This fundraising event is a bit more of a different choice that many people may not have heard of before and it is really popular amongst energetic student fundraisers.
We all love to dance and one of the best ways to have fun is by dancing of course! So why not incorporate this into your fundraising? Many people take on marathons, but for those of us who aren’t ready for all those months of active commitment, there is also the chance to work on a danceathon.
A danceathon is literally dancing, constantly, for 24 hours! You can do this in a clear box in the middle of a town if you have the facilities to do so, a room, an office, your school, your university, anywhere!
You can leave a pot for people to drop money into, or ask for donations online for people to donate to in support of your corageous efforts to dance for 24 hours. It would be great to get a lot of friends involved so that you don’t feel like you are alone in your efforts to make the time go faster. It can be super fun, and tiring, so you need the support!
Create a sponsorship form, put together a playlist and get dancing! There are plenty on Spotify that would be great to use!
A great way to fundraise without putting in a lot of effort is a cocktail party! You can buy cocktail making kits and also recipe books from places like WHSmith and Waterstone’s. A cocktail making kit isn’t even necessary! You just need some basic equipment to make the drinks! I personally have held these parties during a pres before a night out so that friends who would regularly go to Wetherspoons or similar to get cheap cocktails can get them from me, and they are cheaper AND all the profits go to charity!
To set up your party, think of where you will host the event. A great place to host it is generally your house! If you have a mini bar, this is also a great touch to the occassion as you have the opportunity to decorate it with tiki decorations and more, if this is the vibe you are going for. It is important to have a theme I think for a cocktail party, popular choices are Hawaiian themed or Mexican.
These two cocktails are very easy to make and both use similar ingredients. If you have a Lidl or a Aldi near you (if you are from the UK) then this is a great place for you to pick up some cheap alcohol and mixers and will easily make you profit. Consider how many people you are inviting to this event and make sure you have the appropriate ratio of drinks to people, estimate that everyone will probably buy 3 drinks maximum. An average price I charged for a Sex On The Beach when I ran this event was £4 and people got large servings.
Equipment
In terms of what you need to make cocktails, then this is really down to your own budget and what you want to put into this event. When I ran this event, I had a cocktail making kit that I had been given by a friend some years before, it was professional and came with all of the equipment I would need, but it wasn’t necessary by any means…
Poundland sells plastic cocktail making sets with a mixing jar and stirrers for £1 if you choose to buy one of these and look more professional, but a bowl and a spoon will do just as well to make a “fishbowl” for people to drink from!
You can also buy fishbowls from Poundland and cocktail making sets can be found on Amazon.co.uk for relatively cheap prices, so do your research!
Consider that because you are using alcohol there is the chance that people will get drunk and want more… without paying! Make sure to always supervise the space where the cocktails are being served so that this does not happen.
This is a really great fundraising idea and of course one that can feel a little segregating if you know a lot of people who don’t drink at all. Consider making mocktails instead of cocktails in this instance! They are just as yummy and who ever needed alcohol to make a night fun anyway?
Get involved with some great fundraising this week and let me know in the comments how your cocktail parties go down! Have fun partying!
The Charity Guru 