If you are thinking about fundraising for York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity, but are unsure of where to start, we have pulled together an A-Z of things you could do to raise money. If you would like any help with your fundraising then please do not hesitate to contact the Charity Team on 01904 724521 or at hello@yshospitalscharity.org.

A

Abseiling

A thrilling and adrenaline-fuelled experience. Be brave and get sponsored for your vertical descent.

Aerobics

Fundraising and fitness, great for you whilst helping others. Get your friends and family involved or your local class. Maybe organise a huge aerobics event.

Afternoon Tea

Tickets to an afternoon tea are always popular. Use a local venue or bake with friends and use a village hall. Add in an auction or raffle to raise additional funds.

Art Exhibition

Are you an artist? Why not sell some of your pieces or set up an exhibition and charge a small amount for an entry and donate the proceeds.

Arts & Crafts Fair

Get your friends and colleagues involved with creating, selling and buying, arts and crafts. Find local fairs to sell your wares and donate the profits.

Auction

Have something to sell? Why not hold an Auction with your friends or local community.

B

Bad Tie Day

Great for offices and schools, you can have a competition for the craziest tie. If you don't have a bad tie, pop to a local charity shop – that way you can help two charities at once!

Bag Packing

Local supermarkets allow charity bag packing. Get a group of friends together and bag pack for us. You find the friends we can find the supermarket.

BBQ

Why not hold a charity BBQ. This way you can have friends and family round and be able to raise money for charity.

Bike Ride

Take part in an organised cycling event or create your own route and get sponsored. Invite family and friends to join you.

Birthday

Fundraise in lieu of your birthday. Set up a fundraising page instead of receiving presents.

Book Sale

Too many books and not enough space? Organise a book sale at your village hall or community centre.

Bring & Buy Sale

Always a popular fundraiser. Find a venue, advertise the event. Then people will come buy and sell, all raising funds for charity.

Busking

If you can sing or play an instrument and you have the correct council licence, all you need is generous passers-by and you can raise money doing something you enjoy!

C

Cake Sale

Let your baking expertise run wild and organise a bake sale and donate the proceeds to charity.

Car Boot Sale

If you've got lots of unwanted items that may be useful to someone else, then fill your boot and drive down to your local car boot sale and donate the proceeds to charity.

Car Wash

Grab a sponge and a bucket, offer to clean your friends, family or colleagues’ cars. Charge a fee as a donation to charity. Why not combine with a coffee morning for extra fundraising.

Challenge Event

Take part in one of our challenge events. Take a look at our webpage here!

Coffee Morning

Organise one at home or alternatively find a local village or church hall in which to host. Tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits are all you need. Add in book stalls, bric-a-brac stands or a raffle to increase your takings!

Cycling Sportive

Join a local cycling sportive. Pick a distance that challenges you and get sponsored. Get your friends or cycling buddies to join you and make up a team.

D

Dance Competition

Dig out your sequins and grab yourself a partner. Have some fun and raise some funds. Either recreate the strictly experience or just hold a simple event with your friends.

Darts Tournament

Why not organise a darts tournament in your local pub or club. Source a prize for the winning team.

Dinner Party

Ever fancied being on ‘Come Dine With Me’? Why not recreate the competition for you and your friends? Charge people for the meal to raise funds for charity. Or you could organise a dine-around, changing houses for each course.

Disco

Get your boogie shoes on and dance like no one is watching! Charge for entry. Run competitions throughout the night. All to raise additional funds.

Dog Show

Create your own Crufts event or hold a cutest dog completion. Charge for entries and ask for donations for prizes.

Dress Down Friday

This is always popular and easy to organise at school or work. Simply charge a fee and have a theme if you want to make it more fun.

E

Easter Egg Hunt

An easy fundraising idea for schools or children’s groups. Hide some eggs, leave some clues and charge participants to take place.

eBay

Sell your unwanted items to raise funds. Offer to sell for others, with a donation to charity. You can also donate a percentage of your sales directly to charity when selling through eBay.

Egg & Spoon Race

Great fun for children and adults alike. Pay to enter the race with proceeds going to charity.

Egg Painting Competition

Get creative with your paints, arrange a competition and charge entrants. Ask for donations for prizes.

