With the festive season around the corner, we wanted to provide you with some fun and creative fundraisers. Our Charity elves have even included a checklist with each idea to help you make your event totally tree-mendous!
Where required, don’t forget to apply for a street collection licence from your local council as soon as possible, as these are limited.
If you would like any help or guidance on any of the ideas below, please contact you local Charity Community Fundraiser.
And remember to post your activity on social media – tagging us in – so we can support your un-fir-gettable festive event!
Jump to: December Ascender | Santa’s Grotto or Breakfast with Santa | Christmas raffle or tombola | 12/24 Days of Christmas Trees | Christmas Fair | Carol Singing | Flash Mob | Supermarket collection | Santa Swap | Bake sale | Santa’s Shopping List | Unwanted Christmas gifts
December Ascender
We’re asking individuals across the UK to take part in their own December Ascender event. You can choose any equipment you’d like to use, staircase, treadmill, or step machine to achieve your goal. You choose your goal (e.g. how many times you/your team can climb a virtual fire station tower). Or you can choose to climb the equivalent of a landmark, such as Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, Snowdon or Everest – the choice is yours!
Rules
- The event will run from 1 November – 31 December 2023. The challenge can only be re-scheduled to January if postponed due to work or weather related or unforeseen circumstances, provided we are informed by the date you would have taken part
- You must register for the challenge to take place on a date during November or December 2023
The Challenge
- You can take part on your own or as a team
- You must register for the challenge to take place on a date during November or December 2023
- You have one hour to complete your challenge!
Register your public December Ascender
Santa’s Grotto / Breakfast with Santa
Tips for organising a Santa’s grotto or Breakfast with Santa event
- Have a room dressed up with Christmas decorations
- Recruit a Santa – make it extra exciting by having him arrive by fire engine
- Each child attending to receive a personal present
- Create a festive playlist and arrange some games to make it extra fun
- Have some snacks and drinks available for a donation
- Talk to a local supermarket or business to see if they can donate some food, decorations or presents
- Charge each child an entry fee
Christmas raffle, tombola or quiz
Tips for organising a Christmas raffle, tombola or quiz
- Ask local businesses to donate gifts or voucher (you can either use the vouchers as a prize or buy an item as a prize)
- If holding a raffle you could group lower value items into a “Goody hamper” as one prize
- With a Christmas quiz, make sure the questions cover a variety of Christmas-themed topics to make it inclusive to as many individuals as possible
- Having 20-30 raffle prizes won’t sell more tickets and people get bored waiting for all the numbers to be called/ prizes to be collected. If you have around 5 higher value prizes, consider raffling those and using the others for a tombola (30-50 prizes make a decent tombola) or a “Prize Every Time” 1 gift per gift bag – pay £1, choose a bag
Register your Christmas tombola, raffle or quiz
12/24 Days of Christmas Trees
There’s nothing better than decorating a Christmas tree to get you in the festive spirit! So why not spread the joy and ask local landowners/Christmas tree growers/retailers/ forest management businesses to donate 12/24 small trees (3-5 ft, real, artificial or homemade) – or a combination of these – to display in your local community.
Tips for organising a 12/24 Days Christmas Tress event
- Ask local businesses to make a small donation (suggest £20 or £50) to have the privilege of decorating one of the trees
- Encourage participants to decorate the trees, including battery operated/solar lights, according to their business e.g. a hairdresser could use hair rollers, a butcher, plastic sausages.
- Place the trees around your station/community/business, where they can easily be seen by the public, and also utilise social media
- Each business can be given a shiny cardboard star to add their business name/logo to top the tree
- Have either:
- One big switch-on, encouraging the community to attend (include a bucket collection!) – perhaps at the end of a Christmas Fair or Open Day, OR
- Light a different tree every day during Advent.
- Do this at the same time every day and post on social media with your QR code donation link
Register your 12/24 Days of Christmas Tree event
Christmas Fair
This is the perfect festive activity to bring the community together around the holidays.
