Group Fundraising - ABC's
Group Fundraising - The ABC’s
Organising a group fundraiser can be daunting, whether it's a large or small event. From my experience, one of the hardest aspects of organising a fundraiser for your team is figuring out how to make it feel like a truly special event. My best advice? Go all in! Organise and coordinate as if you’re planning the Olympic opening ceremony. Before you know it, the big day will arrive, and you’ll have created an experience that not only brings your team together but also raises money for your chosen charity. But what steps do you take to get there?
I’ve organised and helped organise a few fundraisers throughout my time as a challenge leader, including an 8-hour walkathon, bucket collections, and a fantastic speed dating event (I just helped with that one). However, the first major fundraiser I organized, and the most successful, was a 24-hour endurance challenge. When I gathered my group, I found myself struggling to come up with the best fundraiser idea for a large group, and more importantly, figuring out where to hold it so everyone could participate. With little support from my student union (since I wasn’t part of an official society), and Lancaster being a smaller city, I was limited both in ideas and venues. That’s when I realized the first big question of any fundraiser is: What are you doing and where are you doing it?
I wanted to do something that would really stand out, so I came up with the idea: Can we cycle and run to Kilimanjaro from Lancaster? The second question, however, still remained: Where could we do this? The student union and university gym weren’t viable options, so I had to look for non-student venues in the city willing—and more importantly, happy—to host us. I reached out to the local army reserves, an institution that is always eager to strengthen community ties. They were thrilled to host my team and played a huge role in the event’s operations.
If the army reserves aren’t an option, consider reaching out to other groups, societies, institutions, or companies that either have a venue or are looking to strengthen community ties, support charity work, or help students. The key is to find a place where your fundraiser can thrive.
Operations & Publicity
Once you’ve secured a venue, the next step is to focus on two main areas: operations and publicity.
Operations: This is where you ensure everything is safe and in place to achieve your fundraiser’s goal. This might include preparing safety briefings or checking that you have enough bikes to cover the distance.
Publicity: This is what turns an event into a success. Posters, word of mouth, and announcements are just the basics. To really sell your event, try to secure sponsors, partner with other groups (like the army reserves), and send press briefs to newspapers and local tabloids. This will help you reach new and interested people who want to both attend and donate. Additionally, encouraging your friends, their friends, and your team’s friends to spread the word helps the event go viral. The more people you get involved, the more exposure you’ll have, leading to greater donations.
You’ve hosted your event, and thanks to your efforts in publicity, it was a huge success. The key period for receiving donations is the day of the event and the following week. This is when the event is still fresh in everyone’s minds, and people feel the most passionate about supporting it. For example, in the weeks leading up to our 24-hour event, we raised about £1,500 in donations. On the day of the event, we raised around £2,000, and in the first week afterwards, we collected another £2,500.
The core principles!
Smaller events, like bucket collections or walkathons, require a bit less organizing, but the same principles apply to all fundraisers:
Organize like it’s the biggest event of the year—because it just might be
Don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone who might be able to help—not just student institutions.
Tell everyone, then tell everyone to tell everyone!
Get as many groups involved as possible—share the fun!
The day of the event and the weeks afterwards are the most crucial for donations, involvement, and exposure.
Happy fundraising!
Written by :
James Gill, Lancaster Kilimanjaro Challenge Leader, 2024/25