Eighties Night

Embrace the neon and step back in time to enjoy and 80’s night. Maybe have an eighties themed meal and decorate your home, village hall or venue. Sell glow merchandise to raise more money.

F

Fancy Dress Friday

Take dress down Friday to another level! Fancy dress days are always a winner.

Film Night

Host a film night for your school, community group, friends and family, sell popcorn and drinks with a mark-up and charge an entry fee.

Five-a-Side Football Match

Get a group of mates together and charge them to take part.

Fun Run

Join an organised event or set up a fun run at your school or in your local village. Charge entrants or get sponsorship for participating. There are plenty of options for all levels of fitness.

G

Games Night

Host an evening of games or challenges. Charge people to attend, but also add in penalties for using their phones or talking about work!

Garage Sale

Why not clear out your cupboards and set up a garage sale at home. Invite people to come along and buy your once loved items. Don't forget to distribute flyers and advertise!

Golf Day

Enter a team into a local golf day and get sponsorship, or work with your local golf club to organise a golf tournament to raise money for charity. On a sillier note, or for children, organise an event at a crazy golf course.

Give Something Up

Can’t live without biscuits, chocolate or a glass of wine with dinner? Decide how long you are going to give up your habit and get friends, family or colleagues to sponsor you

Guess The Weight…

Always a fun and easy way to make money for charity. Guess the weight of a jar of sweets, a cake, a car, or anything else you can think of.

H

Head Shave

Get sponsored to go bald! Get friends and family to come along and support you.

Horse Show

If you are a horse lover this might just be the thing for you. Why not put on a gymkhana at your local stables?

I

Ice Cream Sale

Invite all your friends or classmates for this cool fundraiser. Perfect fundraiser for the summer months.

Indoor Rowing

Row the channel or choose your own distance. Take on a personal challenge or row as a team.

International Themed Evening

Host a dinner party inspired by your favourite country. Theme your dress code, menu and music and charge your friends and family to come along.

J

Jeans At Work Day

Get your colleagues all to pay to wear jeans for the day.

Jumble Sale

Have a clear out of your unwanted items while raising money for charity.

K

Karaoke

Always a classic. Host a karaoke evening at home, at school or at your local pub. Pick your favourite tune and away you go!

Knitting Competition

Get your needles out, set a competition or knit items for our wards. This will raise funds and provide useful items for our hospital.

L

Ladies Night / Day

Get your female friends together and throw a ladies day or night. The first challenge will be getting a date in the diary. Once you've got the date, start to think about entertainment. You could have cocktails and canapés or a Mad Hatter’s tea party. You know your guests best, so choose something that you’ll all enjoy.

Limbo Competition

This one could work well at the pub. Charge to enter the competition, and ask the pub to donate a prize for the winner.

M

Make The Tea 

Be the favourite person in your office, but for a fee! Get people to pay you for making the tea and coffee for a day, week or month.

Manicure & Makeovers

Host a pamper party. Get a local beautician involved and charge to have treatments.

Mile Of Coins

Collect lots of coins and when they are all lined up, how far do they reach?

Mini Olympics

Great idea for schools and community groups. Set up Olympic events and charge fees for each event entered. Source prizes and maybe hold a raffle or tombola for further fundraising.

N

Name The Teddy

Ask a local business to donate a teddy. Come up with a list of names and sell them to people to raise funds. Pick the name out of the hat and give the teddy as the prize.

Number Squares

Source a prize and then sell numbered squares to raise funds. Contact our office as we can print the squares for you.

O

Obstacle Course

Either bring in the professionals or create your own obstacle course. Compete as teams or individuals and charge for entry. Let the competition commence!

Odd Clothes Day

Charge to wear crazy clothes and give prizes for the wackiest combinations.

Office Party

There are plenty of ways to incorporating fundraising into your place of work, whether it’s holding a bake sale, a raffle, a tombola, having dress-down day or making your boss sit in a tub of baked beans.

Open Gardens

If you have a garden to be proud of gather together some of your neighbours and host an open gardens. Advertise your event, sell tickets and also sell refreshments to raise more funds.

