Ways to fundraise
Here you’ll find lots of inspiration to help you put the fun in your fundraising for charity.
What is corporate fundraising?
Corporate fundraising is when an organisation chooses to fundraise for a charity of their choice. There are many fundraising ideas to choose from that will engage your employees in your charitable objective; whether you’re a small local business or a multi-site organisation with office-based or remote workers. We’ve picked some of the most popular and successful ideas from working with our partners over the years; from single events to activities you can run all-year-round or at regular intervals. And if you're organising a corporate fundraiser, check out if your organisation offers match-funding - matching your donations pound for pound.
1. Bike ride or spinathon
Well, of course this is top of our list - our charity started with a bike ride after all! Gear up for some pedal-powered fundraising. You can either join us on our own cycling events such as our Big Battlefield Bike Ride or the London to Brighton Cycle Ride, organise your own charity bike ride and route, or if you want the flexibility for colleagues to cycle anytime, anywhere - then check our our Heroes Ride 200 fundraiser. Some of our partners have had great success fundraising with Spinathons either at gyms or in their own offices; Goldman Sachs hosted a Spinathon in their London office; they set up seven static bikes and teams of 10 rotated on the bikes whilst colleagues supported the riders by donating. The event was a real success raising over £45,000!
2. Bake sale
Turn your office into a cake shop full of baked goodies while you fundraise, or run a regular tuck shop. This traditional way of fundraising is one that everyone knows and loves, so get your aprons on and bake a selection of sweet treats to sell in aid of our veterans. We've got lots of tips to raise lots of dough (!) and our own Bake for Heroes fundraiser has all the ingredients to make your bake sale a success.
3. Skills auction
Whether Simon in Accounts is a DIY enthusiast, or Angie in HR is a master at painting, a skill auction is a great fundraising idea at work. Auction your skills for specific prices, share your skills with your colleagues, and collect all of the money for your donation to the Charity. From baking to gardening, flower arranging to tennis coaching, we all have hidden skills and talents that we might never think would make a difference in the workplace. A skills auction is a great way to share those skills with your colleagues, and benefit from their skills, too.
4. Corporate hospitality events
Fundraise in style with a corporate dinner, charity ball, golf day or clay shoot. Corporate events are a great way to get all your fellow employees together, especially if you work across multiple sites or from home. It's a great opportunity to include a bit of business networking by inviting your suppliers, clients or local businesses. Whether you choose to chat, drink and donate, or even incorporate other things from this list into your event, you will be sure to have a great time!
5. Charity sale
We all have that drawer or cupboard that contains things we haven’t worn or used for months (or even years!). Why not give those unused toys, clothes, shoes and bags to a new home, and pick something new up for yourself? If you’re office-based, how about setting up a car boot sale in the car park or turning your desk into your very own sale stall. For those hybrid and remote workers, setting up an intranet or online marketplace would let you clear out and sell your items all-year round. Decide on a set percentage per item to be donated to charity and get selling.
6. Wine tasting
Raise money while you socialise. Get your business together and host a wine tasting event to fundraise for the Charity. You could host the wine tasting event right in your office at the end of a long working week, or even hire out a venue especially for the occasion. Whatever you decide, you’ll feel great for socialising while fundraising to benefit the lives of others, and remember to drink responsibly.
7. Tutor a teammate
We all excel in different areas within and outside of the workplace, so why not share your skillsets in aid of raising money for charity? Set up a fundraiser with each colleague offering tutoring sessions in different areas of their expertise at a price and donate those profits to charity.
8. Best foot forward
Step away from your desk, put on your comfiest trainers and get walking! Not only are charity walks a great fundraiser, it's also great for improving employee wellbeing and mental health, encouraging time away from your screen. Here at Help for Heroes colleagues can join Teams calls while walking (if they have good reception in the area!). If you’d rather sign up to a ready-made fundraiser, our Step 2 It challenge is a great way to get started.
If you want to combine steps with stunning countryside, we have treks in some beautiful locations in the UK - Race to the King and Race to the Stones.
9. Sponsored challenge month
A sponsored challenge can give your colleagues the chance to choose their own way to fundraise, in a way that suits them best. Give your fellow employees a target to aim for over a month, whether it be £100 or £1,000, and let their creativity run wild in how they get sponsored for that amount. If you’re struggling for fundraising ideas for your challenge, why not ask friends and family for recommendations?
10. Custom art or craftwork sale
Do you have some talented amateur artists in your workplace? Corporate charity fundraising can bring out their creativity by hosting a custom art or craftwork sale. Art and craft making has played a massive role in recovery for the veterans we support, so why not incorporate it into your workplace? You could let your employees’ creative minds run wild or produce items to a theme and then auction or sell them for a set price, with all sales being donated to us; or let colleagues commission specific pieces.
