Last updated March 31, 2016
Traditionally New Zealand non-profits leave all their fundraising events to the summer season, but there are some great events you can hold in the winter too. Check out these 6 Winter Fundraising Ideas to keep the momentum going through the colder months.
Mid-Winter Christmas
Many organisations host mid-winter Christmas dinners, but there are other ways to use the mid-winter Christmas theme to your advantage. You could:
- Send a carefully written request letter to your ‘Christmas’ donors, telling them how their donation has benefited your organisation and reminding them that you need support throughout the entire year.
- Launch a Christmas themed challenge that starts in July and is completed with a big celebration in mid-December. Challengers could pay an entry fee and get ‘sponsored’ by friends and family to complete the challenge.
- Ask your members and supporters to host mid-winter Christmas dinners in their own homes. They can ask their dinner guests to make a small donation to your cause or bring a gift off your wish-list.
Winter Challenge
Challenge your members to do something usually reserved for the summer months. It could be a winter swim, a camp-out in the cold or an ice-cream eating activity. The unusualness of the activity should generate some media attention, especially if you can relate it to your cause in some way.
Check out www.guinessworldrecords.com for inspiration.
Wear Your Slippers to Work Day
Who wouldn’t want to wear their slippers to work in the middle of winter? Approach local businesses and encourage them to allow a ‘Slipper Day’ for staff, in return for a Gold Coin Donation. Get your local media on board and encourage your whole town to get in behind your campaign. You could even create a special pair of slippers for your cause.
Branded Umbrellas
The thing about umbrellas is that most people don’t think to buy one, unless they a) have been offered one, or b) they are caught standing in the rain. Start by taking orders from your members and supporters to cover the initial purchase costs, and then sell the remaining items where people will need them most. Saturday sports games, concerts, winter festivals and the like. It’s not a million-dollar fundraiser, but the extra brand exposure is definitely useful. Be careful to use the space for the most impact.
Roast Dinners on the Run
Everyone loves a good roast dinner – especially if someone else cooks it for them. Pre-sell tickets for individual roast dinners which people can collect on the way home from work. Simply cook the right amount of meat and vegetables, and dish them into aluminium trays for people to collect. For an extra charge, you could also offer a winter dessert such as steamed pudding or apple crumble and cream.
Once you get the hang of it, you can make ‘Roast Dinners on the Run’ a monthly activity. Do it right and you’ll be surprised by how many people make your roast dinners a regular habit.
Indoor Games Night
Good old fashioned board games are fast becoming extinct with television and computer games definitely taking over. An indoor games night is a fun way to encourage family time with real conversation and you can turn the event into an inter-family challenge.
Families buy tickets to enter the event and they compete against other families in various games. Choose simple games that everybody knows or can learn quickly and build in a special twist. Perhaps they could play ‘pick up sticks’ using giant sticks, or play chess where each person has to take turns deciding the next move. You could have families race to complete jigsaw puzzles, solve crosswords or complete Sudoku.
Make it a one off event with a grand champion family or create a series of nights over the winter period. You could make extra money by selling popcorn and hot chocolate on the night.
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