Fundraising ideas

Alternative gift Are you getting married or celebrating a special occasion? Instead of collecting an array of unwanted gifts, why not make a difference by asking for donations to WaterAid? Find out more about alternative giving for special occasions.

Auction of promises Instead of goods, promises of people's time, labor and talents are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Whether you do it in your office or with your friends this event is designed to be entertaining as well as lucrative.

Get your co-workers to come forward and make a 'promise' that you can take bids fro. Also approach your directors; they may be able to contribute to the auction with items such as air miles, vacation days and invitations to corporate events.

Here are some ideas of popular items from an auction of promises held to benefit WaterAid:

• Wine tasting evening for up to 10 people
• Providing coffee and soft drinks for a day for a whole team
• Baking cakes for a whole team
• A private swimming lesson
• A one week break in a vacation home
  
• Handmade bags and jewelery
• The most popular of all was a day of complete silence for one of the Directors!

Backyard or community open day Persuade a dozen or more people in your neighborhood to open their backyards and have an open day or weekend. Issue a map of the yards and sell tickets that are marked as people move from yard to yard. If possible open a local community center as a cafe for the day and sell drinks and snacks.

Bake sale Bake some yummy treats and have a bake sale in your local community or even your office.

Car washing You'll need a team of willing helpers, a parking lot, a ready supply of water, equipment and some good publicity. Make sure you give your younger washers a bit of training to avoid any damage to cars. Bring a vacuum cleaner and charge extra for an inside clean and offer a windshield washing service for those in a hurry!

Cheese and wine evenings Supply a selection of wine and cheese to taste and buy, charging visitors for entrance. This is an excellent opportunity for local wine merchants and cheese sellers to promote their produce whilst raising money for WaterAid.  

Church collection Donate the proceeds of your church collection to WaterAid. Find out more about our church appeals in our in our faith-based initiatives section. 

Clothes swap This is a great way to get rid of old clothes and pick up some new ones at the same time. Ask people to bring along any unwanted items and charge them for entry. Set a minimum number of items per person and ask for the clothes to be clean and in good condition. Everybody arranges their clothes onto tables and picks what they would like. Everyone's a winner!

Come dine with me Gather together four or five friends and take it in turn to host to compete in holding the perfect dinner party. Ask friends for a donation to enter the competition.

Computer games marathon Hold a gaming competition.  Ask people to donate prizes and charge for entry.

Club night Book a good DJ and venue, donate proceeds from the door or cloakroom and maybe even create a water stand where people can get free water in return for donations.

Dress down day Get permission from your boss to hold a special dress down day at work in return for donations to WaterAid. You could be creative by incorporating a water theme.

eBay for Charities Thanks to our partnership with MissionFish, you can now buy and sell items on internet auction site eBay and support WaterAid America at the same time! Find out more.

Fantasy football Arrange a sweepstake on this season's teams and donate a percentage of the winnings to WaterAid. Everyone can get involved and this works well with other sporting events such as tennis, baseball and basketball.

Festivals and open days Schools, village halls, greens, or any big spaces make ideal locations for an event of this kind. You can charge a fee for those wishing to hold stalls or donate the profits from the stalls and charge a small entrance fee to visitors.

Garage sale. Ask friends and family to donate unwanted items and hold a garage sale to benefit WaterAid.  Make you sure you advertise your sale well in your neighborhood, and maybe in the local newspaper. You can boost the fun and the sales by encouraging your neighbors to join in and holding a community garage sale. 

Karaoke nights Everybody likes to think they are brilliant at singing so why not test the vocal talents of friends and families in turn for donations to WaterAid? You could even make contestants dress up as a famous singer!

Movie screening Hold a movie night in the comfort of your own home. Choose either a newly released movie or a classic, make some popcorn and charge friends to attend!

Quiz night It's a classic! Hold a general knowledge quiz in a local bar and charge a fee for each individual to take part. Perfect for autumn and winter evenings.

River of quarters Ask people to place coins in a snaking line around a playground, parking lot or hall and give a prize to the person who guesses how many coins this will take, bank the coins and send a check to WaterAid America!

Rummage sale Decorate the hall in a watery theme and then sell, sell, sell.

Sponsored detox Feeling sluggish after the holidays? Try getting your friends or co-workers to sponsor you to give up candy, sodas and chips.

Sporting events Running, swimming, cycling, canoeing, rafting… Organizing a sporting event in your local area is a fantastic way to keep fit and raise money for WaterAid! Try and find interesting routes of varying distances and link your event to WaterAid by connecting it to a local lake, river or reservoir. Participants could be sponsored extra to carry water with them, just as women and children do in the countries where WaterAid works.

Taste for Life Gather your friends, family and co-workers together for a Taste for Life food event to benefit WaterAid. Choose a barbecue, picnic or formal dinner - just enjoy the event while raising funds for WaterAid and encouraging your guests to organize their own Taste for Life events too.  Find out more on our Taste for Life page.

Themed banquets, lunches, or picnics Choose seasonal themes such as Halloween or Thanksgiving or country themes and tailor the menu accordingly. Arrange the meal in a hotel or restaurant and sell tickets at a profit, or take over a community center and do the catering yourself.

Toy duck races You'll need a few hundred numbered plastic ducks. Then get people to sponsor a duck at $2 a go and give them a note of their duck's number. On the race day set all the ducks loose on the river and watch they race to the finish line. Be sure to catch them again though!