Host your own fundraising event
Your fundraising event for SOS Children will make a lasting contribution to the lives of vulnerable children around the world. While having a great time you will also play a vital role in the work we do caring for orphaned and abandoned children.
Organising an event is simple and our step-by-step guide makes it even easier to have fun while giving children a family for life.
We can provide resources to help your event go smoothly - we even have a choice of posters for you to download to help promote SOS Children for your fundraising event.
Why wait? Your fundraising challenge can start today!
Just follow the steps to get started...
Plan: run, jump, ski or fly...
What do you want to do? Pick an activity that you and your friends love. There aren’t any rules so you can choose anything you want. Maybe you’re passionate about ice hockey or a whizz at chess – in that case, why not make your next match a charity challenge?Or perhaps you’d prefer something on a larger scale. Maybe you want to get your whole school or place of work involved. You could hold a dress-down day, or organise a fun run. If you’re in a band, put on a gig. Or maybe you've always wanted to jump out of a plane but never had the guts. If you're feeling retro, why not stage a jousting tournament or a team-scrumping contest?
OK, we're being a bit silly now. But the point is this - nothing is too simple or too ambitious. Feel free to be as daring, creative or just plain crazy as you like.
When: today, tomorrow, next Wednesday...
Your next task is to choose a date. Get the calendar out, decide on a date that everyone can make, and make sure it doesn’t clash with any major events. Don’t forget to allow plenty of time for preparation.
Once you have set a date, tell us about it. We may need to send you some resources or provide advice on practicalities. Allow enough time for us to help you get ready.
Where: home or away?
The next step is to choose a location. Depending on the nature of your event, you may need to think about access issues. You want to make sure everyone can take part. If you need to book a venue, ask if they have a charity rate.
Promote: talk, talk, talk
Get the word out – invite friends, family, school-friends, neighbours and colleagues. Put up posters, distribute leaflets, and take advantage of social media (more on this below). Really fly the flag to make sure your event is a success!
Donate: money, money, money
Next comes the important bit: sending in the money! And of course, we’d also love to hear all about your event and see any photos you might have.
Help and Advice
Organising and hosting your own fundraising challenge can be great fun and we know your event will be a huge success. At times, however, you might need some guidance, and we're on hand to help if you need us. The following tips should help answer many of your questions and ensure your event goes down a storm.
Get Publicity
- Advertising your event in the local press and on radio stations is a fantastic way to gain support from your community. If you need help writing a press release feel free to contact our press team at press@soschildren.org.
- Make use of Facebook and Twitter. Social media is a great way to promote your event, and you can link to other SOS Children supporters via our Facebook page and Twitter feed. When you’re done, upload your event photos to inspire others to get fundraising.
Resources
- We can provide you with materials to help your event go off with a bang. Get in touch to let us know what you’re planning and we can send you all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff, from posters and leaflets to balloons, collections tins and stickers.
- You can even download some posters now to help promote your event.
Fundraising online
- An easy and effective way of raising sponsorships or donations. You can even use the online approach for selling tickets! We are registered with BT MyDonate, Virgin Money Giving and JustGiving, so you can use any of them. Find out more about online fundraising options.
Keep it legal
- Do be sure to consider the legal and safety aspects of your event. If you are undertaking a public collection or street collection you will need a license from the local authority. Please read keeping your fundraising event legal and safe for more information about collections.
Making your donation
- You can send us your donation online, by post or by phone. For further information see our one-off donations section.
If you have any other questions about organising your fundraising event, feel free to get in touch at info@soschildren.org.
Gift Aid
Without any cost to you or your sponsors, we can reclaim an additional 25% from the government. For us to be able to claim GiftAid on your donation you need to confirm that you are a UK tax payer and that you pay an amount of income tax or capital gains tax equal to the tax we reclaim on your donations. Download the Gift Aid form here.
Thank you!
We really appreciate all the hard work that our fundraisers put in to create successful and enjoyable events that not only raise funds but also help inspire others to support SOS Children.
You can read more about the wonderful things that people are doing to raise funds for SOS Children in our Fundraising Matters magazine. Take a look to get inspired!
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