15 festive fundraising ideas for 2024

First of all - thank you for clicking onto this page - you're awesome! 😊

We wanted to put together some of the best festive fundraising ideas to get you in the festive spirit, have fun and raise funds for Marmalade Trust. Not only will you be raising funds to support our work, but fundraising is also such a good way to make friends, find common ground and generally have a laugh and feel great about yourself!  Sounds like a win - win to us! 

1. Host a Christmas crafting afternoon

Host a crafting afternoon with family and friends and let your festive creativity flow! Ask for an entry fee from participants and collect donations on the day. The best thing about this idea is that it can be tailored for all ages and the crafting opportunities are endless.  For children or schools, try making Christmas cards and wreaths or decorate gingerbread or baubles. Or, for something a little more grown up, a paint-and-sip evening with mulled wine with friends might be your perfect fundraising event.

2. Host Christmas movie marathon

Nothing gets us more in the Christmas spirit than enjoying our favourite holiday films.

Why not host a cosy movie night with friends and family and ask for an entry fee or donations. Hold a vote among your guests to get together a short list of films. From Elf to Home Alone, there’s something for everyone! Make sure to stock up on popcorn and hot chocolate to share.  

3. Santa's swear jar

No naughty words this season! To keep off Santa’s naughty list, donate £1 to the jar every time you swear.

4. Quiz-mas

Christmas is a great time for a quiz. For a small donation to Marmalade Trust, teams can sign up to test their festive knowledge in a chance to win a great prize! Get team members to organise different quiz rounds about different topics or personalised to your office, such as guess the baby photo. If quizzing isn't your style, you could host a Christmas themed bingo night and ask for donations to take part. Rather than shouting "Bingo" to win why not change it to "Ho Ho Ho!"

5. Deck your desk with bells and holly

Dig out the tinsel, get crafty with the glitter glue and hold a desk decoration contest! Go classic with tinsel and lights or get even more creative. A fun idea for fundraising at school or in the office. This makes a great festive contest; ask for donations for entry or have people vote for the best dressed desk by donating. You’ll be working in a winter wonderland! 

6. Festive fancy dress day

A classic fun and easy Christmas fundraising idea. Host a Christmas jumper or festive fancy dress day at your school or workplace and collect a donation from participants. 

Make awards for best dressed, most creative, or ugliest Christmas jumper and hold a vote! Don’t forget to collect donations from participants. 

7. Festive bake sale

Hosting a bake sale is a fun and easy Christmas fundraising idea for all ages. Whether you set up a stall at a school event, sell your baked goods to neighbours or organise a bake sale at work, you'll get the chance to engage with your community, raise funds to support people experiencing long-term loneliness and indulge in some tasty treats along the way. To add a little competition, you could try a mince pie bake off... Assemble a team of judges for a mine pie bake off and find out whose mince pies are really the best. As they say, the proof is in the pudding!

8. Give as you Christmas shop

Do your Christmas shopping with one of Give as you Live's online retail partners and choose Marmalade Trust as your charity of choice. Simply download the Give as you Live app or download their browser plug-in to raise donations when you shop. 

9. Festive afternoon tea party

Organise a festive afternoon tea party with seasonal treats like mince pies, Christmas biscuits, and cakes. Charge an entry fee for attendees, and consider adding a raffle or a silent auction with donated prizes to raise additional funds.

10. Host a holiday themed party

From a formal festive soiree to a Christmas pyjama party, the great thing about parties is they can be as fancy or as casual as you like! Make sure to decide how you will collect donations – whether it's through ticket sales or through donations or activities. Then all you have to do is have fun!

11. Gingerbread house building contest

Invite friends, neighbours, family or colleagues to a gingerbread house-building contest. Participants can pay an entry fee to join, and you can provide the basic materials or ask them to bring their own. To make it more exciting, set different categories such as "Most Creative," "Best Traditional House," or "Most Festive." Not only does this event allow for creativity, but it also encourages teamwork and friendly competition.

12. Have a pre-Christmas clear out for donations

If you’re wondering where you’ll put gifts you may get this year, then it may be time to think about selling on items that could be loved elsewhere. Of course, there may some items perfect for a charity shop, but if you’d like to try and sell them, why not donate the profits to Marmalade Trust?

13. Guess the angel

Ask your colleagues to send you a picture of them when they were little, put the pictures all together and get them to guess who’s who for a donation. You can have a prize, so that the person who guesses the most pictures correctly wins!  

14. Polar plunge challenge

For the brave and bold, host a polar plunge challenge where participants jump into a cold body of water in festive attire to raise money. This event can draw a crowd and can be a lot of fun (with proper safety measures in place). This is sure to be a memorable event that brings the community together.

15. Take on an advent challenge 

Why not try doing a daily challenge in the lead up to Christmas? This could be anything from running 5k every day to a daily yoga practice! To get started, decide what your daily challenge will be, set up a fundraising page and start sharing. Post videos or pictures of your challenges and ask people to sponsor your efforts.  

A big thank you!

However you choose to fundraise, we want to say a massive thank you for supporting Marmalade Trust. Your fundraising will raise the money that’s crucial to help us support some of the loneliest people in our region to make connections and have fun. It will also help us run national and international campaigns to raise awareness about loneliness across all sections of society. For more information on fundraising for Marmalade Trust in 2024, click here.