Do you want to do something great for members of your community who have fallen on hard times? Fundraising for a homeless charity not only raises money for a good cause, but it also raises awareness of the issue within your local area. Here are some ideas to get started:

Clothing, Food or Recycling Drive

We all waste more than we should… unless we have nothing to waste. A clothing, food or recycling drive brings attention to the needs of homeless people, while also collecting items for a good cause.

But it doesn’t stop there. Ask a local business to sponsor your collection. For example, for every pound of food you collect, they will donate £1 to your chosen charity. This provides not only a boost in goods that are much-needed, but also funds that will help the charity put your donated items to good use.

Make it a challenge for your friends, too — “I bet you think I can’t collect 100 items of clothing!” And then go out and do it.

Sponsored Events

Sponsored events are very popular for all types of fundraising, but they’re especially powerful when they relate to your charity or fundraising cause.

For example, homeless members of society are often described as “invisible” — they are ignored, unheard and neglected by most people. Take this to heart and accept donations for every minute, hour or day that you can stay absolutely silent. Consider wearing a t-shirt that describes why you’re doing it too; this will help those around you become aware of the impact of homelessness.

More traditional sponsored events — like charity skydives or sponsored bike rides — can also raise a lot of money for your cause. Just don’t forget to tell people why you’re doing it!

Homeless Charity Event

Charity events are great for fundraising, because they bring in multiple streams of donations. Consider doing a camp out in your community, where people pay to camp in a beautiful location for the evening, and can also buy BBQ food on-site. You can even rent a portable movie screen and provide entertainment for the evening. Festivals, shopping fairs and other events also work great outdoors and are relatively inexpensive to run.

When you run a charity event, make sure that your homeless charity is well promoted during the event. Sure, everyone should have fun at the event, but also take time to explain why you’re raising money. Set up a kiosk at the event, or do a short speech about your cause before the show starts. Your donors will have a good time and learn about a great charity too.

Charity fundraising is an activity everybody can do. From local charities to international organisations, charities rely on fundraising to help them meet their targets and achieve their goals.

Here are the most popular charity fundraising ideas:

Charity Wristbands

Selling charity wristbands has become a very popular way to fundraise and raise awareness for causes. From LiveStrong to breast cancer charity fundraising, people love to show their support for charities with these wristbands.

Large charities may already have a wristband campaign in place, so check with your local fundraising coordinator to order your wristbands. But smaller charities and local causes can benefit from wristband sales too.

Get in touch with a wristband supplier for help in planning your charity wristband campaign. They will help you design your wristband, taking into account charity colours, slogans and styles. You can buy wristbands from suppliers in bulk to resell at a profit for your charity (usually £1-£2).

Sponsored Events for Charity

Holding or participating in a sponsored event is a fantastic way to raise funds and also get attention for your charitable cause. Every year there are thousands of events you can take part in, or create your own. Here are some popular ideas:

• Run, bike, walk or swim; Marathons, half-marathons, 5Ks, 10Ks and cross-country routes are the most popular
• Sponsored head shave, wax or hair dye
• Sponsored baked bean bath, custard bath, or oatmeal boots

When you do a sponsored event, take care in planning your donations. Collect either flat donation amounts or pledges based on how much you do (such as distance travelled). If you do the latter, it’s important to set achievable goals to avoid disappointment!

Themed Charity Fundraising Event

Holding a charity fundraising event can raise significant fundraising money for your charity.

Like sponsored events, get creative in planning an event that will represent your charity well and bring in lots of money for your cause. For example, you can hold a pink-themed fancy dress ball for breast cancer charity fundraising, or a sponsored dog walk for a local animal shelter. Theme your fundraising ideas and make them memorable!

Charity Collections at Home, Work and School

Collections are perhaps the most popular way to fundraise for charities. Charity collections can be done several different ways:

• Bucket collection – Collect cash donations at school, work or on the high street. Make sure you have permission from the charity to collect on their behalf, and have pamphlets available for anyone who wants more information.
• Clothing collection – Pass around plastic bags in your neighbourhood and ask for donations of unwanted clothing. These donations can then be sold in charity shops, or given to a recycling firm who will pay you based on the weight of the clothing donated.

Remember to keep your charity informed about what you’re doing, especially if it’s a large charity. They will be able to help you with your fundraising efforts by providing information, support and possibly even publicity for your cause, so don’t overlook this step!

There are lots of different animal charities in need of fundraising, from local cat and dog shelters to international animal rescue and wild animal causes. Get started fundraising for all types of animal charities with these roar-inspiring fundraising ideas.

