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Ideas and inspiration

Ideas and inspiration

No matter how much time you have or what you feel like doing, we know there's a fundraiser for you.

Take a look through our suggestions below to see what you could achieve. Contact us for toolkits, support, advice and more.

Seasonal fundraising

There are so many opportunities to fundraise every year, whether you do something around a personal celebration, a national holiday or ‘just because’! Here are some seasonal fundraising ideas to help you raise money this December.

Take part in a festive fundraiser and directly support initiatives that provide crucial training and support to those in need. Already doing a festive fundraiser? Tell us about it here!

Christmas quiz

  • Download and print our Christmas Quiz here as a quick and easy tool to kick-start your very own Christmas quiz fundraiser
  • Organise a games night or festive pub quiz and fundraise together as a team
  • Reach out to friends and family by hosting a virtual Christmas quiz night via video conferencing platforms

Gift certificate

Christmas bake sale

  • Bake and decorate Christmas-themed cookies in shapes like Christmas trees, stars, gingerbread men or snowmen
  • Decorate cupcakes with red and white frosting to resemble Santa hats. Add a mini marshmallow for the fluffy pom-pom on top
  • Create your own hot chocolate mix jars, with layers of hot chocolate mix, marshmallows and crushed candy canes. Attach a recipe card for making them at home!

Carol singing

  • Brave the cold and get the community spirit going with door-to-door carolling
  • Carry a donation box and let people contribute to your cause
  • Surprise shoppers or local gatherings with a carolling flash mob performance in a public space and have a designated area for donations and help spread joy whilst raising funds
  • Organise a virtual Christmas carol singing event

Christmas jumper day

  • Dress to impress your friends or colleagues by holding a Christmas Jumper Day fundraiser
  • Organise a competition for the ugliest Christmas jumper and encourage participants to donate a small entry fee
  • Turn the office into a festive runway by hosting a charity Christmas jumper fashion show where the audience can vote for their favourites
  • Set up a DIY Christmas jumper station with plain jumpers and festive decorations that employees can customise for a donation

New Year's challenge

  • Buddy up with colleagues, friends or family and get involved in a team fundraising event or challenge
  • Ignite your adventurous spirit by signing up to one of our marathons or bungee jump fundraiser events
  • Organise your own run or walk and donate in memory of a loved one
  • Partner with a local fitness studio to host a special New year’s fitness class or workshop and donate the proceeds

Fundraising starts with a feeling! What are you looking for?

Creative ideas

Crafting
  • Knit or sew small items to sell
  • Use woodworking or leatherworking skills
  • Try making keyrings, phone holders, masks, small bags or pouches
  • Make jewellery
  • If you have a small business, pick a small item and donate the sales proceeds
  • It’s up to you how much you spend on materials and how many days or weeks you want to spend creating​
Letter writing campaigns
  • Write to local MPs and ask them to donate or talk tot he council about doing something bigger in the community
  • Write to local celebrities to see if they will make a donation – and maybe give Grassroots Suicide Prevention some air time on their social media platforms!
  • Write to businesses in your area and ask if they will consider donating something
  • Write to local schools or colleges and suggest ideas for their students to fundraise, or ask if the school can nominate Grassroots Suicide Prevention as their Charity Of The Year
  • Remember to be respectful. Not every school, business or individual has the spare funds to make donations, but sometimes making the suggestion can be what puts a charity on the radar for next time! 
Odd jobs
  • Hire yourself out to do odd jobs like mowing lawns or weeding gardens and donate your pay 
  • See if you can do small jobs within your own skillset: for example, a painter/decorator could offer to do smaller jobs at a slight discount, and donate the payments
  • Younger children could sweep driveways or help relatives and neighbours with washing up or laundry for some pocket money to donate
Seasonal
  • Think about what seasonal events are coming up and do something special! 
  • On Bonfire Night you could ask for ‘pennies for the Guy’ or give out warm drinks in the neighbourhood
  • Instead of getting sweets for Trick or Treat, you could ask for spare change from houses you visit
  • At Easter, you could hold an Egg Hunt and ask for a small donation to take part
  • If you give gifts in December or at other important religious events, consider asking for donations instead
  • Ask people to match their spending for Secret Santa or White Elephant gifting
Classic fundraisers
  • Ask your neighbourhood or workplace to help you fill a wheelbarrow with loose change
  • Have a bake sale! 

