For many, September is almost a ‘new year’ of sorts. For those in education, or parents of children who attend school, September is often a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. 

For that reason, many look at this month as a chance to start some new habits, carry out some ‘spring’ cleaning and make some changes here and there. 

This month also celebrates Second Hand September – An initiative hosted by Oxfam, encouraging people to move away from fast fashion and embrace second-hand shopping for the month, if not longer!

It’s not only good for your bank balance, but good for the planet as well so it’s a win-win from us. 

So if you’re starting September feeling the need for a clear out of old clothes that you’re not using anymore, this is the perfect initiative to get involved with. 

You could even use it for a spot of fundraising! 

Here are a few ideas for fundraising during Second Hand September

Sell Unwanted Items Online

Sites like Vinted, Ebay Preloved make getting rid of unwanted clothes and homeware super easy! 

If you’re a charitable organisation, why not encourage your donors and supporters to have a clearout and then give whatever they make, or a percentage of their sales, to your worthy cause? 

Host a ‘Swap Party’

You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! A clothing and/ or homeware swap party is a great way of passing on unwanted items to someone who will use them. 

Supporters can ask guests for a small donation of £5 for people to come along with their items, and then swap til their heart’s content over some nibbles and a glass of fizz. All the proceeds going towards raising vital funds for your charity. 

Village Garage Sale / Car Boot

These are a great way of bringing a community of people together, where you can raise awareness of your cause as well as money to go towards it. A good one for village charities or school PTA’s!

You can charge a small fee to attend the event as a seller, as well as an entry donation to those wanting to visit the sale (or access to a map of the village where multiple garage sales are taking place). 

Those selling may also want to donate a percentage of their proceeds to your cause. 

Bring and Buy Sales

Hands up if you’re great at clear outs and making ‘Donate to Charity’ piles, but don’t actually ever get round to donating them? Guilty! A regular Bring and Buy sale makes excellent opportunities for people to bring in their unwanted clothes or homeware items and give them a chance to find another home! 

These types of sales are great for churches, schools and other community organisations, or even a company fundraiser for a chosen charity. If you are responsible for fundraising at a charitable organisation, why not ask your supporters to host their own Bring and Buy sale and donate their proceeds to your cause?

Digital Fundraising is Easy to Integrate With Donater

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 as well as transforming a traditional donation box into a mobile way of taking digital donations.

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.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss how Donater could help your charitable cause to raise money digitally, contact us today.

How will you be fundraising during Second Hand September? We’d love to hear your ideas too! You can tag us on Instagram or Facebook.