Fun fundraisers! From comical challenges to entertaining events, we guarantee there’ll be a fundraising idea here that you’ve never thought of doing – but totally should!
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Did you know that laughter is scientifically proven to be good for your health? As if this wasn’t good enough reason, scientists have also proved that doing something good for others is guaranteed to make you happier. So it’s a no-brainer – do some funny fundraising, and everyone wins!
You probably already know someone who always has everyone in stitches. Enlist the help of the people in your circles who always have the best stories to tell, and the perfect comic timing. Or the joker in the group, who does the most outrageous things – and gets away with them!
But don’t have so much fun that you forget your goal – raising money for your cause. Check out our Beginners Guide to Fundraising to make sure the all the laughter is topping up your fundraising target as well as your happiness quota.
make fun of the great British weather by supplying plastic ponchos and flasks of tea, or go LA over the top with bling on your sunglasses and umbrellas in the cocktails. (Hint: a paddling pool will make this even funnier, so don’t rule it out if you don’t have access to an actual pool).
Fundraising maths: if you get 20 people to pay £5 to come along, you’ve raised £100 before you even start. Sell a £10 voucher for two drinks each, and get guests to bid sponsorship if you do the ice bucket challenge in the pool – before you know it you could have raised £500 in an afternoon. Apply this kind of logic to all the challenges you do to make sure each fundraiser brings in as much as possible for your cause.
See if you can get the local ice-cream or hot dog van to donate time and profits to your cause, and come along to whatever event you’re running.
Get adults involved in an inflatable obstacle course
Hire a tank full of slime and hold a quiz. A wrong answer gets you dunked!
This takes a lot of organising, but definitely has the fun factor, as well as the potential to raise large amounts of money. Check out our Guide to Musical Fundraising Events for schools for support on how to host a concert if you are oart of a PTA.
Get one of your supporters to bet the world (or your street) that he/she will do the unthinkable: camp on the roof of your building, eat breakfast in the garden for a whole year, dye their hair yellow - the sillier the better. Promote this regularly on social media to keep people’s attention.
Stage a comic talent competition, and ask a local comedian to judge and perform. Sell tickets, run a bar, and make a night of it!
Who doesn’t love a chance to dress up in a funny costume?
A great addition to the summer fête, charge people to throw a pie at whoever is most important – headteacher, mayor, the boss! (Remember, they must be a willing volunteer or it could all end in trouble!)
Have people pick a card from a pack of embarrassing dares. They either have to carry out the dare, or donate to get out of it!
Hold a ‘sports day’ where participants have to compete with some kind of hindrance – hands tied behind their back, shoelaces tied together, blindfolded, etc.
Get everyone to contribute their best funny joke, and create a book to sell.
Sheep races are hilarious. People bet on the sheep they want to win, then cheer on the racers
This takes some planning, but is such a fun night. Charge guests to come along for food and drinks in character. One of them is the murderer, and one the victim – but no one knows who except you, until the end! There are lots of game guidelines available to help you plan this.
Another one to do at an annual fête – guaranteed giggles, and an easy way to get donations.
People pay for a length of duct tape to tape an arm or leg of someone important (think headteacher, CEO, celebrity standing on a chair) to the wall. When there’s enough tape make them stick, simply remove the chair!
Have you staged a funny fundraiser? Let us know all about it so we can share with our online community. And don’t forget to share this article with anyone you think might be up for running a fun event for your cause.
