Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
SVS Guide to Funding: Ideas for Community
Fundraising
This factsheet is part of a series of four guides on funding. The other factsheets are
o SVS Guide to Funding: an Overview;
o SVS Guide to Funding: Sources and
o SVS Guide to Funding: Making Applications.
The aim of this factsheet is to describe some of the methods of directly raising
money for your group and the most effective ways of achieving your financial goals.
It is not a comprehensive guide: there are some excellent ‘ideas’ books, some of
which are listed at the end of this guide.
Your group will be run by a group of volunteers who may call themselves trustees,
management committee or committee. It is their responsibility to ensure that the
organisation is managed well and in accordance with its aims as laid out in the
Governing Document, often called a Constitution. Please see SVS Guide to Roles
and responsibilities of the committee for further information.
Part of the responsibility of those running the group is to ensure that there are
sufficient funds to carry out the work of the group. Groups are advised to raise
money from a number of sources, so that if one source dries up the whole
organisation is not put at risk. Please see SVS Guides to Funding listed at the top
of the page. One element of ‘keeping the money coming in’ may be to directly
fundraise for it. The benefit of raising money yourselves include:o You can decide what to fundraise for and spend the money as you wish ( as
long as you spend the money as you described to your members and
supporters, ie if you hold an event to fundraise for new chairs, the money
must be spent on chairs)
o No application forms
o Not having to fit your project into any grant criterion
o Only doing the monitoring and evaluating which is of direct benefit to your
group
o Is one way of demonstrating to other funders that you are prepared to put
effort onto raising the money you need
o may be the only way to fund trips or other things that are not a priority for
other funders
Additional benefits might include
o Team building within the committee and some of the extended membershipraising money this way can be fun!
o Raising the profile of your organisation locally
o Which might lead to attracting new members and/ or Committee
members
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
Before you begin
In order to persuade others to give up their precious time in fundraising you need to
know:o What you need money for
o How much money is needed
o When it is needed
o What happens if you don’t get it.
Communication and planning, as well as enthusiasm and passion, are key to
successful community fundraising. You will not persuade people to get involved and
support you if you are not clear about what you want and why.
Raising funds yourself falls into two categories:
a) Earned income
b) Community fundraising
a) Earned Income
Earned income falls into two categories:
1. Income earned from members/users. Many interest or support groups
charge a membership fee and / or subscriptions to cover e.g. refreshments,
running costs, hall hire and insurance.
2. Income earned from sale of service to the public. Some groups find it easier
to 'earn' income rather than put on fundraising events, or earn income as
part of their funding ‘mix’.
Many arts groups earn a considerable proportion of their total income from box office
or ticket sales. A theatre group or choir may raise money towards hall hire, music
hire, costume hire, public liability insurance and licences by putting on a performance
and charging people to see it.
For further information on ‘things to consider’ when holding an event, such as a
performance please see SVS Guide to holding an event
Some organisations sell services, publications or products. An Association for the
deaf may sell the services of interpreters for sign language; a history group may sell
publications on local history they have researched. A gardening club may sell
plants or one of their members may give talks to other clubs for a fee.
Charity Law dictates that only a proportion of income can be raised through trading.
There are Inland Revenue rules about how much of this income may be tax free. For
more information see the Charity Commission website
www.charitycommission.gov.uk or Charity Commission leaflet cc35 Trustees, trading
and tax. If you are thinking of trading in a significant way, however, get specialist tax
and legal advice from an appropriately qualified person. Record who you took
advice from, and the advice given in your committee minutes.
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
Concerts, shows
and
performances
e.g.
– Gospel
– Jazz
– Open mic night
– Organ recital
– Choral
– Festival
– Play
Earned income: Performances
• Sell tickets in advance
• Sell refreshments
• Can be fun :Team build
• Raise community profile
• Inform people of how much the event cost to put on as
well as thanking them for attending
• Take photos of event- remember to get signed
parental permission if children involved, and send to
local press
• Remember SVS mailing for publicising success,
• CIS for promoting family events
www.southamptoncis.org
• Community News in local paper, parish magazines
and websites, Southampton echo website
http://events.scenesouth.co.uk/
• SCC website events pages www.southampton.gov.uk
b)Community fundraising
Community Fundraising includes all money that the group raises through events
and other activities. Some categories of fundraising activity are listed below. See
SVS Guide to Holding an event for information on practical considerations and
laws and licences you may need to consider before holding your event.
Simple ideas can often be the best: try something in your local community hall: if
you do it as a joint venture with the community centre, then they will have public
liability insurance, you can both provide people to run the event and can share in
the proceeds
• Countdown
Games in the Community Hall
• get people making the longest
word they can from a group of
letters or anagram solving
• Board Gamesscrabble, monopoly, ludo,
chinese chequers tournaments;
• Provide as many games as you
can, people can bring their own
too. Set the games up at tables
laid out around the room with
chairs round them.
