How to raise money for your charity

Everybody has certain causes dear to their hearts for which they would like to raise money, but not everyone finds the time to actually get round to doing this. We all lead busy lives today, but if you are really serious about doing your bit there are a huge variety of fun, easy and inexpensive ways you can do this – and don’t forget to learn the ways of increasing Gift Aid revenue for your charity. Here are some fundraising methods you could consider:

Sponsored skydive: This is a challenge in itself which many people think they would like to have a go at but wonder if they have the nerve. By doing this for charity you are challenging yourself and raising money for a good cause at the same time. The good news is that, if you look around, you will find that many charities will cover the cost of your skydive themselves if you can guarantee to raise a certain amount of money for them.

Walk-a-thon:  For those who aren’t able to participate in the more extreme option above but would still like a more physical challenge, why not consider a sponsored walk-a-thon? The great thing about doing this is that you can get as many people involved as you want, which makes for a great community spirit as well as raising more money for your cause. Advertise your walk-a-thon online, in local papers and billboards or through word of mouth and friends, and you may be surprised at the interest and support you are able to drum up.

Organise an event: This can be any size, from a small local bring-and-buy sale to a large rock concert – the important thing is to advertise it well enough to bring in enough punters. Just make sure, if you are going for a more ambitious event, that you have the right systems in place to ensure you collect donations efficiently.

As mentioned above, it is also important, whatever method of fundraising you choose, to know how to maximise the amount of Gift Aid your charity can claim back after you have made your donation. Bear in mind that Gift Aid can only be reclaimed on money from individuals or sole traders, so any donations from a company on behalf of someone else will not be recognised. Make sure your donation has clearly come from the correct sources.

Also, you need to keep accurate records of each donor who has sponsored you – otherwise the Gift Aid cannot be verified. If you are running a large event, then using EPOS (electronic point-of-sale systems) are another great way of increasing gift aid revenue as they will process the information automatically and accurately.