Raising money for a poorly young boy

[happyjo]

Hi

A close friends son ( age 10) has just been diagnosed with cancer. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Things are tough financially for them and a group of us want to raise some money to send them on a great holiday after he finishes the treatment. We have the permission of the school where our children go to use the facilities free of charge and want to raise about �5000 in total.

Have any of you got ideas how I can raise funds, we are thiking about sponsored walks, car washes and coffee mornings..

Have any of you got any more inspirational ideas??

Thanks in advance

J x

[madboutcats]

A quiz night at your local pub?

[ladyalex]

What about a Pub Quiz with a raffle?
You might even get your local to host it for free.
Get raffle prizes from local shops, again, you might get them for free.

[ladyalex]

Great minds.....

[firetracie]

How about a car boot sale in the school grounds - charge a fee per car which goes to the fund. Depending on whether there are any other car boots in the area and the response you get you could repeat it every 3/4 weeks. Folks will go to sell the stuff they've got which makes money for them so is attractive to 'outsiders' and you could have a stall yourself to sell donations to the cause.

[firetracie]

Oh - and something else I've used in the past - ask any local gym's if they'll donate a months membership as a raffle prize. I've found they're quite up for it in the hope that after a month whoever has won it and goes will be 'hooked' and pay to stay on!

[annie0000]

How about seeing if you can get a few local entertainers willing to donate a little bit of their time to put on a show in the school and charge for tickets.

Do you have any budding photographers who could do some of those casual type of family photos at a cheaper price that the studios offer.

What about a bingo night, or bellydancing or something - or a halloween sleepover in the school.

[Sachs]

Family disco night!

[madboutcats]

Thank you ladyalex. Could the children in you school have sponsored silences or go to school in your pjama day for a �1 or more..

[naomi24]

Raffles can raise a lot of money, but be aware that you may need a licence. A raffle in a workplace, school or club doesn't need a licence, but in other circumstances you might. Licences aren't very expensive. Check with your local authority.

I don't know how quickly you want to raise the money, but with Christmas coming, how about organising a Carol Concert at the school? You could hold a raffle too, then, with no licence required.

Car boot sales can raise quite a bit too - and they give everyone a chance to clear out their junk!!

Incidentally, it's often worth raising awareness to something like this by contacting your local press.

I hope you're successful. Good luck. x

[jen78]

Ask for donations of unwanted goods to sell on Ebay.

A scavenger hunt can be a good thing for a family to do, we used to go to a fantastic one round Blist's Hill victorian village.

You could do coffee mornings for local parents during the day in a school hall where they can come and the kids are supervised playing while the parents can have a coffee and a chat, maybe get someone to do makeovers, nails and such for a small fee. Maybe even a mobile hairdresser willing to donate their time.

You could organise cheap half term activities for kids, good for parents who work and cheaper than childcare.

Making cheap calendars and Christmas cards to sell and get local businesses to sell them and have a collection tin.

Do supervised door to door carol singing for donations. You could do trick or treating on Hallowe'en too.

Car washing is a good one.

Maybe see if some school land could be used for paid parking.

[jen78]

A fete could be good with games with cheap prizes, cake stalls with produce donated by mums and kids.

Face painting, caricatures, photos etc... can all also be charged for.

Sponsered fun runs or bike rides.

Bbq or picnic events.

Get local businesses involved eg pubs who could hold quizzes, many could have collection tins, churches who could organise a collection, some businesses may like to donate (especially if you get the local press involved).

Some local clothes places may be willing to help out with a fashion show.

Supermarkets sometimes have people bagpacking to raise money for charity.

Som legal tips here...

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/getinvolved/raisemoney /guidetofundraising/keeplegal/keepingitlegal_w da33470.html

[happyjo]

wow... fantastic replies.

I will start thinking about the logistics..

Keep the ideas coming.

Ta xx

[echokilo]

Whne I was at school (and yes, it was a long time ago) I remember being sponsored to see how many things we could fit in a matchbox ........ and we all loved doing it ......... I think this was about 27 years ago so it must have been good for me to remember it - there was a prize for the winner and every item had to be different... what about a disco for the kids in the afternoon at school - am sure one of the dad's could get some coloured lights together and play a few tunes .... �1 fee and money made on drinks and crisps etc would bring you in some more ��� .......... a car wash would be good too ...... any chance you can get some of the local firemen involved, as that's sure to bring in the ladies!!!!

What about dog walking? Sponsored litter picking? Treasure hunt? Casual dress day at school and charge a � (if they usually have a uniform), do the kids have a school orchestra or choir - they could do a concert..... what about involving the grandparents and hold a bingo night/beetle drive?

[echokilo]

and what about asking a local kids entertainer to come in a do a skint at their Xmas parties, and charge for face painting etc - you would make a few quid and they would get some contacts from parents

[curiosity]

In time for the Christmas fare our school send each child home with a McDonalds cup (donated free from Mcd's) to decorate (or not) and fill with things, they then get a raffle ticket on them and all the corresponding ones go in a tub (not like a tombola) and sold for �1 so everyone wins and it's a surprise. It's really popular and sells out very quick, depending on how many kids are in the school it could make a bit. People fill with sweets, or toys, stationary sets etc anything they want it doesn't have to be to the value of �1 but most want people to get their moneys worth, and some get really artistic and creative.

[terambulan]

Auction yourselves out for cooking dinner/cleaning/gardening/decorating/free chauffering/baby-sitting.......etc.

[mrs_overall]

My daughter's Girl Guide group recently did a "bag pack" at our local supermarket and they raised �1600 in 4 hours.

[joannie10]

yeh I was going to suggest a bag pack - our local supermarket has them on most saturdays and people always happy to donate. Speak to local businesses and see if anyone wants to donate either money (always looks good for them if they have supported someone/something locally) or something for a raffle prize. Any events like 10k coming up in your area soon - not all of these are tied to a charity you can pick your own. My friend and I gathered old books and did a sale at her uni. Once people new we were doing it they started donating books and baking etc. We made just over �500 for a childrens home in one morning. Some people were just handing over money.