Whole families can play:-
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
pick-up sticks, Jenga, dominoes
beetle drive, memory games, coppit,
• Card games
– Snap, rummy, whist etc
• Be prepared to explain how to play
the games: maybe allocate a
person to each table/ two tables.
State this in the publicity ‘Don’t
worry if you don’t know how to play
ludo: there will be someone to
help!’
•
People pay an entrance fee which
can either include a buffet meal or
you can have food for them to buy
on the night. Be careful not to
include alcohol in ticket prices for
food etc as this would breach
licensing but soft drinks can be
included
• Sell tickets in advance as well as
on the door.
• Welcome people at the door, thank
them when they leave.
• Run a small raffle at the event
Fetes/ Fayres
• Tombola (don’t leave tins and jars in
the sun: have them under cover and
check their expiry / best before dates
for current validity)
• Splat the rat
• Wellie tossing
• China breaking
• Pick a prickle (make a hedgehog
from clay or playdough- use blunted
cocktail sticks/ matchsticks dipped in
paint as prickles). Use three coloursif people have a high chance of
• Games can be purchased from
www.peeks.co.uk, but many can
be made very cheaply
• 1st Leisure 01202 525223
• Happy Hire 01202 525266 both
hire games like Giant Connect 4.
Based in Bournemouth. About
£55 for 2 games when I phoned.
• If you are holding the event in the
open air, approach scouts etc to
hire marquees and tents. For
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
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winning something (even 5p) they’ll
keep having another go!)
Guess the weight of the cake
Name the doll/teddy
How many buttons in a jar?
Cocoanut shy
Giant Connect 4
Quoits / Hoop the Bottle ( using large
fizzy drink bottles)
Hoop-la
Bric a brac (second hand good as
new and not so new, non food and
clothing items)
Plant stall
money for their funds they may
erect their tent
• Public liability insurance is a must• Consider wet weather insurance
www.weatherdirect.co.uk
• Event insurance www.eventsinsurance.co.uk
Event games
• Lucky dip nail bar
• Bubble Wrap mow
down
• Put your hands through two collars and pay for 2 ‘nail
artists’ to paint your nails using colour and humour.
• Like tug of war, but a long strip of bubble wrap.
Approach department stores or picture framers and
ask them to donate the wrap. Competitors have to
race to pop all the bubbles on their side of the strip.
Do a risk assessment. It may be safer to have
• Parents/grandparents and tots
• families
• 4yrs-8yrs
• 8yrs-13yrs
• Men
• Women with heels
• Over 65yrs
• Wheelchair users
You could have parallel competitions or heats!
Fundraising Activities
• Duck race
• Get landowners permission.
• Pooh sticks (stick coloured
electrical tape in strips round the
sticks so you know whose is
whose!)
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
• Sport matches
– Cricket
– Football
– Rounders
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People pay to play and watch.
Sell tickets in advance. Consider
providing a good tea in the ticket
price
Film Nights
A Charity called The Dorset Film Company- Moviola will show films in your
hall. You promote the event, sell tickets. They take £150 or 75% of ticket
sales whichever is the greater. They need a minimum of 60 people.
Minimum ticket price £5. (in 2008)
You make money on refreshments, ice creams.
– Try and get an email list going, makes publicity easier
– You book the date(s) first and firm up the film(s) later
www.dorsetfilmtouring.co.uk
www.moviola.org Tel. +44(0)1935 872 607
Earned income: Sponsorship
Sponsorship
• Be inventive
bike rides- could be how slowly
• Try linking to your cause ie skip
complete the course.
for playground equipment,
Treasure hunts. You organise the
planting up containers / taking
event and charge people to enter.
cuttings for a garden
Could be historically linked to
• Sponsorship – just giving websitechurch, school, community hall or
start with family and friends (set
local area
the rate). Personalise your page.
Scavenger hunts
• www.justgiving.com only for
Runs/ marathons
registered charities. Your charity
Matchbox challenge. Sponsorship
can register
for each item fitted into the
• www.justgiving-wordpress.com
matchbox
• give tips on making the most from
Jam jar challenge
using the site
Poetry learning- and then have a
• Ensure your event doesn’t clash
recital
with another one in the local area
For children
• Give plenty of notice of event
• Leap frog
• Take photos of winners and send
• Reading books
to press to publicise your cause,
• Pram push
say thank you and share the
amount raised
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
Raffles and Lotteries
Under the Gambling Act 2005 a lottery is described as a ‘distribution of prizes by
chance’
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk telephone 0121 230 6666. Under the Act there are
three categories of lottery:1. Small event (one-off event) do not need to register.
voluntary and community groups fit into this category.
