The best Christmas fundraising ideas

As everyone in the charity sector knows, the festive period is peak time for fundraising. The season of giving means that donors are usually feeling more generous and inclined to donate.

 

And so, as it’s never too early to start planning for your Christmas campaigns, we’ve collated our top ten fundraising ideas for Christmas so you can hit the ground running.

 

Ho ho here we go!

 

 

Participate in Giving Tuesday

 

For retailers and businesses, Black Friday marks the start of the Christmas period. For Charities, the festive period starts three days later with Giving Tuesday.

 

Since 2012, Giving Tuesday has quickly become a staple of the charity fundraising calendar. This year, it takes place on 29 November. With £20.2 million donations made on Giving Tuesday 2020 (equivalent to almost £14,000 a minute) it’s the perfect date to kick start your Christmas campaigns and appeals.

 

There are plenty of free resources to help you get started on the Giving Tuesday website.

 

 

Countdown to Christmas

 

For many of us, the best part about the countdown to Christmas is the chocolate advent calendar. If you’ve got the resources to create and sell your own, great! But if you haven’t, why not go digital with a digital advent calendar?

 

Digital advent calendars are a great option for social media and email campaigns. Start by creating 24 days of content. These might include pictures, videos, or small gifts to your subscribers (like vouchers or raffle tickets), and suggested donation amounts.

 

Then encourage your email subscribers to sign-up to the advent campaign by donating a set amount (or a small amount every day up until Christmas). More donations mean better gifts/content. Check out these examples from Fundraising UK.

 

 

Charity Christmas cards

 

Christmas cards are a popular option for charities looking to fundraise leading up to and throughout the festive season. If you don’t have the resources to create and distribute traditional cards, why not opt for an e-card option?

 

There are lots of benefits to Christmas e-cards. For one, e-cards are better suited to targeted messaging and there’s the possibility to upload media within the card.  Plus, e-cards are environmentally friendly and overall cheaper to produce.

 

Read our guide on how to make charity Christmas cards.

 

 

Santa’s (virtual) grotto

 

Listen kids, Santa’s gone hybrid. He’s not getting any younger, but luckily the elves are on hand to make sure he can still visit the grotto this year.

 

This is a simple one. Create a Christmas grotto for your background and invite donors with children to Zoom with Santa for a small donation. Just make sure the elves are on hand to help with any technical queries…the North Pole isn’t known for its brilliant internet connection.

 

 

Share your stories – for Christmas

 

What better way to encourage the spirit of giving than designing a Christmas campaign to showcase stories from the people/places your charity has helped?

 

Start by collecting stories. These could include testimonies from individuals, or case studies from your successes. Choose a few of the most compelling and engaging stories and create content around them with a clear call to action. The RSPCA are particularly good at this.

 

Or, you can check out Charity Digital’s best Christmas campaigns of 2021 round up.

 

 

Host a Christmas concert

 

If you’re more tone deaf than tenor, don’t panic. You can still host a fantastic Christmas concert.

 

Start by finding a venue, recruit some carol singers, and read our guide on how to throw a fundraising gig. You can raise funds by selling tickets, setting an admission fee, or asking for donations upon entry. 

 

Alternatively, why not try selling festive snacks and mulled wine in exchange for a donation, donate to request a song, or host a ‘Christmas Fair’ stall selling handmade cards and crafts alongside.

 

 

Host your a Christmas jumper party

 

This year, Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day will be held on Thursday 8 December. But that doesn’t mean you can’t host your own Christmas jumper party.

 

Choose a venue or partner with a vendor/space, sell tickets, and have fun! Fundraise by making it a contest and asking participants to donate a set fee to enter. May the ugliest jumper win!

 

 

Arrange a Christmas quiz

 

A classic for a reason. Don’t be put off by the thought of writing the questions. Organising a Christmas quiz couldn’t be easier. Simply request that all teams pay to play, and the winners will receive a small prize. Try to give each round a theme. Themes could include, complete the Christmas lyric, name the Christmas film, or identify different festive traditions from around the world.

 

A Christmas quiz is also an excellent option for hybrid or remote fundraising events. Read the BFL’s great guide to organising a brilliant charity quiz.

 

 

Partner with a business

 

One way to raise more money quickly is to partner with a local company or corporation and ask them to match what you can raise. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership. Double the donations mean double the funds for your charity. Plus, the business you partner with gets to advertise the good work they are doing in the community. Check out Fundraising UK’s top ten corporate fundraising partnerships for ideas on what you can do.

 

Just remember, in this instance, size does matter. If you’re a large charity, it’s best to try and partner with a large company that will have the funds and resources to match you.

 

 

Auction off shout outs for Christmas

 

While large charities can pull out celebrity endorsements for their Christmas campaigns and appeals, utilising influencer marketing isn’t off the table for smaller charities.  

 

Christmas is the perfect time to use your ambassadors/influencer partnerships and auction off Christmas shout outs. Platforms like cameo are great for this, but you can also use Instagram reels or stories.

 

Check out our guidance on how to work with influencers.

 

 

Ask to be your donor’s New Year’s Resolution

 

What better way to secure donations going into the new year than asking donors to pledge to donate in 2024?

 

Whether they pledge to set up a regular direct debit, pledge to donate a portion of their income, or pledge to create a GoFundMe for personal challenges/events, there are lots of ways to keep your charity in the minds of donors throughout the festive period and beyond.

 

Read our guidance on New Year, new fundraising resolutions for more ideas.