As coronavirus limits our ability to volunteer and host fundraising events, people are having to find new ways to raise funds to fight causes. Thousands of not-for-profit organisations and individuals have adapted to the current circumstances and created virtual ways to aid charities all over the world. We give you our top ideas and tips for fundraising remotely. 

IDEAS 

Take inspiration from a few of our top ideas for a virtual fundraising campaign: 

Donate a saved cost 

Some of us are lucky enough to be saving money during lockdown, from the absence of regular haircuts, childcare, commuting, or the morning coffee you have on your commute. Now could be a perfect opportunity to help an important cause by donating your daily £3 coffee budget to people more in need. 

Virtual charity runs 

Organisations all over the world host races and walks in aid of charity. Whilst we cannot host a race in the park, we can use our allowed daily exercise to come together in a virtual challenge. Create a GoFundMe page to raise money for homelessness by reaching your running target or host a virtual race where everyone can donate to get involved and build a sense of community through sharing each other’s progress.  

Read and share our top training tips for running 10k here. 

Raise money to complete a challenge 

Social media provides unlimited opportunities to raise money for charity, while keeping connected and raising community spirits. Utilise fundraising applications, such as JustGiving or GoFundMe to collect donations for your campaign. Encourage participants to share their completed challenges and donations on social media through posts, photos and videos with your campaign hashtag and inspire others. 

Take inspiration from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the Together Challenge 21, a challenge to raise awareness of a Down Syndrome charity for children and parents, or the recent 2.6 Challenge, replacing the London Marathon. 

Turn your physical event into a virtual one 

Your annual charity event, whether a ball, silent auction, sporting challenge or live performance, does not have to be cancelled this year, with so many platforms to allow you to host events completely digitally and safely. The best part is there is no limit on attendees and the venue is always free! 

Create a landing page on your website or a Facebook group to promote your event. Host a variety of activities on Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Houseparty or Zoom, such as: 

Raffles 

Silent auctions 

A quiz 

A virtual bake off 

A livestream comedy night 

Host a class, including yoga, sport, arts and crafts and more 

A coffee morning 

These events can be promoted on your page and live announcements will build excitement. Consider creating postcards or sending little gifts for people who are not used to a digital life. 

TIPS 

Here is a summary of our tips to remember when creating a virtual fundraising campaign: 

Create a campaign hashtag 

Help your campaign to gain traction and make it easy to follow through a short, relevant hashtag. Share your community’s contributions to thank funders, raise further awareness and create even more excitement around the campaign. 

Create a landing page, Facebook Event or Facebook Group  

Having a single place for the community to communicate, share ideas and share excitement will help to raise awareness of your cause. Facebook Live or Instagram Live can livestream a video of your live performance, announcements, raffle winners, silent auction, competition winners and thanks to your network of supporters. 

Choose a date or timeframe that is easy for the community to join in 

Consider your audience to accommodate as many people as possible to help your cause. A running challenge will take a varying amount of time for different abilities and availability of people. If you’re hosting an online event, hours after work will work best for most people and hosting a Facebook Live will mean the video can stay on your page for anyone who might not make it.  

Make it fun!

A creative fundraiser is a great way to keep people entertained during lockdown and put a smile on people's faces. Create challenges that are entertaining, exciting or something that gives someone a sense of achievement to talk about with others. Being able to share your achievements on social media through a hashtag or event page allows contributors to connect with like-minded people who are making a difference and share each other's excitement. The 2.6 Challenge has brought people of the UK together to create and complete a variety of challenges that all kinds of individuals can get involved with. 

Take a look at our top tips to create the best fundraising event here, for more on how to create and prepare a successful fundraiser. 

The Fine & Country Foundation is a charity with the mission to fight the cause of homelessness. For more information about what we do or for help with a fundraiser you would like to do, please contact foundation@fineandcountry.com. 

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