P

Pancake Day

Hold your own pancake race using the contestants own pancakes. But before they race why not give prizes for best (and worst) pancakes. Sell pancakes afterwards for competitors and spectators to eat.

Plant Sale

Do you have a passion for plants? Sell cuttings or plants and donate the profits to charity.

Q

Quiz

Organise a quiz night. Get your friends along to the pub or a village hall and host a quiz. Any theme or audience can be catered for. Get people to buy tickets to fill tables for you. Sell food and drinks if you can, and maybe hold a raffle to increase your fundraising.

R

Raffle

Holding a raffle can be a fundraiser on its own or can be an additional fundraiser at your event to boost income. Ask local businesses to donate prizes. If you want to sell tickets in advance, you must purchase official tickets. We can help with this. You can use cloakroom tickets if you are selling tickets on the day of the draw. All tickets must cost the same. You cannot sell for ‘50p each or 3 for £1’, they must be ‘50p each or 3 for £1.50’.

Raft Race

This fundraiser would be a great team building exercise, so why not get your office or friends involved and let the competition begin. Get sponsored or sell places with a mark up to raise funds.

S

Scrabble Contest

Challenge your friends to a Scrabble competition. Each competitor pays to play.

Spelling Bee

Are you an excellent speller? Or just want to give it a try? Challenge yourself to a predetermined quantity of words. Maybe get sponsored for every word known. If you are really adventurous, you could learn words in a foreign language!

Swim-athon

Challenge yourself to swim a certain number of lengths in a day, week or month? Get sponsorship for each length swum. You could swim as part of a relay team and cover more distance.

T

Talent Show

Fancy being your own Simon Cowell, then run your own talent show. Great for schools and workplaces. Any talents welcome, charge people to watch the event. Maybe hold a raffle too to raise more funds.

Tea Party

If a coffee morning is not for you, then have a tea party instead. Just don’t forget the cucumber sandwiches!

Ten-Pin Bowling

Garb a group of friends and head down to your local bowling alley. Charge a fee for entry and participation. Give a prize to the winner.

Three-Legged Race

Great for adults and school children. Get together with your friends and colleagues for this fun team building exercise. Charge an entry fee for each team and donate the proceeds to charity.

Tombola

Ask local businesses, friends and families to donate prizes. Only tickets ending in 0 and 5 will win a prize. You may also want to hold a raffle at the same time.

Treasure Hunt

Grab a pen, some paper and a prize for the end. Set up a treasure hunt for your friends and family. Charge for entry and donate the proceeds to charity.                          

U

Uniform Free Day

An easy fundraiser for schools. Charge children to wear their own clothes and donate the proceeds to charity.

 V

Vehicle Rally

For those interested in bikes, cars or trucks. Hold a vehicle rally in a suitable venue. Charge drivers to enter and find businesses who can offer prizes. You could try and get a local car club involved. Offer food vans to come and charge a pitch fee

W

Walk

A sponsored walk is a great way to raise some money by getting sponsored. You could go it alone or get your friends involved, it’s up to you. Make your route a personal challenge.

Water Polo Competition

Charge players and spectators for entry. Find a venue, invite teams to join the competition.

Waxing

A suggestion only for the brave. Get sponsored to have something waxed: your legs, your chest you decide!

X

Xbox Competition (Or PS4)

Pay to enter an Xbox tournament and split the winning with us. Or why not get your friends involved and set up your own contest and charge for entry.

Xmas Fair

Get crafty, get creative. Make Christmas decorations and sell them at your local Christmas fair and donate the profit to charity.

Y

Yogathon

Encourage your yoga class to hold a sponsored event; invite more yoga bunnies to join in or do a longer session.

Year-Long Challenge

Set yourself a year-long challenge and get sponsored; lose weight, get fit or take up a new sport or activity.

Z

Zumbathon

Get all your class involved. Encourage new people to join in for the ‘biggest local zumbathon’ or Zumba for a longer period of time. Charge to take part and get sponsorship. Keep fit whilst doing something fun for charity.

Zip-Wire Challenge

Why not take on the longest zip-wire in Europe and the fastest in the world (Zip World, Wales). Have your friends and family sponsor your for your bravery.