Virtual Fundraising Ideas

Here are some fun fundraising ideas for you to begin your virtual fundraising journey!

In these strange and uncertain times, we thought it would be a good idea to share fun AND charitable ideas that can still take place from the safety of home!

If you are worried about continuing your fundraising, having seen many hard- earned events cancelled, or are simply looking for ways to get creative, connect with your community, or relieve some boredom, then we hope this might help.

Remember to register your fundraising with us, and please reach out to us at help@edendoratrust.org if you have any questions or queries about any of the ideas below. Thank you!

Quiz Night

What better way to brave this out than to get together, keep the brain stimulated and the laughs flowing by getting quizzical?!

Virtual Quiz Events is an event website where fundraisers can schedule fully hosted online quiz events for their supporters to play from anywhere, without attending a physical location. Grab a glass of wine, log into Skype/ WhatsApp and have your very own pub quiz (without having to change out of the slacks). It really is easy as 1, 2, 3… even if some obscure quiz questions won’t be.

• Step 1 – Schedules your quiz event.
• Step 2 – Players register to play in the fundraiser’s quiz event.
• Step 3 – 1st, 2nd & 3rd place quiz winners win prizes, and chosen organisation receives raised funds from the quiz event’s player registrations

Live Streaming

Been inspired by the live concerts, Joe Wick’s live PE sessions, or just want to share your talents, ideas etc. with the masses? Why not stream your event live on the internet and take donations as it happens?!

This kind of platform is not just for gaming, bands, or fitness enthusiasts, but for anything you would find in your local pub or theatre and much, much more!

Online Car Boot Sales

Gone are the days when you had to go down to the village hall or a muddy field, dragging a hoard of unwanted treasures behind you and getting elbow deep into the neighbourhood’s remnants to hold or attend a jumble sale. Like everything else, it can now be done online!  

More than just selling the old, dusty and forgotten stuff cluttering up the attic. If you’ve got a gift for making jewellery, toys, cards… whatever it might be, why not get hands on and creative? The things that you make by hand can make a huge difference.  

Fundraising Games and Social Media Challenges

Finding that the best way to get through the current situation is to spend some quality time with the console? Why not set up a ‘Gaming for Good’ event, where you can do just this, but also raise some vital funds for charity, too?      

Typically, a charity ‘Gaming for Good’ event will consist of a 24-hour gaming marathon where fundraisers will stream their game-playing live on websites – such as Twitch - and their viewers will donate whilst watching their stream  

Online Raffles

One of the more traditional fundraising methods, they are a great way tohave fun and raise funds for any charity. Just remember to keep it safe and legal!

Sweets in a jar is an old favourite, but let’s get creative. How about footballs in a car? Pound coins in a sock? It could be anything; the possibilities are endless. Fill a jar/car/sock etc., (don’t forget to count the objects!…) take a picture, post to the Eden Dora Trust Facebook page and your own social media using #guessforEDT. Get the community guessing and donating to a great cause!  Click here for some inspiration on what to use!      

Banned Word Jar

Blue language rearing its ugly head a little more often than usual at home? Fed up of talking about a particular topic? This is a fun and light-hearted way to gather extra funds for your charity, and it’s sure to bring in plenty of cash if everybody gets involved!      

This fundraising idea works by accumulating lots of small quantities of money over the course of the event and offers plenty of opportunities to raise even more should you wish to.

How to play

This fundraising game involves a commonly used word or phrase being ‘banned’ during a particular time period or during a household or virtual fundraising party, perhaps. If anybody says this word – and you should make it so sometimes it simply can’t be helped – they’ll have to put a pound or more into a special jar placed on the centre of their table or other pertinent place in the home/ on screen! This works particularly well for sit-down meals or dinners because it’s easier to catch people out for using the word(s) you’ve banned.

What you need

This fundraising party game requires little more than a few decorated jars, and maybe a sign or two with a list of the banned words written on them. Really simple to do but a great way of raising money for charity!

The Great Charity Bake Off / Brew Up

Name a time, get a community of people together to log on to Skype of Zoom etc., get the kettle on and have a good old-fashioned natter over a brew. You could embed a donation link into the site you are using, or direct people towards a JustGiving page.      

Everyone loves a sweet treat or two, and everyone knows that cakes and bakes are even more delicious if they’re homemade! With this in mind, why not hold a bake-off as a game to raise money for charity? 

Encourage as many of your attendees as possible to get busy in their kitchens prior to the event and bake up some cakes. Tell them to be as creative as possible, because each bake can be judged by expert tasters (your family/ people you are isolating with), but also by the online community for best looking bake! You can motivate your guests with a trophy for best cake, best decoration, best concept. 

If none of these take your fancy, then why not have a go at some of the other ideas here …

• Who can eat a lemon without changing their expression

• Push up or sit up competition

• Who can throw a teabag into a mug from the furthest distance

• Who can make the best Easter bonnet

• Who can draw the best picture of a landmark blindfolded

• Who can do the most steps in a day

• Who can design the best mascot (or perhaps who can design the best mascot for the Eden Dora Trust!)

• Who can do the best mannequin challenge

Whatever you choose to do to raise money on behalf of the Eden Dora Trust will be a huge and invaluable help, and will allow us to continue supporting children and families affected by Encephalitis and Acquired Brain Injury across the UK.

As lockdown begins to ease, if you would like to get some ideas for non-virtual ways to raise funds, please see our guide here.