Dog Charity Fundraising Ideas

Man’s (and woman’s) best friend often needs fundraising support. Luckily, there are some great ways to get your dog involved in fundraising.

Sponsored Dog Walk

This can take many forms, from a “walk-a-thon” style – where participants earn donations for the distance they can travel – to a large-scale dog walking event. The latter is like the many sponsored runs and walks you see advertised, but with a doggy twist!

Dog Wash

Many people own dogs (or know someone who does), making a dog wash a quick and fantastic way to earn money for animal charities. Collect flat donations in exchange for washing your neighbours’, friends’ and family’s dogs. If you’re really skilled, you can also offer services like cut, shave and colour for an additional fee. Alternatively, see if a local grooming parlour will sponsor your dog washing day and provide some helping hands with a bit more experience.

Other Pet-themed Fundraising Ideas

Even if you’re not a dog lover, you can do lots of animal-themed events for fundraising, such as a pet costume contest or pet-friendly charity ball.

To run a pet costume contest, combine it with a larger animal-friendly event (like a dog walk) or solicit contest entries from the Internet. Charge a flat fee for each entrant and may the best dog (or cat, or gerbil) win! Don’t forget pet-themed prizes for the winners.

Smaller events work well too – create pet stockings at Christmastime, or offer pet-sitting services to friends and neighbours.

You can also network with a local animal group or veterinarian to offer obedience classes, pet first aid training and even “cooking for your pet” classes. Get creative and create an event that all animal lovers can appreciate.

Raising Money for Wild Animal Charities

For the more adventurous sort, you can also run an animal-themed fundraising event for a charity like WSPA or WWF. All it takes is a little bit of wild creativity.

Do a sponsored trip and collect donations for the trip of a lifetime. Travel to the centre of your charity’s operations; from panda sanctuaries in China to orangutan rescues in Africa, your daring trek can help get lots of donations for your charitable cause.

More Animal & Pet Fundraising Ideas

These aren’t the only animal-themed fundraising ideas out there. Look over our full list of fundraising ideas and try to think of ways to add an animal theme to each idea. Even something as simple as dressing up in a dog costume makes an activity like door-to-door collections or street fundraising that much more interesting, so don’t be afraid to have fun and put your own spin on things.

Breast cancer survivors, their families and charity supporters can all help raise money to fight breast cancer. Paint your fundraising ideas pink with these breast cancer charity fundraising ideas.

Sponsored Events for Breast Cancer Charities

Perhaps the most popular fundraising events for breast cancer charities are sponsored events. Sponsored walks and marathons are very popular; you can choose to participate in one of these national fundraising events, or raise money on your own. Here are some ideas:

• Create your own fundraising walk – Choose a location that means a lot to your community. You can accept pledges for the distance you cover, or flat donations to benefit a breast cancer charity of your choice.

• Sponsored head shave – Show allegiance with breast cancer patients by doing a sponsored head shave. Your friends may not believe you’ll go through with it, so collect lots of donations and prove them wrong!

Don’t forget that you can also contact breast cancer charities to find out about other types of sponsored events in your area.

Hold a “Pink Party” for a Breast Cancer Charity

Invite your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers to “go pink” in support of breast cancer research and awareness. Your fundraising “Pink Party” can be themed in lots of different ways.

Hold a Pink Party at your house or a local community hall. Stock up on pink decorations, pink foods (or food colourings) and pink prizes for a special raffle. The music of choice? P!nk and Pink Floyd, of course! Every additional fundraising idea you can come up (like a pink bake sale) with is more money that’s being donated to a breast cancer charity.

You can also throw a Pink Party at work and ask your co-workers to donate money in exchange for wearing their wacky pink attire. Don’t forget to give out prizes for the best dressed!

Creative Fundraising Ideas for Breast Cancer Charities

If you are creatively-minded, use your skills to help your fundraising cause. Create something that addresses not only breast cancer research but also the hopes and joys of the real people who have beaten the disease. Some ideas:

• Make a breast cancer charity calendar
• Create breast cancer-themed artwork
• Sell charity poems
• Create and sell breast cancer charity ribbons

Breast cancer affects so many people – 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in her lifetime, and countless friends and family will also be affected by the disease. No matter what breast cancer charity fundraising ideas you do, your work is making a real contribution towards the lives of those around you.

So get out there, get creative, get fundraising… and help make a difference for breast cancer charities.