At sundry times, we all have a flashback of some memorable events we took part in. Such memories inspire us to keep moving toward the brighter side. This is not so different from the feeling a fundraiser gets from a well-planned Christmas fundraising campaign.
A remarkable fundraising event for Christmas is a function of certain factors. Early planning ensures you dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ before the season rolls in.
Let me quickly add that you do not have to wait till December to start the campaign. You can pick it up from the next Giving Tuesday – which is on 29 November 2022. That Giving Tuesday avails you the occasion to test-run your strategies.
Also, while in the planning phase, consider bringing people on board to assist you with the campaign. The season won’t remain for long, but you can have tremendous results by optimizing available resources – a P2P team being one.
Again, resources such as a text-to-give mechanism, a dedicated social media page, etc., will also be needed.
A Christmas fundraising idea is another thing you cannot afford to overlook. And the reason for this is that all your planning and efforts will be centered around it.
You can bring your creative sense to the limelight to define a unique Christmas fundraising idea for yourself. However, if that will be somewhat tasking, you can fall back on any of the following ideas:
Polar Plunge
A polar plunge event is an excellent way to catch some winter-some fun without losing focus on your fundraising cause. It is about having people plunge into cold, freezing water.
All you need to do is sort out the location – a lake around your locale – and do other necessary groundwork. After this, you can start publicizing the event and solicit funds from your supporters interested in taking the plunge.
You can start with your donors who have been part of the campaign in the past. However, an online donation page or text-to-give mechanism should have been set up beforehand. These details will be eventually shared with prospective donors.
Fundraisers may decide to make polar plunge a ticketed event to raise more revenue on some occasions. Volunteers can be recruited to assist you in planning and organizing the event.
You must take note of some precautionary measures as you consider hosting a polar plunge event. You should ensure that there are no hazardous objects in and around the lake.
Also, participants should be advised to take the plunge from a safe range. Again, they should be discouraged from staying in the water for so long. A warming area should be provided within the proximity of the lake.
Ugly Sweater Party
You can host an ugly sweater party to generate revenue for a charitable cause this Christmas season. The event is about having your guests – colleagues, friends, and families – come in their ugly sweaters.
You will be aiming to have a competition to pick the person with the ugliest sweater for the day in the end. But before that, the guests can be treated to fun activities – karaoke, games, etc.
Let your guests know that the party is a fundraising event so that they will come prepared. Specifically, you should encourage them to come along with their donations which would be devoted to charity. Consider making it a hybrid event by also running it over the virtual space.
5k Race
5K races are simply a kind of long-distance race that has been embraced for fundraising purposes. This is one in which participants will appeal to donors who are particular about their fitness.
So, it is incumbent on you to pick a convenient route, work on your fundraising communications, and raise awareness about the race. You will need to form an organizing committee to pull this off.
You can directly request donations from your target audience as race ads are shared on social media. The giving details and instructions on how to donate must, however, be made available.
Again, race participants can appeal to their followers to donate a predetermined amount of money – to your fundraising cause – for every mile covered. This could come in the form of pledges, meaning you need to have a good follow-through strategy in place.
Gingerbread House Fundraiser
Gingerbread house competition is a fantastic way of bringing a creative spark into your fundraising campaign, and it is in the spirit of the season.
The idea is to have different teams create their gingerbread houses using certain baking ingredients and choice tools. Once the houses are set, judges are called in to select the best-made gingerbread house based on specific variables.
A small charge – may be US$5 – can be charged as a participation fee, which would be committed to charity. To take full advantage of this fundraising idea, you should make a video of the gingerbread house creation process to inspire others.
The video can be shared on social media to start a viral challenge where people will attempt to make their gingerbread houses from home. As the video goes viral, you shouldn’t forget to communicate your fundraising objective.
Carols
Still, in the spirit of Christmas, you can go nostalgic to have a fundraising event where some classic carols will be sung. In essence, your fundraising communication will be centered around the caroling event. Churches, schools, and other fundraisers will find this idea quite compelling.
The carol can be hosted within a determined venue – indoors – with families, friends, and other supporters gathering.
Likewise, you can look to have a community caroling drive where some volunteers get to sing carols out loud. Ensure that the volunteers move around with donation buckets and dress the part – Christmas colors with some brand elements.
Additionally, you should work on having a crowdfunding page set up for people to donate online conveniently.
Conclusion
The right strategy and a positive vibe are needed to have a Christmas fundraising campaign to remember. You, as a fundraiser, can’t think about having it another way after reading this piece.
The ambiance for raking in massive returns is there, and it is only reasonable that an intentional fundraiser taps into it.
