes. We’ve all become more accustomed to QR codes with the NHS Covid app, so you’ll know how quick and easy it is to scan one with your smartphone. QR codes can be just as handy for taking donations. All your supporter has to do is scan the QR code with their smartphone, and it will take them to an online donation page. Once there, they can choose to donate with a tap via Google Pay or Apple Pay, or pay with their bank details. QR codes are a great addition to any physical marketing about your event, such as posters or newsletters.
- NFC Tags. Our NFC tags take the above QR code concept a step further, and enable any supporter of yours with an NFC enabled smartphone to merely tap the tag or sticker. They will then be taken to an online donation page where they can make their donation quickly and simply. These work better with in-person events, but could easily be placed at the entrance to your charity or on collection boxes so visitors can donate to your cause if they wish.
You might also be interested in our previous blog – How To Make Donater Work For you. There are so many opportunities to raise money during Men’s Health Month – Both with in-person events and online fundraising. Get in touch if you think Donater could help boost your donations digitally.