We are firmly in spring now and with summer just around the corner, it is nice to get a bit of sunshine into our lives again. Whether you are thinking about spending more time outside or using that extra bit of energy from the better weather to do something selfless like fundraising, there are so many things you can try this summer, one of them could include helping those who are most in need.
Charities all over the country are always in need of fundraising to help them to run campaigns that support those most in need.
Charities do receive funding from the government and do receive donations from many sources, but one of the biggest lifelines for charities is the fundraising that is done by volunteers that support them.
With the coronation of King Charles III coming up this weekend (6th of May 2023), the nation has been asked to join in with volunteering and fundraising causes for charity in The Big Help Out. Starting on the 8thof May, the UK is being asked to volunteer their time or get involved with some of the thousands of charities in the UK. It easy to sign up to find a local charity that is offering volunteer work. All of the thousands of hours of work that will be done in the next couple of weeks will make the biggest difference to the charities of the UK.
You may be inspired by The Big Help Out and want to do something yourself.
What can I do to help a charity?
Whether you are joining in with The Big Help Out or you are a regular volunteer, getting involved with charity work is not only extremely helpful to the charity, but also yourself. It has been found that doing charity work can boost your mood, improve your self-esteem and make you feel good knowing that something you are doing is helping someone else.
There are a number of ways you can help a charity, not just by raising money but also by volunteering in charity shops, donating clothes or technology and even just by sharing the charity’s work. It all helps out!
A lot of companies and individuals like to volunteer with their favourite charities, fundraise for them in the office, donate money to them or simply visit events that their charities are running.
If you want to support a charity, how you do so and to what level is totally up to you. Some ideas for you to get involved are:
Volunteer your time
Donate your unwanted technology
Fundraise for your chosen charity
Share your chosen charity’s inspirational work online
Talk with a charity to suggest new ideas
Follow the work they are doing
It is easy to support a charity in a huge number of different ways. Everyway is as important as the next and will mean a lot to the charity you support.
As we all know, there have been thousands of fundraising events for thousands of charities. Even the smallest one that raises any amount of money can make the biggest difference to the work charities are doing.
Who should I fundraise for?
There are literally thousands of charities in the UK who are always in need of supporters and people to fundraise for them. Who you choose to do your fundraising for is all down to personal preference.
It depends, are you looking to raise money for a children’s charity who support children in their time of need? Are you an animal lover who wants to make sure that an animal charity can help as many of our feathered and furry friends are taken care of? Or, are you looking to help an environmental charity with the ongoing and monumental task of trying to solve the world’s environmental problems?
Always do your research and make sure that a charity you like the look of has the same ethos as you. Also make sure that the work they are doing is towards the results you are passionate about.
99.99999% of the time, you can’t choose a bad one and whatever the charity is doing will be doing something good for someone in need.
What fundraiser should I do?
There are hundreds of ideas of how you can fundraise for your chosen charity. Some of our favourite ideas are:
Sponsored run. Are you a keen runner? Or, maybe you want to challenge yourself this summer? Sponsored runs are a great way to get fit and healthy and raise some money for a charity. It is a great team building activity and can even be fun when doing it with your friends. Maybe you are going for a personal record at a 10K run or you want to do your first 5K. It is a great personal challenge with the added bonus of helping those in need.
Sponsored beard shave. Have you been growing a luscious lock of facial hair and want to trim it down to keep cool this summer? It may be hard to say goodbye to it but if it is particularly impressive and people can see that you are proud of it, then it could be a great bit of fundraising for a charity.
Sponsored skydive. For the dare-devils out there, if you are looking to get your heart thumping as you sail from 15,000 feet whilst fundraising, then skydiving may just be the activity for you. Again, this is a great way to test your personal limits and do something good. This can be done in groups of friends (of course strapped onto different instructors whilst you are doing it) and after the knee-trembling fear (optional), you will feel free as you experience free-falling for up to a minute and then gently sway back down to earth.
Obstacle courses. Run pretty much throughout the year, like a race but a lot more extreme! Prepare to get muddy and wet as you sign up to run an obstacle course for charity. They are not made easy but the sense of achievement after swinging, swimming, sweating and swearing (also optional), is immense! Run with your friends from the office or someone you want to settle a bet with to fundraise for your chosen charity.
Bake sale. Admittedly a lot tamer than the other suggestions but still as effective. Who doesn’t like cake? Well, some people I guess, but even if you don’t; you can buy something for someone who does. You and your children can get together to run a bake sale at school, in the office, at a local event or, if you know the owners, in a café. It is simple, effective and can be a great way of fundraising.
Sponsored walk. To some people this may not sound particularly challenging but walking can be a monumental challenge. Now the weather is getting better this can be done solo or in a group. Challenge yourselves to walk a famous route or find your own route. This one is entirely up to you on how you do it. Tread a well-trodden route or find a new route for yourself. It is a great way to see an area of the country you may not have seen before and a great way to socialise and stay in shape.
There are of course hundreds more ideas on how to fundraise but these are just some ideas to get you thinking.
So, you’ve now got an idea on how to fundraise, but how do you donate the money?
How do I give the money I have raised to charity?
There are a couple of ways that make this process simple.
Send a cheque. For some, this may seem a bit archaic but a lot charities are still cashing cheques. If you have raised money and want to send it from your bank, this can still be done.
Visit the charity’s website. On all charity websites, there will be a button somewhere to that allows you to donate directly to them from a bank account. Nice and easy!
Use a fundraising platform. Most charities will be signed up on fundraising platforms like JustGiving or GoFundMe. You can visit your charity’s profile and sign up to fundraise for them, share the fundraising link on other platforms online and the money is automatically collected for your charity. This is by far the simplest way of choosing a charity and fundraising for them.
Whatever way you decide to either donate your time, unwanted items or effort to a charity, it will make the world of difference to so many. This summer could be a great summer of fundraising in a time where the cost-of-living crisis is not only affecting the majority of the UK but also those in the country who are trying to support those most in need. Together a difference can be made.