Tips for organising a Christmas Fair
- Choose a date and publicise well in advance to give people the opportunity of adding it to their diaries
- Ask for donations from local businesses for refreshments, prizes
- Invite local crafters and makers to take a stall
- Charge £10 or £20 depending on the size of your event
- Ensure there is only one stall per product e.g. preserves, handbags, jewellery, wood carving etc. to ensure stalls aren’t competing with each other
- Include your own fundraising stalls, such as a tombola, raffle, cake stall, name the cuddly toy
- Ask a few local community groups (church/WI/Scouts etc.) if they’d like a table to promote their cause, or fundraise, but ensure they DON’T do the same fundraising as you – tombola/raffle etc. as it will dilute your fundraising opportunities
- Have A Santa’s Grotto, complete with Mrs Claus and elves!
- Have a “Stage” area, for local performances, and have a timed programme throughout the day
- Ensure collection buckets are to hand during all displays
Carol Singing
Spread some festive cheer by singing Christmas carols to family, friends, neighbours, and your community.
- Ask your local shopping Centre or supermarket if you can have a slot for Carol Singing
- Ask a local choir or brass band to join you if you’re not confident singers
- Make sure you have plenty of bucket collectors to hand
- You can add this to traditional supermarket bucket collections, for added interest and crowd-pulling
Register your Carol Singing event
Festive Flash Mob
Grab the public’s attention this Christmas with a festive flash mob!
- Ask your shopping Centre or supermarket if you can perform a “Flash Mob”
- Perform the dance routine in uniform
- Choose your tune wisely and rehearse well!
- Have plenty of bucket collectors to hand
- This can be repeated at several locations if you have big enough venues – even outdoors!
Register your Festive Flash Mob
Supermarket collection/Bag pack
Please note: You’ll need to booking these well in advance to get slots during November & December.
- Ask as many locations as possible
- Don’t just stick to supermarkets, ask discount stores too, such as Iceland, B&M, The Range, Home Bargains, Pound shops
- We can provide a template letter for you to use, simply ask our Customer Care Team.
- If doing a bag pack, try to have 1 bag-packer per till, perhaps family and friends could help?
Register your Christmas supermarket collection
Santa Swap
What can you swap a chocolate coin for? We’ve all heard about the man who turned a paper clip into a house in just 15 swaps! Well, what can you upgrade a chocolate coin for?
Tips for organising a Santa Swap event
- Charge your participants just £5 per to enter, then provide them with a chocolate coin.
- Participants have just 40 days of swapping and trading up their items, to turn their chocolate coin into something really valuable, unique, or special
- Participants can raise sponsorship via a fundraising page (e.g. Just Giving), asking family & friends to donate a small amount each time they post an image of their new item
For suggested Terms and Conditions to use for this event, please speak to your local Community Fundraiser.
Register your Santa Swap event
Festive Bake Sale
Do all your friends and family think you should apply for Bake Off? How about literally dusting off your rolling pin and organising a festive bake sale for your local community?
Register your festive baking class or bake sale
Santa’s Shopping list
Can your team of elves be the first to gather everything on Santa’s Shopping List without paying for anything?
Tips for organising a Santa’s Shopping List fundraiser
- Your team could consist of 4 elves
- Charge just £5 per person and you are required to raise sponsorship via a fundraising page (e.g. Just Giving).
- Ask someone to adjudicate. They must supply Santa’s Shopping List 5 minutes before the start of the event (to prevent cheating!) and you have just 2 hours to gather as many items as possible
- You can ask people to help you by donating or supplying the items free of charge BUT the items must be collected by your team members only
- You can interpret the items on Santa’s Shopping List in any way you choose, but the judge’s decision will be final
For suggested Terms and Conditions to use for this event, or help with ideas for your Shopping List, please speak to your local Community Fundraiser.
Register your Santa’s Shopping List fundraiser
Unwanted Christmas Gifts
Ask people to donate their unwanted Christmas presents for a future raffle. Or hold a festive eBay sale of unwanted gifts donating the proceeds. You can do this by going to eBay for Charity and searching for The Fire Fighters Charity: charity.ebay.com