20 great fundraising ideas

Here is a collection of ideas to help inspire you to fundraise for your centre or group… or the DofE charity. (Remember, you cannot use the DofE’s charity number in any of your fundraising activities for your own group or centre.)

Whether you enjoy belting out a classic ballad, overindulging in sugary treats or an adrenaline rush – there are bound to be some ideas that will grab your attention.

Have a read through our top 20 ideas, all you need to do is scribble down all the ideas that tickle your fancy and start planning. Double-check whether you need licences for any public fundraising, music performances etc.

Raise money in your lunch hour at school or work:

– Cake sale or ice cream day. (Did you know that cookery was one of the most popular DofE Skills with boys?)

– Put on your apron and bake! And if you can’t bake, buy in some ice cream and sell cones to your friends, teachers or colleagues, ideal for the summer.

– Book/film/Art and craft/plant/bring and buy sale/table top sale. Stop hoarding and start selling your unwanted books, DVDs, clothes and more at school or work – or hire a local venue.

– Lunchtime sing. Invite all singers in your group or centre and form a choir. Good in the summer, even better at Christmas!

– Car wash. Sponges + soap suds, + car park = top fundraising.

– Pay-to-play tournament. Pay to play in your school or company sports or games tournament, a winner from each division goes through to the final play-offs.

– Feed your friends, colleagues or DofE teams. Soup kitchen to lasagne? Indian curry or haggis and tatties? ‘What food to take?’ is one of the hottest topics among young people preparing for their DofE expedition.

Raise money after school or work

– Quiz night. Give your colleagues or friends the chance to show off their knowledge of current affairs, music, history, books, general knowledge and sport.

– Video games night. Hold a video games night – video games and a projector; Rock Band… “Such fun!”

– Hold a games evening. What is your favourite era? 1970s – Beetle drive and Twister night; 1980s – Trivial Pursuit and Pacman; 1990s – Jenga and GameBoys; 2000s – Wii or
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 2010s – Pointless, Angry Birds, Countdown…

– Film night with fancy dress and food. James Bond, Star Wars, Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Harry Potter, Superheroes…

– Karaoke evening. For the budding rock and pop stars… pay to sing.

– Auction of promises. Pledge to do something for someone else in return for a donation to funds.

– Murder mystery evening. Invite your friends, family, DofE team or colleagues to an evening of fun and mystery as they work out who the culprit is!

Lucky dip

– Hold a tournament. Football, basketball, rounders, netball, chess, fantasy board games…

– Treasure hunt challenge. Teams around your local area – find local landmarks, people and things for sponsorship.

– Sponsored spin, row, run, swim, skate. Do it in your school, DofE centre, local town, or in the office lobby.

– Create a calendar. Find models or hold a photo/art competition and produce then sell a calendar.

– Mini team business competition. Do you see yourself as a business boffin? Create a team with your friends or colleagues. Each team is given £10 to seed fund a project – how much profit can they make in a month?

– Bag packing. Ask your local big supermarket to let your participants and Leaders pack bags at the checkouts for a day, in return for donations from shoppers.