Fundraise

Would you like to organise a fundraising event for Naturewatch? If so, you might like to try one of the ideas below to get you started. If you have an original idea that works well, please let us know about.

Remember! The key to fundraising is to use all your contacts – make a list of absolutely everybody that you know, and tell them what you are doing. You could write and send out a circular letter to those that you don’t see on a regular basis. Think about targeting large groups of people, or ask friends who work for large companies if they would be willing to pass around your sponsorship form. Are you involved in a local sports club or interest group? You could arrange fundraising events with them, or perhaps you could go back to your old school or your child’s school, and involve the teachers and pupils.

When your fundraising event is over and you are ready to send the proceeds to Naturewatch, we ask you to decide which issue covered by Naturewatch or Naturewatch Foundation should benefit from all your hard work.

You can also fundraise online at no cost to you!
'eBay for Charity' makes it easy for you to raise funds whilst selling on eBay. Everyone wins! More information...		Shop online with 'Give as you Live' and raise funds 4 free! Same products, Same price, It's shopping but better. Give as you Live' - more information...
Search the Web with 'Everyclick' and support us every time you click 'Search' - all you need to do is register. More information...		If you already shop online with retailers such as Amazon, M&S, Argos, John Lewis, Comet, Vodafone, eBay, Boden and Play.com, then sign up for FREE to 'easyfundraising'. The easiest way to help raise money for Naturewatch Foundation! Easy Fundraising - more information...

Involve your Neighbours

Organise a Sponsored Walk, Run, Swim or Bike Ride with your friends and family – or, for a change, how about a Sponsored Dog Walk? Make sure this is well organised and everyone knows where they are going!

A Treasure Hunt can be great fun in the warmer months but this idea does require quite a bit of planning. The event needs to be well organised to ensure it runs smoothly. A scavenger hunt would be just as much fun but less work for you.

Bake a Variety of Cakes and Biscuits and sell them on a stall. If you are at school, this could easily be organised during your morning break but don’t forget to ask for permission from your Head teacher.

Organise a Street or House-to-House Collection – but you need to obtain a permit issued by the licensing authority at your local Borough Council. We can provide you with a letter of authority to collect on behalf of Naturewatch.

Sort out your cupboards – ask all your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to do the same and go to a Car Boot Sale or advertise a garage sale at your home. Alternatively, invite friends, family, neighbours, colleagues to your house for a Bring and Buy sale.

How about organising a Mini Sports Tournament with your work colleagues or people in your community. You could arrange a day of rounders, cricket and 5-a-side football and a night of darts and pool – all teams would pay to enter. You could even combine this with an evening Bar-B-Q – selling tickets in advance.

Why not arrange a Raffle? Very easy to organise and very worthwhile. Ask local businesses to donate items as raffle prizes. If the raffle is subsidiary to a main event, such as a fête or other fundraising occasion, then it is classed a 'Small Lottery' and does not need to be registered; otherwise you need to register Naturewatch with your local council. For further information about how to go about this, please contact your local council as the exact procedure may vary.

How about a Neighbourhood Car Wash? You’ll need to supply all the equipment and just ask for water at each house.

It's Party Time...

A Karaoke Night can be a real winner and great fun for everyone involved with organising the event as well as those who participate. Your local landlord will probably be delighted to make a room available to you, or even allow you to organise it in the main public area. This type of event could be equally suitable for children to organise at their school one Saturday evening. Parents love to watch their children on stage!

Organise a Pub Charity night – you can sell tickets, take a collection or play fundraising games. Or, hold a Bingo or Quiz Night. You could use gifts donated by local businesses as prizes. For example, you could organise a quiz night in a pub, and get teams to enter for money and then present the winning team with free drinks!

How about organising a Garden Party during the summer months offering Strawberry/Cream Teas. Sell cakes and other merchandise and organise some activities for the children. If the garden is large, the addition of a treasure hunt would be fun for everyone.

Why not try combining events? You could organise a Make-Up Demonstration followed by a Pudding Party - everyone invited would be required to bring along their favourite homemade puddings. You could charge an entrance fee to pay for the make-up demo, and ask everyone to pay a set price for each slice of pudding they wish to try!

How about organising a Wildlife Quiz? The children will love it. Ask a local pub to offer a room and refreshments. The parents can enjoy a leisurely drink while you organise the children. I’m sure your local landlord would be happy to oblige one Saturday afternoon..

Ideas for Schools and Kids

How about asking your Head teacher if you can organise a Non-Uniform Day and ask each pupil to pay £1 for the privilege? If your Head teacher agrees, you will be able to advertise it in your school newsletter.

You could hold a Talent Competition at school. Why not ask one of your teachers if they will help you with arrangements. Again, you will first have to obtain permission from your Head teacher.

You could ask your Head teacher if you can sell refreshments, cakes, biscuits etc. during a Parents' Evening. Parents usually have to spend quite a few hours at school while waiting to see teachers and would probably think it's a marvellous idea. It would even give them somewhere to sit down for a chat with other parents to compare notes.

Teenagers might like to hold a Disco in the local Village Hall and charge an entrance fee. Your Head teacher would probably be happy to promote the fundraising event in the school newsletter – and may let you hold the
event in the school hall. You could make the Disco a Theme Night where everyone has to wear clothes appropriate to the chosen theme – such as a Bad Taste Night or an 80’s Night. Why not ask for extra donations for requesting songs?

How about organising a fundraising Car Wash at your school? You could make up a flier and leave one on each car or canvass the teachers first to see who would be interested. The response should be brilliant. Don’t forget to ask permission from the Head teacher first. You will need a team of at least four and you may need to provide your own equipment unless the school is able to help you. You could go further and offer a vacuuming service as well.
Safety First - make sure that the cable is nowhere near the water!

Even Those at Work can Get Involved…

Why not try organising a Bad Hair Day or a Loud Tie Day at work. You could raise money by selling tickets beforehand to everybody who wants to participate on the day. You could even arrange a prize for the worst
hair/tie!

Additional Information

If you are planning to hold a sponsored event, such as a sponsored dog walk, run, cycle ride, swim or silence, we can provide you with a sponsorship form tailored for your fundraising event which you can then photocopy as many times as you like. Just let us know your name, address and telephone number, what type of event you are organising, where it will take place, the time it will start and any other relevant information.

It goes without saying that not all the fundraising ideas listed here will be
suitable for people of all ages. If you are under the age of sixteen, please
obtain the permission of your parents before embarking on any fundraising.

Remember to involve your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues – and perhaps they’ll have some good ideas too! If children will be interested in your event then why not ask your local schools to include details in their newsletter. Maybe your local parish has a newsletter that could include details for you. If you plan to organise a street or house-to-house collection or raffle please don’t forget to make the necessary arrangements with your local Borough Council.

When the fundraising event is over, don't forget to thank sponsors, helpers, supporters and give them some feedback.

You Choose Where the Funds You Raise are Spent

We would like you to nominate which

Animal Welfare issue benefits from your fundraising. For example: if you feel very strongly about the use of animals in experiments, you could ask us to spend the money on producing more of our popular Compassionate Shopping Guides or you might decide you would like the less fortunate animals in Eastern Europe to benefit.

There are a number of different causes to choose from. Please contact us and we will let you know what the options are, as some of our work is undertaken by Naturewatch Foundation which is the charitable arm of Naturewatch.

Remember, publicity is the key word. Whatever you decide to do, however small, tell the press, and contact your local radio station.
Get as much publicity as you possibly can. Have fun – and good luck!

Grateful thanks to Steve Hutton for the illustrations on this page.