Fundraising
At Make-A-Wish we rely on the many hundreds of generous people who fundraise for us each year. Listed below is just a small selection of events that have taken place that generated much needed funds. Some of these events happen every year in which you too can get involved. There are also examples of how individuals and community groups have got together to organise their own events to raise money. These examples should give you a taster of some of the great activities our supporters have got up to in order to grant our special children's wishes.
If you are taking part in a sponsored event or organising a challenge event for Make-A-Wish, you can set up your very own Make-A-Wish branded fundraising webpage at either Justgiving or Virgin Money Giving.
Organised Annual Events
1. Skyline
Many people raise money for us by taking part in some of the most daring stunts. Make-A-Wish, in association with Skyline, can provide the opportunity to do a parachute jump or tandem skydive. To find out how to jump for Make-A-Wish please visit www.skylineparachuting.co.uk.
2. Challenge Events
You can raise money for Make-A-Wish by taking part in a Challenge Event, such as a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or a Desert Trek in Morocco. For more information, visit our friends at Charity Challenge - http://www.charitychallenge.com - and Discover Adventure - http://www.discoveradventure.com.
3. Wish Challenge
The Wish Challenge can be enjoyed by everyone as part of a community group such as schools, Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides.
The Wish Challenge involves completing a exciting series of activities all relating to Make-A-Wish and discovering the magic of wishes! The objective is to complete all the challenges and earn one of our coveted Wish Challenge cloth badges.
If you would like to receive a copy of the Syllabus and our Wish Challenge Resource Pack and get involved in a whole lot of fun at the same time as learning all about Make-A-Wish, please email
wish-challenge@hotmail.co.uk.
4. School Fundraising
Your school or nursery can help Make-A-Wish to continue granting magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses.
Children are very enthusiastic about helping to raise money for other children; they enjoy hearing stories about the different types of wishes we grant and they are excited to raise money for something they can relate to.
Your school or nursery can support us in many ways - why not hold a non-uniform day and allow the pupils to come to school in their own clothes in return for a donation to Make-A-Wish? Or choose Make-A-Wish as your school’s charity of the year; we are on hand to help you with your fundraising.
We would be happy to provide a representative to visit your school to provide your teachers and pupils with more information and we have a DVD which really helps the children to understand where their money is being spent.
The support from our local communites is very important. Without it we would not be able to continue granting magical wishes to these very poorly children.
Please support us - email us at fundraising@make-a-wish.org.uk for further information or download a copy of our fundraising registration form.
Create Your Own Event
Example 1. Charity football match
Fundraising can be as simple as gathering a few friends for a kick about! That's exactly what Damien Ferridge did with his colleagues at Kalon when he arranged a charity football match at Chestnut FC in Essex. This event helped raise £500 for Make-A-Wish. Darren was so pleased with the event he has now asked his company to make the charity football match an annual event. If you would like to run a similar event please fill in a fundraising registration form and email to fundraising@make-a-wish.org.uk
Example 2: Make-A-Wish Golf Days
A Make-A-Wish Golf Day, whether individually organised or a corporate set-up, is a great chance to combine fundraising with healthy outdoor exercise, networking and enhancing team spirit. Tim Cray of Virtrium Ltd. (www.virtrium.co.uk) has organised several of these events to the benefit of
Make-A-Wish and he stresses that it’s details which matter. Participants need an invitation well in advance informing them about timings, food and drink, and what form the day will take. One of Tim’s typical days will start with coffee and bacon sandwiches and finish after the round with a clubhouse dinner, where prizes are awarded for achievements such as the longest drive of the day. The evening will then finish with a fundraising raffle or auction. Everything needs to be organised and planned for – and don’t forget to remind participants of the correct dress and etiquette on the golf course and let them know the approximate finish time so that they can plan for babysitters etc.
Example 3. Swimming for wishes
Seven-year-old Jessica Arnold knows how to make a splash in the world of fundraising. Jessica decided to do a sponsored swim for Make-A-Wish at her local swimming pool. Along with her dad Mark, Jessica asked friends and family to sponsor her swimming 20 lengths of the pool. Jessica also gave up her pocket money and with her sponsorship money managed to raise £216! If you would like to run a similar event please fill in a fundraising registration form and email to fundraising@make-a-wish.org.uk.
Example 4. Opera in the Park
Eastbourne AM Rotary Club organised a fabulous event of opera in the Park.
The Rotary Club put on a splendid evening of Opera in a marquee with a
picnic, raffle and auction to raise funds for
Make-A-Wish. Everybody had a splendid
evening and the event managed to raise £5000! If you would like to run a similar
event please fill in a fundraising registration form and email
to fundraising@make-a-wish.org.uk
Example 5. Tae Kwon Do night
Aaron Moss kindly organised a Tae Kwon Do fight night at the Wessex Hotel in Bournemouth. The events attracted many local Tae Kwon Do fans and raised an amazing £2,900 via ticket sales and a raffle. If you would like to run a similar event please fill in a fundraising registration form and email to fundraising@make-a-wish.org.uk