Active ideas

Running and hiking
  • Marathons and half marathons
  • Fun runs, community runs and night runs
  • Pick a hike or series of hikes to do over summer (or winter if you’re feeling hardy)
Challenges
  • Classic challenges like Three Peaks, Camino Santiago or Kilimanjaro
  • Cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End
  • Complete any of these virtually at the gym – just count the miles and work out how far you’ve gone!
  • Couch to 5k Challenge
In the gym
  • 30 day yoga or pilates challenges – plenty available online
  • Push yourself! Bench press 10 woolly mammoths (60,000kg), bicep curl an elephant (5000kg), etc.
  • Make sure you stay safe and don’t overexert yourself or your muscles​

Silly ideas

Fancy dress
  • Fancy dress party fundraiser
  • Fun run in fancy dress
  • Remember to choose costumes​​ that don’t make fun of diseases or cultures
Silly sponsorships

Ask people to sponsor you for something like: 

  • Wearing a onesie to work for a week
  • Not talking for a day
  • Taking a baked bean bath
Parties
  • Have a ‘big kid’s party’ and play all the old party games – except everyone has to donate £1 if they miss pinning the tail on the donkey, or don’t hit the piñata
World Records
  • Break a silly world record – how many snails can you fit on your face? How far can you cycle backwards while playing the violin? How fast can you arrange alphabet spaghetti?
  • Remember ‘breaking a world record’  is an official process, check the Guinness World Records website for more

Brave ideas

Adrenaline
  • You can ask people to sponsor you for all sorts of extreme events!
  • Bungee jumping 
  • Skydiving
  • Wing walking
Personal
  • Ask for sponsorship to make a brave change like the cut or colour of your hair
  • Go vegetarian or vegan (for as long or as little as you like and get sponsorships based on how long you can do it
  • Pick a personal challenge you’ve been thinking about for a while and do it to raise money​
Brave the elements
  • Pick a really tough physical challenge, like hiking the Inca Trail, Camino Santiago, Appalachian Trail or something else in your area of interest
  • These challenges will be different for everyone – maybe you just want to see if you can take 15,000 steps a day! 
World Records
  • Find a tough world record and try your best to break it, whether alone or as a group
  • How far can you walk on your hands?
  • How many pull ups can you do in 24 hours?
  • Remember ‘breaking a world record’  is an official process, check the Guinness World Records website for more

Social ideas

With friends
  • Hold a coffee morning in aid of Grassroots Suicide Prevention
  • Hold a bake sale​ or collaborate with friends or colleagues
  • Find a group run or walk and ask or sponsorship​​
  • Do yourself a favour too and hold a jumble sale or garage sale and donate your profits!
In your community
  • Have you got a few connections? Think about organising a charity auction (big or small!) – ask local businesses if they have goods or services to donate
  • If you’re feeling fancy, make your next dinner party, community or industry event a gala – involve local or national businesses as sponsors 
  • The sky’s the limit!

Quick ideas

Make it snappy
  • Do a penny drive (ask everyone for coppers)
  • Number envelopes 1-100 and have everybody pick one, then donate that amount of money (raises £5050!)
  • Do the same as the above but with 1-20 and you’ll raise £210​
  • Have a swear jar (or an ‘every time we lose the remote’ jar)
  • Give something up like coffee or chocolate and donate the money you save
  • Vote with your money – put your options on two or more jars and encourage people to vote for their favourite (a great one for the office)

Did you know 1 in 5 people will have suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives?

With your generosity, we can help people stay safe and provide the support they need in times of crisis