Most raffles run by
No more than £100 may be spent on expenses for the event (ie tickets)
Consider holding a raffle as part of your fundraising event- but limit the
number of prizes so that the raffle doesn’t detract from the event. A ‘sealed
raffle’ is particularly suited to dances, fashion shows and comedy evenings.
See below for how to run one.
2. Private lotteries- held by and for a defined group of people do not usually need
to register. Sweepstakes or draws held in the workplace or raffles held as part
of a dance do not need to register.
You can use cloakroom tickets if they are sold and drawn at the event
3. Society Lotteries with proceeds in a single lottery or cumulatively over the year
over a certain amount may need to register with the Gambling Commission.
Lotteries or scratch cards may need to register if substantial amounts are
raised.
Type ‘raffle tickets ’into google for specialist printers of raffle tickets
One method for a sealed raffle
With these 1:4 odds this raffle made £1000
Have 40 prizes value £15-£100.
o You may need to do car boot sales etc to raise money to buy some prizes.
o Offer supporters who cannot attend your event an opportunity to buy and
donate a raffle prize instead.
o Approach local business for prizes.
o Don’t forget to thank people who donate prizes and let them know how
much you raised.
o Don’t forget to publicise business’ who have donated prizes at the event
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
One method for a sealed raffle
Write the name of each prize on a piece of paper.
Do this four times (so if you have a printer as a prize, then four pieces of paper
will say ’printer’).
Have 160 tickets placed in 160 envelopes
Have four prize draw words. (i.e. football, tennis, cricket, rugby (make them
appropriate to your organisation))
In each envelope place one of four prize words and one of the pieces of paper with
the name of a prize, put blank pieces of paper in the rest.
Two thirds of the envelopes will have a prize draw word (i.e. ‘football’) and a blank
piece of paper
Now four envelopes will have the words ‘case of wine’ written, but only one
will have the word ‘football’ and ‘case of wine’.
Sell envelopes at £5 each.
o Divide your envelopes so that ¼ can be kept back i.e. all those with the
word ’cricket’.
o You must sell all the envelopes to make the money and you will have very
unhappy punters if two of them are claiming the same prize or a prize goes
unclaimed.
o Once you have sold the original ¾ then you can decide whether to release
the final quarter of envelopes.
Draw one of the prize words
People know instantly whether and what they have won.
People collect their prize.
Race nights
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Dog Race Night
Horse Race Night
• Buy from www.peeks.co.uk
Reid Street, Christchurch BH23 2BT. 01202 489361
(dog racing £12.76 + 30 races ( in July 2008)
Google ‘dog race night’ Have useful advice on
running the night.
You do not need to register with the Gambling
Commission
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
Fashion Shows
• Contact local art or design college, students
may help out, dressing, coaching and finding
models in return for their designs being
showcased.
• Approach local clothing retailers. They get
exposure and feel good factor. You sell tickets
and get funds. You might both promote the
event
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Dance
Disco
Ball
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• Remember to have
clothes for all sizes,
shapes and ages
Dances etc
Book your venue and advertise in plenty of time
Try a closed raffle at the event (see handout)
Consider an Auction. Make sure you have a good
auctioneer. 9 good prizes is usually more than
sufficient- don’t overshadow the dance
Research food costs- maybe have boxes of
chocolates on the table instead of puddings
If you have access to mini-buses, and volunteer
drivers, offer them to take people home
Don’t be greedy. Make sure people have a good
night out: they will spend more and be willing to
support you again
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited
Voluntary Action Centre, Kingsland Square, St. Mary Street, Southampton, Hants, SO14 1NW
Phone: 023 8022 8291 Fax: 023 8022 2929
Website: www.southamptonvs.org.uk
5: Further Help
How small groups can raise big funds by Jessica Ruston.
www.whiteladderpress.com ISBN 97819054 1023-1
Need to know Fundraising? By Michael Norton
www.collins.co.uk ISBN 978-0-00-724665-6
For further information contact Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS)
Telephone 02380 228291 and ask for a development worker from the VSST (Voluntary
sector Support team) or www.southamptonvs.org.uk
Disclaimer
SVS does not represent or guarantee that the information on this briefing is accurate, complete or up
to date. SVS does not accept liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience due to the use of; or the
inability to use any information contained in this briefing. Visitors who use this briefing and rely on any
information do so at their own risk.
Reviewer: Auran Sood, Funding and Fundraising Development Worker
promoting voluntary action
Reg. Charity No. 1068350 Company No. 3515397 Limited