Fundraising ideas

There's so many ways to fundraise - here's some ideas and suggestions to get you started

By raising money for Girlguiding, you're making an incredible investment in girls' futures.

You can fundraise with your friends and family, at school or in your workplace, by working with a local business or by applying for a grant - and no matter how much time you have, there'll be an idea to suit you.

How much do you need to raise?

First, you need to think about how much you need to raise.

Think about the total amount you need to achieve and don’t forget to include the small things in that cost - they all add up! Bigger projects might involve some costs, so think about including your overheads in the budget. This can include items like rent, heating, lighting, transport or equipment.

If you need to raise a small amount then an event in your local community, like a cake sale or a bingo night, might be a good fit. Our resources for running fundraising events can help with these.

If you need raise more, for example to do maintenance to a building or raise funds for a trip, you might need combine a mixture of fundraising methods.

How will you raise it?

Now that you’ve thought about how much you need to raise you can decide how to raise it. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Dress up - organise a non-uniform or dress-down day at your school or workplace - or take it further and get people to come in costume! Ask everyone for a small donation to take part.
  • Get crafty - arrange a crafting session with friends and family online or in person. You can run a crafting masterclass, or everyone can work on their own crafts. Ask those taking part to make a donation – or charge a fee to take part if you’re providing the crafting materials.
  • Sponsored somethings - if your friends or colleagues are interested in getting fit and healthy then a sponsored run or walk might be just the trick. You can pick anything challenging to sponsor - from shaving your head to a space-hopper bounce.
  • Sell, sell, sell - Jumble sales and car boots are a good staple, but you can add a competition-factor or twist to increase people's engagement for example, with a bake-off or a sale of home-made crafts. Ask friends and family for unwanted gifts after the festive season or use it as an opportunity to get rid of things you no longer need. You can also use sites like eBay, Ziffit or Facebook Marketplace to declutter and raise money at the same time. 
  • Quiz it up - hold a general knowledge quiz or you can choose another theme popular in your social circle. Test people on a famous TV show, specific topic or - if you're one of our members - the history of guiding. You can even hold a virtual or online quiz via Zoom or Google Hangouts. Download our quiz night pack here.
  • Finders keepers - treasure hunts are great, especially if you want to involve younger children in your fundraising. Why not theme them to a time of year to bring in outside interest - for example, an Easter-themed hunt in April, or a Christmas-themed hunt in December.
  • Car washing - A fundraising car wash is simple to organise, fun to do and a great way to raise money. If you’re planning a car wash with your unit, there are a few things to be aware of. Make sure all members have been given training before washing car, for example demonstrating yourself with the first car. This is important because your unit will be liable for the first £100 of each claim made for damage to any cars that happen during the activity. It’s a good idea for the car owner and a leader check each car for any damage before starting and that the owner supervises the car washing. Car washes need to be notified to Girlguiding so contact the insurance team on [email protected] if you're planning one.

Choosing the right mix of fundraising

You don't have to stick with just one fundraising idea – different types of fundraising can be combined to help you reach your target.  Especially when funding bigger projects like building maintenance, international trips or long-term projects.

If you’ve a big fundraising target, think about applying for grants, or working with local businesses to help raise more money.

Once you’ve worked out the total amount that you need to raise, you need to work out how much you think you can raise from each type of fundraising. Then you can break your total amount into chunks – which is much more manageable especially when you’re raising a large sum.

Be realistic and remember that you may need to rethink where and how much money you’re looking for from each type of fundraising as you go.