Fund-raising for good causes

You can help a cause you believe in by raising money for them to carry out their work. Possible ways of doing this are:

Doing a sponsored run, swim, bike-ride, walk…

This is a very popular form of fund-raising. The most straightforward way of doing it is by joining in an event which has already been organised; there are plenty, all around the country, and if you’re sporty you’ll soon find something that suits you.

The popularity of sponsored events is also their main drawback, however; you may find that some potential sponsors suffer from ‘sponsor fatigue’ from being approached too often by too many people.

Organising an event

This could be something simple like a cake sale, or asking your friends to bring in unwanted Christmas presents and selling them during a lunch break; or you could do something more complex like organising a quiz night or a concert. The advantage is that the public get something in return for their money (unlike sponsorship); the disadvantage is that organising even the simplest things takes a lot of hard work.

You can make life slightly simpler for yourself by ‘piggy-backing’ on other events; having a table at a local charity fair, for example. If your school or college organises charitable events, see whether they could support your favourite charity.


If you have any spare money, you could always donate it to a charity or cause close to your heart. £1 a week makes £52 over a year.

Donating your unwanted clothes, toys, books or equipment to charity shops benefits everyone; you get rid of things you don’t want, other people can buy things more cheaply, the charity gets money and the stuff doesn’t go to landfill.

You might also be interested in our pages on:

Get involved
Community involvement and volunteering