11. Volunteering
Do you have colleagues who are itching to get out and help their community outside of the office? Supporting staff volunteering is a perfect fit with team building, corporate social responsibility and community objectives, and raising money at the same time! Here at Help for Heroes we each have three Do Your Bit Days each year, which is very popular with our colleagues. Many use this time to volunteer on national collections or give their time and skills to help at recovery events. You could set a mission for a team to volunteer for a specific activity or time frame, and the rest of the company could sponsor them for each hour they spend volunteering. Some of our amazing partners enjoy volunteering at our Tesco National Collection at a local store.
12. Charity Runs
A charity run gives you and your colleagues the opportunity to feel a great sense of purpose while competing in a challenge that you’ll most likely remember forever. With many national and local full and half-marathons or fun runs open for places, you and your colleagues won’t be short of options. Help for Heroes has charity places available for the Great North Run so sign up and beat the hassle of applying for a ballot place; and we'll be with you every step of the way.
13. Competitive events
We recognise the power of sport, especially in the recovery of the veterans we support, so by organising your own office championship you can fundraise and feel the benefit. From a competitive table tennis match, football, darts or bowling tournament, a full sports day to an egg and spoon race in the car park, your team's competitive edge will help fill your donation pot.
Many businesses use longer distance and obstacle course events for team building, so why not use an Ultra Challenge, such as Race to the Stones or Race to the King, or a Spartan Run to fundraise for us. Get your sponsors at the ready and start your training; you can do this!
If you’d rather participate virtually, you can arrange a video gaming challenge such as Football Manager, SIM racing or FIFA, and donate with our Hero Up campaign.
Register your own fundraiser
14. Office quiz
With online quiz nights becoming a family tradition over the past few years, whether your company works remotely or on site, an office quiz is a great way to fundraise and team build. Put together some questions, set up your teams and request an entry fee or donation from each participant! If you’re feeling extra creative, you could even throw in some work-related questions to test your teammates on how well they know the business and their fellow employees. This fundraiser also works well as part of your agenda at a company staff meeting or briefing.
15. Themed dress day
Disney themed or anything beginning with H; whatever your decision, a themed dress day is one of the best corporate fundraising ideas. Encourage your employees to think outside of the box and put together your best outfits. You could even have a themed lunch buffet to really tie the day together.
16. Vegas night
Blackjack, Roulette or Poker? Host a Vegas Night with this fun way to fundraise. This would combine well with a corporate dinner, ball or wine tasting event. Whether you’ve never played a casino style game or you’re a poker-faced pro, there will be something for everyone by planning your Vegas Night; knowing all of your winnings will make a difference is also a great thought to finish the evening with. Just remember to gamble responsibly.
17. Get fit together
We all know the benefits of getting fit and staying healthy. But sometimes we lack motivation if we don’t have the support and enthusiasm from those around us. This fundraising idea can be any form of getting fit with your colleagues; from setting up a yoga class and donating weekly, to sponsoring teammates for a healthy challenge of their choosing.
18. Company picnic or BBQ
Need a fundraising idea for the summer? A picnic or BBQ is a summer tradition we all know and love, so why not make it an office tradition and incorporate fundraising too? Throw some burgers, onions and vegan hot dogs onto the grill or send out a list of picnic foods for each colleague to choose to bring, then enjoy a social event with your colleagues with the aim of raising a targeted amount of money for charity. Whether you decide to ask for donations upon entry or create some fun games to raise more money, the ball is in your court.
19. Company raffle
Tickets, please! Get your raffle ticket book at the ready and set a price per ticket. When your fellow colleagues bring in the prizes, the raffle can commence. Suppliers and local businesses may also donate prizes. This charity fundraising idea will ensure that some of your colleagues return home with a selection of cakes, jams and champagne (and others with a bottle of mustard and a wooden spoon!)
20. Treasure or Easter egg hunt
Hide treasure or chocolate (which we think is treasure!) around your site and set your employees loose to find their prizes. For this idea, you could hide raffle tickets that correlate to a prize and ask employees to donate a fixed amount in order to participate. You could also host this virtually, with many online treasure hunt games and ideas available. If you’re struggling for a Christmas fundraising idea, this could be a novel twist for your Secret Santa this year.
Why fundraise for Help for Heroes?
Without the help and support from all our fundraisers and supporters, we wouldn’t be able to continue supporting those affected by their military service.
Whatever activity, challenge or event you decide to do and however much you raise will make a huge difference to the lives of veterans and their families. But don’t just take our word for it; why not check out the inspiring stories from our Armed forces community and see how your fundraising efforts have helped them overcome their challenges.
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